Low-power computing: a tech guide

Charles McLellan ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 26 Mar 2008

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Go to section: Introduction What we tested How we tested Power consumption Workload test run time Workload test power consumption Conclusion

Power consumption figures measured in our workload test broadly follow the expected pattern, with the OLPC XO being the most power-frugal system (7.4W on average in reflective/greyscale mode) and the Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e, a relatively conventional desktop system, drawing the most power (46.4W on average, peaking at 73.4W). The other two notebooks, the ASUS Eee and the Intel Classmate, take well under 20W on average, while the mini-desktop Inveneo Computing Station hovers around the 20W mark (19.4W running Windows XP, 20.7W running Linux). The other mini-desktop we tested, the Aleutia E1, draws just under 3W more than the Inveneo system on average.

The numbers for the two NComputing shared-access terminal solutions need a few caveats attached. The biggest determinants of overall power consumption (and performance) are the specification of the host PC and the monitors used, as the access terminals themselves draw next to no power (1W for the X300, 5W for the L230). We used a pretty standard 2.8GHz single-core Pentium 4 PC from HP with 1GB of RAM and a 15in. XGA-resolution LCD monitor from NEC with brightness set to 50 per cent.

The power consumption figures reported here (average power of 33.2W for the L230, 29.2W for the X300) are per-seat for a system comprising the host PC and three access terminals. Although this is higher than the mini-desktops and notebooks we tested, it's worth bearing in mind that the host PC could support more terminals — ten in the case of the L230 (with Windows XP on the host, as here) and six for the X300. This would deliver lower power consumption per seat — but also, of course, put more stress on the host PC leading to slower performance as well as a higher probability of host PC failure.

Go to section: Introduction What we tested How we tested Power consumption Workload test run time Workload test power consumption Conclusion

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