"This board is about homebrew electricity so power consumption makes a big difference to some people."
Ya, me too.
But sometimes looking at long term total costs it might be better to spend a bit more to make a little extra power to waste. I'd like a laptop myself, nothing fancy, save alot of power just surfing the net here, almost 12hrs a day for 3 people, and it's only dialup anyway, no high speed. But it takes a very expensive fancy laptop to replace my main PC, often only used a few hours a day and sometmes goes weeks not even turned on at all recently. So alot may depend on the systems uses, Not worth a $1500-$2000 laptop cost to save power used by my main system, well worth some money to me for an old used laptop to just replace the Net computer.
Most people don't have 4 systems, but we do, and 4 laptops would not be worthwhile here based on hours of use for each and the power used by them. 1 laptop would be very good though with an external LCD 17" monitor.
Kinda my point, I try to think in general averages but not just MY one situation.
Sometimes the cost to save power is more than the cost to make it, and if free sun or free wind, neither of which polute, go for saving the most money in the long run.
I feel this way about fridges also. Ok spend $1,000 more for a Fridge that uses less power and replace in 10years, or spend $1000 more for solar pannels etc.. and use the cheaper Frig using a little more power, no brainer, in 20 years you save the extra $1000 on the replacement Fridge buying a second cheap one compared to a second expensive power save model!
I know laptops use less power generally, but it may also depend what is being done with the computer how much power is saved. I have ran a desktop long periods many times on a smaller inverter and a battery. I know it used more power than a laptop would have, but I was not maxing out the 300 watt power supply in the system so how much was the computer really using? I generally try to put in a 400-500 watt power supply when I build a bigger system, but I have replaced those if they went bad with a 300watt and the system still ran fine till I bought a larger replacement. So I was not using the 500watts, it was just available if needed.
If a desktop system is using anywhere the MAX 600watts, well all I can say is your talking some real power user stuff going on and your looking near maybe $5000 for a laptop to keep up with that desktop system! If only used 5 hours a week would it be worth it?
You have a point, with solar the extra cost adds up reall fast to get a little extra power. Alot faster than with wind.
It all depends on each situation alot what may be best for people with many things though. Like I will have mostly wind power, maybe someday a little solar also.
One of the things I think about also in cost is replacement. Solar pannels should last what, about 20years? How long before you want to replace a computer? Maybe never if just used for surfing the net and if you get lucky, but for work type stuff?
Say a laptop lasts 5 years but costs only $600 more than the equal desktop? In 20 years you buy 4, that's $2400 extra to save power and not need those extra solar pannels that cost the extra $1000 now. A $1400 LOSS over 20 years? $70 per year loss?
Of course we can only barely predict the future. Some great new computer product may cause us to want a new computer every 2-3 years. What's new in the last few years for computers? USB, Firewire, Wireless network cards, DVD burners, mostly all within the last 5-10 years etc.. What's comming up in the next 20?
Could be a hurricane would wipe out solar pannels in 3 years???
It's all just an educated geussing game really. Last year many people lost everything they owned to Katrina, would it matter to them if $10,000 was in solar pannels or laptops and Fridges once destroyed by the storm, probably not, same money invested in a gas guzzling boat would have been better for some of them perhaps.
In general as a group we should probably point out both sides of some things, let the end user decide for himself what is best for him, best for you may not be best for me, and best for me is not best for the next guy. We need to remember that at times and mention such things.
Over the last year or so I have seen a few ME ME ME, or I I I type posts about whats best for just that one person as if the best for everyone, but it is not best for everyone it was just best for him and maybe a few others.