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Environmental Impact :recycle: ((motherboard:, CPU, graphics card, sound…
Environmental Impact :recycle:
As of 2017, it is estimated that two billion computer systems are in use in the world. These systems require energy. While one individual system may not need much energy to operate, two billion systems require vast amounts of electricity. The list shown below is not exhaustive but details some of the components and peripherals that require power when the system is in use:
In general, the larger the computer system the more energy it will consume. For this reason, desktop systems often consume more energy than laptops, laptops more than tablets and tablets more than smartphones.
motherboard:
CPU
graphics card
sound card
network interface card
monitor or touchscreen
keyboard
mouse
printer
scanner
router/ hub (if the system is linked to a network)
Monitor settings
Many monitors allow users to alter settings to save energy. Some advice around energy use is:
educe the 'brightness' setting as much as possible
activate efficiency mode if the monitor supports this setting
do not use a screen saver
use energy efficient monitors:
often marked with the energy star sticker
these include energy efficiency modes eg brightness automatically reduced when not in use
Power-down settings
Desktop and laptop operating systems include power settings to help users avoid unnecessary energy consumption. Users can alter the settings to improve efficiency and reduce energy use. It is generally possible to:
power down the monitor after a set period of inactivity
power down the desktop or laptop after a set period of inactivity
control settings for individual components:
turn hard drive off after period of inactivity (will come on again at a keypress)
set minimum and maximum processor state settings (higher settings use more energy, lower settings mean processor can handle less work)
alter wireless adapter power settings
It is also possible to run third party software that will allow users to see their power efficiency status. This can be useful if a user wants to have an idea of where they could alter settings to save energy.
Standby and hibernate vs shutdown
It is often better to use standby or hibernate settings instead of shutting the system down. Starting the desktop or laptop after a shutdown causes a surge in power to components. In general, it is better to minimise the number of times computer components receive a surge in power.
For this reason, standby or hibernate are better options for users when they intend to use the system again after a short period of inactivity.
in standby mode:
RAM continues to be powered
data for software running at the time of standby is temporarily stored until user resumes work
power to all other components is significantly reduced or turned off completely.
If using hibernate:
contents of RAM are copied to the hard disk
hard disk saves a permanent copy
hibernate mode can turn almost all components off or down to a level of very low energy use
Most smartphones and tablets go into standby mode automatically after a fairly short period of inactivity.
For desktops and laptops, users will usually alter settings to either activate or deactivate standby mode.
Users often have a choice between standby mode (also known as sleep mode) or hibernate.