Energy efficient computer

[Marco]

Hello,

I am wanting to minimise my energy useage, for when i switch to wind.

Can somebody reccomend me components for a self build pc (I have previously

built my own from components)tower/desktop that would use the minimum amount

of energy.

I will NOT be using this for intensive things like games. It will be for surfing,

e-mail, and other basic programs.

Looking for CPU, GPU, Hard disk, PSU, display, optical drive... etc ideas that would make for

a frugle machine.

Any thoughts very welcome.

Marco Miglionico

P.S. I have exclude laptops/pda as I want a robust/changable machine!!

[JeroenH]

I can recommend a laptop! I replaced my 150+Watt desktop computer with a 25Watt laptop. Laptops are energy-efficient by nature, because they need te run from their battery.

I you can spare the money, buy one with a Centrino chipset (Pentium-M or Celeron-M), those are about the most efficient you can get. Laptops with a Pentium-4 or AMD processor are very much less energy-efficient.

Large screens use lots of power, too, so get the smallest screen with which you are comfortable (usually 15").

If you really want to stay with a 'normal' desktop machine, I would recommend the following:

• Get a TFT-screen, these are 50-70% more efficient than CRT (tube) monitors. Again: smaller = less power.
  
• Get a slow (5400rpm) hard disk, size does not really matter
  
• Get a Celeron processor, or a Pentium-4. AMD processors usually consume more power
  
• Get a motherboard with as much functionality onboard as possible; more add-on cards use power
  
• Get an efficient power supply
  
• Set the Windows power setting aggressively, like screen off after 5 minutes, hard disk spin down after 10 minutes, standby after 20 minutes, etc.
  
• And finally: use a power strip to totally disconnect it when you are not using it.
  
  

But, again, if you can afford it: go with the laptop. It will use much less energy than all but the most exotic desktop configurations.

[dinges]

You want an energy efficient computer but not a laptop?

You're not making things easy for yourself here...

I'm using the same notebook here for about 5 years now and still going strong. Using 18W in normal mode, 40W when charging the battery. It can be run from 12V though it says it needs 16V. Don't think any desktop can beat that. Plus the monitor...

Notebooks are not much more expensive than desktops anymore. But if you want to build an energy efficient desktop pc (plus monitor) I think you have a major task.

Peter.

[JeroenH]

Whoops!

I misread your post (same problem I've had ever since high school), I didn't notice the text about the laptop/PDA.

Sorry about that, but I hope my comments on the desktop PC are of some help.

[JeroenH]

Hey Dinges, I am going to answer you e-mail yet, just returned from a e-mail-less trip ;-)

[DingBat]

Marco,

Here is a good place to start reading up, what your likely looking for is in the mini-ITX form factor. Passively cooled, low power. You can get adapters to run 2.5" (laptop) drives of these boards and DC-DC power supplys.

picoPSU-120

Ebay  picoPSU-120 120W 12VDC Power supply

Example mini-ITX projects

http://www.mini-itx.com/

--

DingBat

[Jeff7]

Careful, or you could start an AMD vs Intel flame war....or maybe that's just at the tech forum I frequent.

Power consumption varies. Intel's latest and most powerful CPUs can consume nearly 100W.

One option, if you don't go the mini-ITX route, would be to get a mobile processor and pop it in a desktop motherboard. I'm running a 35W Athlon XP-Mobile 2400+ in my desktop system. AMD's newer lines also come in mobile flavors.

Efficient power supply: my personal favorite is Seasonic, but if you're feeling spendy, PC Power & Cooling offers some of the best power supplies on the market

[wdyasq]

The "mini-box" site has a virtual machine to show you what power draw will be.  Laptop drives, Memory drives and a slower than gammers processor are just a few of the things one can do to keep power requirements down.

Laptops are a good way to keep power requirements down also.  One could alos look at:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/

In there they speak of a 4.7W PC.  I think it is just the processor they speak of.  But, they do hav e lot of ideas on quiet and low power PCs.

Ron

[coldspot]

marco-

Great subject

I have also thought about this

And same as youi would rather not "buy" a laptop,

(I would rather spent money on magnets)

I have many parts to work with for the

computer, but the monitor is my issue.

