A method and system for controlling power consumption within a network node is disclosed. The method and system include dynamically controlling the power consumption of network processing engines based on predetermined thresholds. By dynamically controlling the power consumption of network processing engines based on predetermined thresholds, energy consumption of the overall network processing system is minimized, thereby reducing the operational costs of the system as well as increasing the overall efficiency of network operations. The method and system comprise allowing a queue to receive a plurality of data packets and dynamically controlling the power consumption of at least one of a plurality of processing engines based on a threshold.