Energy Comission Threatens Pre-Built Gaming Computers
When I was growing up watching game shows in the afternoon there was a familiar saying whenever a car was being offered as a prize.
"California Emissions"
At the time I didn't know what that ment however when I entered High School and started working on my own cars my research turned up different car configurations for 49 State and California. As it would turn out for cars to be sold in in California they must meet strict emissions standards which often ment tweaking with the car to make it more efficent and in most cases robbing it of power. (eg. less fuel = less emissions)
It would seem that with the past history of rolling power outages in California they have decided that stuff needs to get efficient quick and they are targeting the standard desktop PC.
The CEC is said to have conducted wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders in the industry, to formulate regulations that make certain kinds of computers energy-efficient, while not creating the kind of regulation that prevent certain other kind of computers from being sold altogether (eg: gaming desktops and workstations). For example, it's realistic to sell a desktop PC for Internet and office productivity apps that draws under 100W, but it's not realistic to make one for 4K Ultra HD gaming, or even industrial CAD. These kinds of computers will be governed by a separate set of rules, and as you'll find out, some of these rules are very arbitrary, and not very well thought out.
The article at TechPowerUp covers many of the details associated with the new regulations including 80 PLUS certifications and minimum levels of performance with the end goal being that the systems draw less power.
Of course this doesn't threaten folks who build their own PCs from scratch but will have a HUGE impact on boutique builders like CyberPowerPC who assemble custom machines and operate out of City of Industry in California.
Related Web URL: https://www.techpowerup.com/225808/new-california-...
