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Very PC's Bonsai system is 'the greenest'

by Bob Crabtree on 24 September 2007, 08:00

Tags: GreenPC Bonsai, Very PC, PC

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Sheffield-based Very PC is readying to launch what it describes as its greenest PC to date - the Bonsai - and claiming that it will be the greenest in the entire PC marketplace when it starts shipping on December 1!

Just how green is that? Well, according to the London Environment Centre (a London Metropolitan University spin-off) it tested a prototype of the Bonsai and was astonished to find that the base energy consumption was only 29W.

Although that makes it more energy efficient than many notebook PCs, it doesn't mean that the Bonsai is any kind of slouch - though nor is it a top-flight gaming system.

Instead, the Bonsai, measuring just 202(w) x 97(h) x 273(d) mm, looks like a very interesting option for a home theatre PC.

Very PC Bonsai Green PC

It centres on an AMD Athlon X2 BE 2350 - a dual-core AMD CPU running at 2.1GHz - and features an integrated ATI X700 graphics processor with HDMI, plus 1GB RAM, a 120GB low-power hard disk HDD and a DVDRW burner.

If supplied with Windows XP Media Center Edition, that configuration will cost £520 including VAT.

Among the available upgrade options are 2GB RAM (£35.25); a 250GB HDD (£82.25); and a slot-loading DVD burner (£46).

Very PC is keen to stress that the unit checked out by the LEC was a prototype and that it expects energy consumption of the shipping version to be even less because it will be fitted with a passive PSU-cooler.

This should save a further 3W or 4W, giving promised power consumption of 26W at idle and 62W under load - with a typical (90% idle) average of 29.6W.


HEXUS Forums :: 16 Comments

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Quite cool although doesn't say anything about the energy required to buid the thing! Or recycle value :)
It's an admirable piece of work but i really don't think that the average PC user cares about power consumption, most system builders put together a machine for performance, be it either a gaming, video editing or home theatre machine.

I can't see many people buying a PC purely because its eco friendly, i'd rather just satisfy the guilt by recycling a few coke cans.
Eco places like them dome things in cornwall (forgot the name) would be interested tho as they could run demo's n stuff on them
On the topic of Manufacturing & Shipping Energy:
Yes the manufacturing energy of a PC is significant, which is why we make our GreenPC's fast, so they are a viable solution with a full lifetime.
Also, we make the PC out of small form factor components, minimising material used and shipping energy.

As for who would want such a PC
A responsible individual, who was environmentally ethical,
Someone who wants smaller electricity bills,
Businesses could save 10's of Thousands of Pounds in electricity.
Businesses like M&S, they like to be Green. Maybe they will buy some?
Pffft, my cpu uses more energy than that whole pc….I wouldnt mind cutting my energy useage….but im not prepared to sacrifice gaming power :P