I am running openSUSE 13.2 "Factory" (not-yet released) on a laptop with the Realtek r8169 (wired) ethernet, however even when unplugged powertop reports that it consumes a staggering 7-10 *Watts*. This kills the battery life.
More testing - the power consumption does not appear to always be that bad. Using kernel 3.16.0-rc7-2-desktop (same as before) and having rebooted (but not yet used the r8169), it's using 800-2000mW. As soon as I'm plugged in, it jumps to 5500-7000mW. I can't speak to what might have changed (not the kernel or drivers), but even so - that's a fair bit of power.
(In reply to Jon Nelson from comment #1) [...] > As soon as I'm plugged in, it jumps to 5500-7000mW. Is runtime power suspend enabled for this device ? > I can't speak to what might have changed (not the kernel or drivers), but > even so - that's a fair bit of power. Driver changes alone could explain a lot - good or bad :o/ Which r8169 device revision (see dmesg) are you using ? -- Ueimor