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Save Krsna’s energy!
Five days ago, I got a new, energy saving monitor for the computer that I bought about a month ago. Even though the computer is a tiny netbook, it’s plenty fast enough for me, and since it doesn’t have a hard drive or cooling fan, it’s completely silent! Krsna’s mercy!
This is my main computer. I use it every day for several hours. It allows me to do everything that I need to do.
Here are the main components:
1. Dell Inspiron Mini 9 computer, 1GB RAM, 16GB solid-state drive, and Windows XP (http://z.pe/aG1).
2. Dell 22" G2210 LED backlit monitor (http://z.pe/aFZ).
3. Dell SoundBar Speakers (http://z.pe/bbz).
4. Saitek LED backlit keyboard (http://z.pe/aG0).
5. Logitech optical mouse.
The following table shows the power consumed while connected to the Internet through a Belkin “N Wireless USB Network Adapter,” with a 8GB USB flash drive, with the mouse and keyboard plugged into a 4-port USB hub, and with the amplified speakers turned on, but silent. Also, these readings were made in a semi-darkened room. (The monitor takes slightly more power in a brightly lit room, because the screen automatically becomes brighter in order to compensate!)
Normal Sleep Mode
Computer 12 watts 1 watt
Speakers 1 watt 1 watt
Monitor 11 watts 0 watts
-------- -------
Total 24 watts 2 watts
Assuming that it’s on 24/7 and at full power for 8 hours a day and in sleep mode the rest of the time:
(8 * 24 + 16 * 2) * 30 / 1000 * 0.16 = US$1.08 per month for electricity!
For archival storage, I use 500GB USB hard drives, but one of these only needs to be powered up for a few minutes at a time about once or twice a day.
Another big advantage of this system is that if the power goes off, I don’t lose anything, because the netbook’s battery takes over.
One thing that I try to make a habit of doing whenever I get a new computer is to delete all (both) of the partitions, create one big partition, do a regular (not quick) hard drive format, and re-install the operating system. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Windows XP CD that came with the Mini 9 computer didn’t require me to enter a CD key, a task which, in the past, I’ve always dreaded. After Windows was installed, I needed to install the drivers. These came on a separate CD. In order to save space on the SSD, I only installed the drivers that I actually needed. Therefore, I didn’t install the modem driver. I also didn’t install the Wi-Fi driver because I knew that I would be using the Belkin USB “N” Wi-Fi adapter.
So far, this computer system has given me no problems whatsoever, and I am very happy with my purchases.
1. Always unplug USB devices when they are not being used.
2. When using the computer at night, use it in complete darkness. The LED backlit keyboard allows you to do this.
3. Use earbuds instead of speakers. Not only does this save electricity but it also helps to prevent others from being disturbed.
4. Using coarse sandpaper, sand the top of the back of the left earbud so that you can easily distinguish left from right in the dark.
5. At night, use the optical mouse as a flashlight when plugging in USB devices.
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How to Save Even More Electricity