I do have a old IBM notepad, 360 if memory

is working in my head.

I'd like to find a way to use this screen off

of it on a mini tower for the cabin.

Cabin has 12 VDC in excess, (OK , just more

than enough

for the weekends spent there, and I now have

about 6 mill's ready to go up there, so 12 VDC

for computer will be easy)

I have used the notepad up there but,

I'd like to set up a Video system to watch

what goes on while I'm not there with a computer.

(Part of what got me to find this forum, Needing to

set up my own battery bank n power source for it)

I have everything but the computer screen figured out so far.

I just gave my kids an old P3 700 I was going to use

But still have this surfer, (Warped P4 1700), {Warped as in

I saved this from total death by fixing up that guys system

with new mother board n cpu. Changed out the "Vented" cap's

on this board, It's warped about a 1/2" under the cpu,

looks totaly weird hanging like that, but hey, I've surfed

with it for about 16 months now)

And a AMD Athlon XP 1800, I might use for the cabin system.

I really want to catch the BEAR that leaves prints by the back door!!

I what some footage of it!

Anyway enough ranting

I just need to work on getting the old notepad screen

working as a AGP screen if anybody knows how?

I've tried a 7" and a 5" LCD for computer but very hard to

read the screen, so they will stay as video's for other uses.

I'd really rather not give up my 15" LCD untill

I have enough magnets bought n do buy a newer 17" or 19" for home.

[CG]

If you want an energy effient computer you can't beat one based on the Acorn computer, which runs on the Arm chip that was developed by Acorn in the 1980s. But to do this you will have to forget about Microsoft and Windows. Acorn was the main computer for UK schools until it was elbowed out by Mr. Gates. The last stronghold of the few reamaining Acorn users is www.drobe.co.uk. I use an old Acorn to design my gutter blades as it has vectored graphics in roms built into the computer along with the operating system, gui, and other bits and pieces of useful software.

The latest computer based on the Acorn is the A9home, it is not a laptop, its power supply is 25watts but it only uses a fraction of that. If you know nothing about Acorn computers let me assure you that they are fully functional, and if you could only see a version of Windows 2 from the late 1980s and a version of an Acorn computer of the same era you would wonder how Mr. Gates made his millions.

[dinges]

OMG. This brings back memories. The very first computer that I was allowed to abuse was an Acorn Electron, back in '88 in highschool. By then it was outdated though.

Though I do remember one guy having an Acorn Archimedes; the thing could do things no PC (of those days) could even come close to. VERY impressive.

And also very outdated...

But then, as long as the thing performs the tasks you need it to, why change. So far, I haven't felt the need to buy a new notebook, even though this one is getting very old (5+ years). It still works, so why change? Besides, that would mean having to spend money (gasp).

Peter.

[amiklic1]

I have an AcerPower, P2 computer. 150W power supply, integrated graphic card, sound card, modem..... I think it's good way to start with. The only problem is tha I don't have an connector for lcd screen.

[richhagen]

I havn't researched this thoroughly, but aside from the power settings, efficient monitor, efficient processor, underclocking and such:

I saw the BTHumble from here was using flash memory in place of a hard drive in a computer project he was doing for a remote school.  I converted a few of my CNC computers to use compact flash cards in place of the hard drive as the flash memory uses much less power than a hard drive.  It would be more difficult for my main computer, as the CNC machines only require DOS and a tiny compact flash card will do.  For a more normal computer one could obtain a larger flash card for the main drive, and connect an external hard drive when needed via USB.  I could be wrong, but I would think that a 1GB would do for most users, although I am not sure what the minimum requirements are for the latest version of Windows, I've seen 1Gb cards for $40US, and an IDE adapter for them for $15US. I've seen cards of up to 8Gb, but above one Gb they start to get much more expensive.  If one had a second disconnectable drive that they could run applications from and store files to they would not lose much functionality, and most of the time, when they didn't need the second drive it could be disconnected.  It would cost more to set up, but would use less power while preserving most of the functionality.  

