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Building a computer requires 1.8 tons of raw material

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  • Building a computer requires 1.8 tons of raw material


    A United Nations University study into the environmental impact of personal computers, due to be published later Monday, has found that around 1.8 tons of raw material are required to manufacture the average desktop PC and monitor and that extending a machine's operational life through re-use holds a much greater potential for energy saving than recycling.



    Jörg
    pixar
    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

  • #2
    Power !!!

    ...i have always wondered how much of the power grid is consumed by pcs'...1/3 perhaps???

    cc

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    • #3
      I wonder how much of it is drawn by TV sets
      If there's artificial intelligence, there's bound to be some artificial stupidity.

      Jeremy Clarkson "806 brake horsepower..and that on that limp wrist faerie liquid the Americans call petrol, if you run it on the more explosive jungle juice we have in Europe you'd be getting 850 brake horsepower..."

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      • #4
        PC's and TV's? Naah, fridges/freezers, Dishwashers, washingmachines, microwave-ovens and ovens take out the biggest part I think. Except when warming is done electrically, if that is the case that me be the biggest power consumer.
        Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
        [...]the pervading principle and abiding test of good breeding is the requirement of a substantial and patent waste of time. - Veblen

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        • #5
          You forgot lamps
          "For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism."

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          • #6
            Yeah, I was not thinking undustrial/office kinda stuff, residential only really.
            Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
            [...]the pervading principle and abiding test of good breeding is the requirement of a substantial and patent waste of time. - Veblen

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            • #7
              Hot water systems are gerally the biggest residential component of electrical usage.

              It takes serious energy to heat the water people use.
              80% of people think I should be in a Mental Institute

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              • #8
                Some of us use gas to do that, but aside from that I'd agree, together with heating in some parts of the world.
                Join MURCs Distributed Computing effort for Rosetta@Home and help fight Alzheimers, Cancer, Mad Cow disease and rising oil prices.
                [...]the pervading principle and abiding test of good breeding is the requirement of a substantial and patent waste of time. - Veblen

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                • #9
                  I always pass on my old parts to friends and such... they are not taking up room in a landfill untill they are many years old ( read 486 era)

                  as for heavy power users.. stoves and especially airconditioners are the really heavy weights
                  Microwave ovens are usually recommended instead of stoves when there is a power crisis... I use the barbecue personally
                  We have enough youth - What we need is a fountain of smart!


                  i7-920, 6GB DDR3-1600, HD4870X2, Dell 27" LCD

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by TransformX
                    You forgot lamps
                    In direct comparison with fridges, PC's, etc. you can neglect lamps

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Topha
                      In direct comparison with fridges, PC's, etc. you can neglect lamps
                      Nope. You've probably got one fridge and a dozen lamps.
                      Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

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                      • #12
                        And if you have an electric stove and oven?
                        Well, Katie bar the door.....
                        chuck
                        Chuck
                        秋音的爸爸

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                        • #13
                          I find it interesting they don't say how much "raw" material goes into making a Automobile.

                          Hell, even the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet requires a LOT of resources when looked at from a raw materials standpoint.

                          Unless you are living in a teepee wearing buckskins and moccasins, the base technology and raw materials used to support our society is staggering.
                          Hey, Donny! We got us a German who wants to die for his country... Oblige him. - Lt. Aldo Raine

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Wombat
                            Nope. You've probably got one fridge and a dozen lamps.
                            in flats I'm living in (read: parents, study...) energy saving lamps are used, from what I know they are quite popular here.I'm really looking forward to the led-"bulbs" which are hitting the market right now.
                            the energy consumption of lamps will decrease over time, imho.

                            mfg
                            wulfman
                            "Perhaps they communicate by changing colour? Like those sea creatures .."
                            "Lobsters?"
                            "Really? I didn't know they did that."
                            "Oh yes, red means help!"

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                            • #15
                              Wulfman: LEDs = Wave of the Future.
                              Hey, Donny! We got us a German who wants to die for his country... Oblige him. - Lt. Aldo Raine

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