Low Power PCs

Energy Saving Trust Recommended PC – BroadLeaf BL32-B-E53

Dan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:00:27 +0000

The BroadLeaf BL32-B-E53, a leading energy efficient PC, boasts a high performance duel core processor with near silent operation. This DEFRA Quick Wins ‘class leader’ and Energy Star 5 qualified PC will save you a significant amount of money on your electricity bill without sacrificing quality or performance.

This PC is Energy Savings Trust Recommended, exceeding the strict qualifications. The Energy Savings Trust is an independent and unbiased organization based in the UK, with a focus on promoting actions that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and create ‘greener’ products. As a top trust on energy savings, getting a recommendation is no small feat. Not only is the BroadLeaf BL-32-B-E53 recommended, it’s the only home desktop PC to meet revision 5 of this certification. This revision was created to recognize PCs and laptops that are able to achieve ultra-low energy consumption, and BroadLeaf stands alone.

Full of efficient features, this desktop PC uses PecoBOO software, which works with the supplied webcam to detect when the computer is being looked at and will turn the display on or off accordingly. Very PC made the BroadLeaf BL32-B-E53 PVC, BFR, and halogen free and covered it with a 100% aluminum chassis, making it ECMA-360 compliant for recyclablity. In addition, carbon is offset for both embedded and 5 years of operational life.

The system runs on just 34.46 Watts of average power during operation and 31.38 Watts while idle and is equipped with Intel E5300 Duel Core Processor 2.6GHz with 2GB DDR2 800 RAM (up to 4GB), Intel X4500 graphics, 250GB Small Form Factor Hard Disk Drive, and tray loading DVDRW drive. There are 2 USB ports on the front and 4 on the back of this machine.

Powerful yet lightweight, the BL32-B-E53’s case size measures 115 (h) X 220 (w) X 220 (d). An optional VESA bracket is available for monitor mounting. Available from just £529.99, this PC is comparably priced with laptops that use much more power.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Energy Saving Trust Recommended PC – BroadLeaf BL32-B-E53

Very PC’s AMD Dual Core GreenPC BE20

Dan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:00:13 +0000

Made in Sheffield, the GreenPC BE20 has an AMD Dual Core Processor (2.7 GHz) and a high-performance ATI Radeon 3100 graphics card with both DVI & VGA connectors. The 3100 graphics card enables Blu-ray playback, full high-definition functionality as well as video and photo editing.

The GreenPC BE20 by Very PC uses just over 39 watts when operating. The 160 GB (5400 RPM) Slimline Desktop ensures a low-embedded carbon footprint with a small physical presence (96mm h x 335mm w x 355mm d) which saves desk space. Its quiet operation doesn’t detract from the support for high-definition surround sound either.

The BE20 comes equipped with 2 GB DDR2 800 RAM but can be upgraded to 4 GB. It has a tray-loading DVDRW drive with optional Blu-ray and slot load drives. It also has two front and four rear USB drives, 5.1 audio, Windows 7 Home Premium (optional upgrade to Professional) and PecoBoo Eco-Power Management software. The network ready the BE20 uses Gigabit Ethernet Data Link Protocol. There is also support for one VGA and one DVI-D monitor.

Available expansion bays on the BE20 include two internal 3.5”, a front accessible 3.5” and one front accessible 5.25”. Expansion slots which are available include two memory, one PCI Express x1, one PCI Express x16 and two PCI. The PCI sockets require low-profile cards.

The GreenPC BE20 retails for £326.89 exc. VAT and £384.10 inc. VAT and features a standard 3-year limited parts and labour warranty. A VeryPC Platinum upgrade provides next business day replacement warranty.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Very PC’s AMD Dual Core GreenPC BE20

Tranquil T7-330 Zero-Carbon PC

Dan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:00:42 +0000

Tranquil has a talent for building computers that are both eco-friendly and very functional. The T7-330 Atom PC is no exception. This compact little system comes with between 512MB and 2GB of ram, depending on the user’s preference. The available hard drive options range between 80GB to 2TB for the primary drive, with the option for a second drive with up to 250GB of space.

The processor is a 64-bit dual-core Intel Atom 330, with a speed of 2×1.6GHz. Operating system choices include Windows XP (Home or Pro editions, with Service Pack 3 applied) and Windows Vista.

The combination of the Intel Atom 330 processor and Tranquil’s proprietary TranCool3 heat sink gives the T7-330 Atom a very low power output. The base model consumes 28W, while the high-end version only pushes that rating up to 31W. The combination of this processor and heat sink also keeps the machine very cool, with a maximum ambient temperature of 48°C, and like all Tranquil products, it is almost totally silent. While the actual power output might be slightly higher than some other eco-friendly machines, few can match the capabilities this computer offers. This combination of low-energy and raw computing ability makes for a machine that is not just eco-friendly, but powerful as well.

