Being Green on the Desktop
I realized a few years ago that old PCs cost more than new PCs. It's not the purchase price (which is free for old PCs) but the cost of power. I'm not the first person to point out that power consumption has become an important factor in making computer purchasing decisions. But how many people worry about power consumption when buying a desktop PC? Not many, I think.
I used to worry about noise. My desktop PC made a lot of noise. I read about how to build quieter PCs on sites like Silent PC Review, but silencing a desktop is time consuming and expensive, so I tolerated the noise.
Then one day I changed home offices. I didn't have time to move my desktop computer, so I used my laptop as a desktop. I was bowled over by how quiet my new office was. (The biggest source of noise now is the refrigerator, which is on the other side of a door.) I was thrilled with my "discovery" that a laptop makes a great desktop computer, and I haven't gone back.
Another big advantage: I use far less power. The laptop uses a mere 19 Watts, which is better than the Silent PC Review desktops. More surprisingly, it consumes only 12 Watts with the display turned off. (Maybe my laptop isn't very powerful, but I use it as an ssh terminal most of the time anyway.)
What do I miss? I used to have dual 17" monitors side-by-side in portrait mode. I have upgraded to a 21" monitor in portrait mode, with my puny laptop display as a second monitor.
I absolutely love the 21" monitor (Samsung 204T, not the 204B, which isn't nearly as nice). I love it so much, in fact, that I actually bought two. I was planning to have side-by-side 21" monitors, but my laptop only supports a single external monitor.
Thus I been planning to build a desktop computer that is low power but has two monitor ports. However, I made a sad realization today: my monitor consumes more than twice as much power as the laptop that is driving it! It was consuming 44 Watts. The brightness setting can drop it to as low as 20 Watts, but it's hard to read, especially since it's back lit by the window. I now have it tuned to under 40 Watts, but no lower because my eyes are important to me.
If I implement my dual monitors plan, I'll be adding another 40 Watts power consumption (plus whatever power increment my new desktop computer consumes), and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that.
Maybe I should add a 50 Watt solar array. Then I can have a second monitor with a clear conscience.
I used to worry about noise. My desktop PC made a lot of noise. I read about how to build quieter PCs on sites like Silent PC Review, but silencing a desktop is time consuming and expensive, so I tolerated the noise.
Then one day I changed home offices. I didn't have time to move my desktop computer, so I used my laptop as a desktop. I was bowled over by how quiet my new office was. (The biggest source of noise now is the refrigerator, which is on the other side of a door.) I was thrilled with my "discovery" that a laptop makes a great desktop computer, and I haven't gone back.
Another big advantage: I use far less power. The laptop uses a mere 19 Watts, which is better than the Silent PC Review desktops. More surprisingly, it consumes only 12 Watts with the display turned off. (Maybe my laptop isn't very powerful, but I use it as an ssh terminal most of the time anyway.)
What do I miss? I used to have dual 17" monitors side-by-side in portrait mode. I have upgraded to a 21" monitor in portrait mode, with my puny laptop display as a second monitor.
I absolutely love the 21" monitor (Samsung 204T, not the 204B, which isn't nearly as nice). I love it so much, in fact, that I actually bought two. I was planning to have side-by-side 21" monitors, but my laptop only supports a single external monitor.
Thus I been planning to build a desktop computer that is low power but has two monitor ports. However, I made a sad realization today: my monitor consumes more than twice as much power as the laptop that is driving it! It was consuming 44 Watts. The brightness setting can drop it to as low as 20 Watts, but it's hard to read, especially since it's back lit by the window. I now have it tuned to under 40 Watts, but no lower because my eyes are important to me.
If I implement my dual monitors plan, I'll be adding another 40 Watts power consumption (plus whatever power increment my new desktop computer consumes), and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that.
Maybe I should add a 50 Watt solar array. Then I can have a second monitor with a clear conscience.
posted by Tim at 9:03 AM
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