Comments on: Sexy Green Geek: Part 1 – Reduce

By: Eric Roberts

Eric Roberts — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:49:56 +0000

One thing I noticed as I was installing all the mobo software for the new system I put together is that my mobo will actually reduce the speed and voltage of my CPU as the needs decrease, thus using less power. I am not sure how common this is, but I thouight it was pretty cool. It seems that the “resting” state of the cpu is 800mhz (it’s a quad core 3ghz processor). I don’t recall what the resting voltage is. I usually set the hard drive and the monitor to shut off after an hour of non-use. This allows for watching something that is long and not having to worry about getting interrupted while watching my favorite TV show on Hulu ;-) I don;t particular care for sleep or hibernate after bad previous expereinces with it, though I am sure they have fixed all of that by now.

By: Mackenzie

Mackenzie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:23:01 +0000

Blackle only has a lower consumption if you’re using an old CRT screen, and even then it’s minimal. With LCDs, regardless what color is displayed, the backlight has to be on. It actually makes more sense, IMO, to use black-on-white since that’s easier to read with the screen dimmed than white-on-black is.

Also, the followups were already posted. This is a rather old post ;)

By: beebee

beebee — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:36:33 +0000

Just wondering if services like http://www.blackle.com are a useful contribution to a smaller ecological footprint?
And considering gadgets that need constant charging: there are several mobile phones and mp3 players that can be charged by plugging it in on your computer’s USB-port. Not sure if that drains more energy, but at least it’s another charger less to dispose.
In general, take good care of your stuff, think before you buy (do you really need that new phone?) and repair if possible.

Nice article, looking forward to the follow-up!

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:47:37 +0000

I love the idea of solar power. I have a friend who uses solar batteries for pretty much everything – a light bulb, charging his mobile phone, etc. And I love the idea myself!

By: Mackenzie

Mackenzie — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:04:50 +0000

Just because they’re old doesn’t mean they can’t be just as useful as they were when they were new. My mom’s 7 year old computer isn’t good enough for email and word processing, the two most common tasks in an office environment? Yeah right. It could handle email and word processing 7 years ago, and of course it still can now. It’s not like they get slower over time!

By: Voucher Codes

Voucher Codes — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:11:22 +0000

hi Mackenzie,
I believe the life of new generation computer are of a maximum of 4 years.. Even companies are given computer asset depreciation rate of 33%, which mean they can throw it in 3 years time. At the same time, technologies are changing very fast, so we need latest ones to cope up with new technologies as well..

By: Roto

Roto — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:36:50 +0000

All the suggestions make a ton of sense. Very helpful. I find myself making sure that the kids at home turn off their electronics when not in use. Sometimes a challenge.

Google Chrome seems to be far less of a CPU hog as well as Google Docs.

I am looking for a tool to keep track of my personal carbon footprint if anyone can help. I think I am doing all the right things but it would be good to have one reference place to show the contribution.

By: Vinny

Vinny — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:28:17 +0000

The switch IS the surge protection. It “flips” off when there is a surge. But, still a good question. Knowing is half the battle.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:04:18 +0000

I have 2 laptops… My primary computer is a 5+ year old Powerbook G4. It still runs beautifully, but, I have the other laptop for things like Hulu that won’t run on this machine. And let’s face it, I got a super awesome black Friday deal on the other laptop.

Now if only Linux would run on that machine and allow me to get out of Vista hell. Damn Phoenix “windows only” BIOS. (Seriously, the computer runs like hell in anything other than Windows Vista, and even then it runs like crap because it’s Windows Vista.)

-Adam

By: Mackenzie

Mackenzie — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:33:52 +0000

Hey, I asked about a minimum lifespan for computers. Some people think they need a new one every year (no idea why), and most companies think they need to replace them all every 3 years (again, no idea why), but as far as I’m concerned, if it works, it is not to be sent to dump. And even if it doesn’t work, it can be fixed, or something can be done with it. That’s what Parts 2 and 3 will be about.

Besides, getting rid of the computers we already have (without doing anything useful with the parts) would be more wasteful. Simply not buying 5 computers to begin with when one will suffice (as mentioned above) is a better idea.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:06:54 +0000

Want to go green? Then give up your computers. Given all the petroleum products and energy required to build and design them, HUGE environmental impact!

By: London

London — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:09:45 +0000

Great article. I use a power strip for my computers and chargers already, but after I read this I just plugged in my laptop to my router and switched off my wireless, thanks for the tip