The T7-330 Atom Low Power PC measures at 224 (d) x 232 (h) x 57 (w) mm, and may either be used as a desktop or mounted on the wall with the optional wall brackets. The base model starts at a price of £196.00.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Tranquil T7-330 Zero-Carbon PC

Aleutia D1 Ultra-Small Low Power PC

Dan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:41:29 +0000

This Aleutia D1 ultra small form factor pc is 58% smaller than comparable models from Fujitsu Siemens, HP or Dell. Small enough to sit under a 17” monitor, it quietly runs on 35W of power. It comes equipped with a dual core Intel Atom 333 CPU (1.6 GHz each).

Perfect for general office or light multimedia use, the Aleutia D1 has a standard Samsung 80GB drive (7200 rpm, 32 MB cache) which can be upgraded to 1 TB. The factory installed DDR2 240 pin SDRAM of 1×2GB and 1x 1GB can be upgraded to 2x 2GB. An Intel graphics media accelerator 950 and Realtek ALC662 audio codec (5.1 channel HD audio) are also standard. The PC is Ethernet ready with Realtek 10/100/1000 LAN. Features include: 2 front USB 2.0 ports, 4 rear USB 2.0 ports, 1 parallel port, a serial port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse, audio in/out, a VGA port and a SATA slim line 8x dual layer DVD-RW drive. Ubuntu 9.10 is installed though the system has been fully tested and will run Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 without difficulty.

At a mere 268 (w) x 318 (d) x70 (h)mm, the Aleutia D1 PC operates as efficiently as its larger corporate counterparts, but requires much less space. Built to specifications, the computer can be shipped within 5 days. The price is listed as £299 ex. VAT. or £286.35 including VAT.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Aleutia D1 Ultra-Small Low Power PC

VeryPC’s Entry-Level GreenPC AT10

Dan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:00:35 +0000

The GreenPC AT10 by VeryPC is an ultra small desktop featuring the Intel dual core Atom 330 CPU (operating at 1.6 GHz), 1GB memory (DDR2 800; expandable to 2GB), and 120GB Green Power SATA hard drive (expandable to 500GB). Power consumption of the GreenPC AT10 is less than 28 watts average use.

The VeryPC GreenPC AT10 also features Intel’s GMA950 graphics chipset with 1X VGA and includes an S-Video port. 5.1 audio is included as well as 10/100 Lan, 1 parallel and 1 serial (RS232) port, and 2 front and 4 rear USB ports. The front Firewire port requires a Firewire adaptor for operation. A DVD-RW or Blu Ray/DVD-RW tray or slot loaded drive is optional as is an 802.11n wireless card. The computer ships without operating system, but Windows XP Home, Vista Home, 7 Premium (32 or 64 bit), or 7 Professional (downgraded to XP Professional) are available options. The computer has been successfully tested with Ubuntu Linux.

Measurements of the GreenPC AT10 are 97 (h) X 202 (w) X 273 (d) mm. Warranty on the computer is 3 years, and the cost of the AT10 is £258.75 including VAT (£220.21 excluding VAT) without options. The computer is built to order with expected delivery time from 4 to 7 days.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

VeryPC’s Entry-Level GreenPC AT10

Tranquil T7-HSG Home Server with Atom 330 Processor

Dan — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:45:05 +0000

Tranquil’s entry into the low power home server arena, the T7-HSG, is an intriguing look at the way a home server should be built. The server features a unique fanless (convection) based cooling system, a Gigabit LAN port, 4 USB ports and an Intel dual core Atom 330 processor running at 1.6 Ghz. Power consumption is rated at 33W for the stock configuration, which comes with 512 Mb RAM an a 500 GB hard drive.

Upgrade options include RAM up to 2 GB or a 1 TB hard drive. The stock server comes with Windows Home Server pre-installed, but can also be ordered without an OS, giving the end user the choice of installing an OS (and a £50 discount) . The T7-HSG is primarily designed for desktop mounting, although brackets are available for wall mounting. Four USB2.0 ports allow the end user to seamlessly add peripheral devices such as additional storage capacity, a real plus. The server also comes equipped with PS2 keyboard and mouse ports along with an RS-232 serial port.

The dimensions of the T7-HSG is diminutive (22.4 cm x 23.2 cm x 5.7 cm) and the weight comes in at about 4 kg. But don’t let it’s small size fool you. There’s a lot of horsepower packed in the quiet case. The current price from Tranquil for this low power server is £334.88.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Tranquil T7-HSG Home Server with Atom 330 Processor

1.2GHz Marvell SheevaPlug Wall Plug Computer

Dan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:32:28 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that I reported on the Marvel SheevaPlug wall plug computer, well now the SheevaPlug is available in the UK from New IT. The SheevaPlug is basically a 1.2 GHz CPU low power computer equipped with 512 MB of FLASH and 512 MB of DRAM.

