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Laptop vs. Small Desktop: Best Bang Per Watt?

Posted by timothy on from the read-the-labels dept.

Deagol writes "Tomorrow I take possession of a remote, wooded lot with a cabin. 15 miles to the nearest utility pole, my electricity options are limited to those I can generate myself, solar being my primary goal. I'm sitting here staring at my power meter, seeing my desktop & monitor draw about 250W -- a non-trivial amount to generate over a 8-to-12 hour workday. I'd be happy with equivalent computing horsepower (1.4GHz T-Bird, 512M RAM, though more is always better). Should I get a small PC with an LCD monitor, or should I get a laptop? Will laptops draw less power (in general), and if so, will losing the modularity and lower cost of commodity PC parts be worth it? I'd love opinions from those who have been in a similar situation."

8 of 526 comments (clear)

  1. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. by mat+catastrophe · · Score: 5, Funny

    Duder, if yr headed that far out into the boonies, you might as well pawn the damn computers and buy an axe and a box of matches. Seriously.

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    1. Re:Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. by tds67 · · Score: 4, Funny
      Duder, if yr headed that far out into the boonies, you might as well pawn the damn computers...

      And that raises the age-old question: If a computer is switched on in the middle of the woods, does it consume any power?

  2. Slashdot gets the best guest writers by rjamestaylor · · Score: 4, Funny

    And I didn't know Ted Kaczynski was even eligible for early release...

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    -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
  3. Get a Laptop.. by SkArcher · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...that way you can always charge it up from someone elses sockets.

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    An infinite number of monkeys will eventually come up with the complete works of /.
  4. similar situation? by PollGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd love opinions from those who have been in a similar situation.

    Error: division by zero

  5. Steam power rules! by Chemisor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Come on now, a true nerd would build a steam engine to run his generator. You clearly have some wood around. Sure the conversion efficiency is only 5%, but think of the nerd points you'd get for posting pictures of your steam-powered computer! ;) And, if you are really nerdy, you could even try for a Stirling engine, which could also be run in reverse to cool your CPU.

  6. Easy solution... by ZorMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seems you'd just need to stop by Home Depot and pick up about about 792 100' extension cords...

  7. Laptop Warning! by angst_ridden_hipster · · Score: 4, Funny

    According to the insurance industry, 50% of all laptops get stolen.

    According to the naturalists I know, grizzly bears are extremely smart, and damn near unstoppable when they want something.

    When the grizzlies look in through that window and see that shiny new glowy-apple Powerbook, you *know* they're gonna want it.

    Just be careful out there, is all...

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    Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtani?
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