How To Cut PC Energy Costs

There are now several new ways for a business to 'go green'. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Commercial IT can consume as much as 1.5 percent to 2 percent of American power." The article you are about to read is adapted from CRN Custom Systems Magazine, explaining the latest technology in making computer components more energy efficient.




Behold the power of the "Atom". Intel's newest addition to the processing family, the Atom, is the company's smallest processor; at a size smaller than the penny. This processor was originally intended for use in small, single-use devices that required a consistent internet connection. Eventually, the processor was adapted to the newest classification of computers, known as "netbooks". When PC manufacturers saw the success that these small netbooks created, they decided to explore desktop PC options with the Atom processor. Now, there are small desktop PCs with the Atom that use about one third of the power of regular desktops, only consuming 46 watts under normal loads. These computers can be find at a price tag of less than $300, too.




Atom processors might not win any performance contests, but for people seeking low-energy options involving high-performance processors, there are still other ways to cut energy costs. Quad-core computer processors are the latest craze in high performance computing. However, because the power going to the central processing unit (CPU) is multiplied by the number of cores in the computer, having two cores running at faster speeds can give similar performance with huge energy savings. Intel's Core 2 Duo includes two processor cores, which combined with more computer memory (known as RAM), they can produce almost identical performance two some of the latest quad-core processors.




Upgrading processors aren't the only way to save on energy costs either. Hitachi and Western Digital have found ways to make their hard drives more energy efficient. The Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 uses about half of the power normal desktop hard drvies consume when they are idling. It is considered the world's most energy-efficient desktop hard drive. Western Digital's GreenPower hard drives claim to not only save about 4 to 5 watts of power per hard drive in an organization, but they also claim to save data-intensive organizations up to $10 a year per drive in electricity costs.




Lastly, computer power supplies can cut costs too. Antec's TruePower Quattro power supplies consume about 33 percent less energy than other power supplies similar to their power output. The power supply is designed for maximum airflow, low heat generation, and the power supply fan even speeds up automatically for when the heat increases.

By upgrading systems with one or more of these components, consumers can realize significant energy cost savings and help battle rising energy costs that they are faced with in the future.

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