The SheevaPlug also features a gigabit ethernet connection and a very small physical footprint, measuring just 110mm (L) x 69.5mm (W) x 48.5 mm (H). The SheevaPlug is designed to plug directly into a power outlet to save space too. Since the main units have the US 2-pin style plug connector, the kit from New IT comes with an EU 2 pin power adapter, a UK 3 pin power adapter and a UK 3 pin power cable.

When I was looking up the power consumption, I found the consumption to be rated at a surprising 19W. The norm for power consumption in low power computers seems to be around 10W, so I was surprised that the SheevaPlug is rated higher than this.

Prices for the SheevaPlug start at £89.00 from NewIT and include a USB cable, an ethernet cable and the mains plug adaptors.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

1.2GHz Marvell SheevaPlug Wall Plug Computer

Apple’s Energy Efficient Mac Mini

Dan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:27 +0000

Apple has been touting it’s latest Mac Mini as the most eco-friendly desktop computer. However, I think they’ve completely overlooked the other low power pcs that exist, particularly the Aleutia computers! Anyway, that aside, Apple have crammed in some interesting energy saving technology that deserves a mention.

So we start with an energy saving power supply. Many gadgets use a power transformer brick. If you consider that most of them get pretty warm, and that any warm power bricks indicate wasted energy, then making power bricks more efficient is a good thing. Apple has updated the operating system and hardware components that essentially save energy between keystrokes! This means the Mac is only working when it needs to rather than constantly, again saving energy.

In terms of recycling, the Mac Mini has been designed to be almost completely recyclable. The main system is made from aluminum and polycarbonate, which are easily recycled. Additionally, toxic chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been eliminated from cables, connectors, adhesives, circuit boards and every other internal component.

Finally, the size of the shipping boxes have been minimised to reduce the costs of shipping the Mac mini to you. This reduces emissions from transportation vehicles such as planes and trucks.

The Mac Mini is available in the US starting from $599, and in the UK starting from £499.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Apple’s Energy Efficient Mac Mini

1.2GHz Marvell SheevaPlug Wall Plug Computer

Aleutia U6 Userful PC – Supports 6 simultaneous users

Dan — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Aleutia are at it again with their low powered computers, and this time it’s a multi-user computer supporting 6 simultaneous each with their own keyboard and mouse, called the Aleutia U6. The computer is basically an energy efficient computer that uses Userful’s Multiplier Software to split the system’s resources with the 6 users. By having 6 people using the system at once, you end up with a per seat cost of just £70 and power consumption of just 17 Watts.

The U6 system features the new AMD X2 250 processor, which is a dual core 2x 3.0GHz processor. Additionally, there are 3 nVidia cards, 4GB of RAM, a Dual-Layer DVD writer, 80GB 2.5″ hard drive (64GB SSD also available), and the usual sound card connectors. The Aleutia U6 comes with 6 Userful-branded Hubs that sit beneath each monitor, allowing it to be used with a mouse and keyboard. There are also 3 DVI and 3 VGA cables which are used to hook up the 6 monitors.

Impressively, the whole system runs at 80W idle and 110W peak, which is much less than most desktop systems supporting just a single user! As usual for the Aleutia systems, the U6 runs Ubuntu or Edubuntu (the educational variant). The system is targeted at educational establishments and internet cafes.

The U6 comes with all cables, hubs and Useful software licenses for £828 inc VAT but plus delivery. You just need to add your own monitors.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

Aleutia U6 Userful PC – Supports 6 simultaneous users

PC World’s Advent Eco PC

Dan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:52 +0000

In a rather respectable move, PC World has invested in developing their own eco-friendly PC called the Advent Eco-PC. Firmly aimed at the everyday computer user, the Low Power PC features an Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, 2GB DDR2 667MHz Memory, 160GB SATA hard drive, Dual Layer DVD Rewriter, WiFi and a 19″ AOC N19WB TFT display for just under £400. Oh, and it runs on around 25W of power!

In a wave of initiatives, the case has been made from 75% recycled materials, with minimal packaging; the PC has been assembled in the UK to reduce transportation costs and environmental impact; and the PC has a fanless design to save on noise and energy consumption. The PC also comes with Windows Vista Home, which has been pre-configured with all of the energy saving features enabled.

If you already have a monitor, the Advent Eco PC is available on its own for just £270.

© 2009 Low Power PCs. If you love all eco-friendly gadgets, then why not check out EnviroGadget.com?

PC World’s Advent Eco PC

Low Power PCs

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