The PC's Dirty Little Secret: It Wastes Power Shamelessly

Friday, April 18, 2008 |
By David LaGesse
U.S. News & World Report

Though it is the smartest device in the house, the desktop computer has been dumb when it comes to conserving energy. It's as if every household has a big, gas-guzzling vehicle (or two) in its driveway, all with engines racing. Most people have more computer than they need, says Bruce Nordman, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "It's like we're all driving sport utility computers."


And those hulking, desktop PCs gulp power because they've traditionally been shipped with their throttle stuck wide open. Of course, the energy wasted is more that of a big light bulb than an SUV. But if desktop PCs glowed like their equivalent 150-watt bulb, we'd think to dim them or even switch them off. They don't glow, and few PC owners bother to automatically power them down.

Read More...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

No kidding. The great thing is that a computer like a Mac Mini shameslessly saves power unlike those big bulky desktop PCs. This desktop (hand-sized) computer uses less energy than a CFL in power sipping modes. If you wanna save energy and the planet, the greenest PC is a Mac!

Post a Comment