Switching DC power supplies are readily available in 12 and 48V DC, and I would think that they would be more efficient than inverting to AC and then powering your desktop machine from that.  

Minimal ram and peripherals would save power.  

I would think that a DPDT switch could be rigged to turn off the +12V and +5V lines to CD rom drives and floppy drives such that no power would be supplied to them when not needed.  I would shut the machine down before switching them on and off however.  You could probably do the same to an internal hard drive as well.  I should warn you that I have never tried any of this, although I have accidentally left the power connectors off of hard drives, floppy drives, and cdroms during assembly and maintenance without incident or damage with the IDE or 34 pin connectors attached. On the same token, external modems, and NIC's can be removed and turned off when not in use to conserve power. Most newer motherboards have an auto-sense function onthe IDE interface and floppy, and if so set, the settings adjust automatically when restarted.  

Add resistance to leads to indicator leds to reduce the power consumption from 20ma to less than 5.  They will still be visible, but not so bright.  

Add a switch on power lead to speakers.  

Keep us posted on what you build, as this is a topic that comes up here from time to time.  We all have computers, and since we use this site have an interest in power generation and consumption.  It doesn't take the average person long to figure out that it is easier to conserve power than it is to make more.  Rich

[DanG]

Reprint of post I made (WOW) about a year ago - time sure flies...

"Computer power usage..."

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2005/3/31/194044/532

Note, videocard can draw more then CPU during POST or while playing games - The orginal AGP spec of 40w surely has been cranked up a few times..

The lowest power "last year's model" desktop cards I've seen are:

Geforce4 MX440 64MB XP desktop draw 3.7W

Radeon 9000 Pro 64MB 5.9W

The newest cards draw at least 15w on desktop, usually 20 with some as high as 38 watts to just idle on desktop; but the newest VidCards also can have 160 (now 260) million transistors in one package ...

Usually w/ a desktop you can also reduce the AGP Buss speed from 66MHz to 50Mhz in the bios and shave off 20% draw if the software & OS agree with the change...

I've always had desktops so any change to RE-Power will see my desktop VidCard tag along at first --- GeForce 4 Ti4200-8x 128MB...45.5W@ POST, 15.9W@ Desktop, 54.2W gaming peak..

-

[kitno455]

do not put a real operating system on a flash drive unless you know what you are doing.   the average desktop os writes to the disk quite a bit, and will kill your drive in a matter of months. flash drives can be read an incredible number of times, but only written to a few thousand times on each block. a good flash filesystem will attempt to move writes around to spread the load, but that only means the entire disk will go bad at once

mini-itx machines are the way to go for reasonably standard yet not a laptop. especially if you use laptop hd/floppy/cdrom drives, you can get the power usage quite low. there are also various single board computers (sbc's) and pc104 platforms out there...

allan

[JohnC]

Hey man,

Don't knock desktops, unless that's all you got to work with, but what you are looking for is a low power hungry monitor. Doesn't really matter it's use.

If size is not a problem, no pun intended you can buy stand alone colour monitors, or some of the new portable DVD players  the opperate at 12 V and with the write patch cords hook this up. Desk tops only use DC, don't want to get into it right at this moment but from your dc supply using -12, +12, +5 and so on there are low cost voltage regulators that you can use to run from any ac or dc supply. If still interested I could help.

John E Cox  

john_e_cox@yahooo.com

Ottawa, Ont

[JohnC]

Hey dinges I remember though's way back then. Didn't they have 2 key's, ones and zero's [binary]

[CG]

Please don't encourage a bloke who can only comment on a computer which is 18 years old, you wouldn't dismiss a PC because the only one you can remember had a 286 chip and was running MS DOS.

Marco asked for an effecient computer, the A9home draws about 3 watts, can you better that?. I have an Achimedes, and it still works ok, how many PCs are still around from that era. I couldn't use it for the internet but it still has many other uses, and RISOs, the Acorn operating system, has moved on since then, just like many other operating systems.

[coldspot]

Hey

John E Cox

Have you any clue to using an old

IBM Notepad 360ce

Screen for a AGP port???