Green Computer Smackdown: Dell Studio Hybrid Versus Advent Eco PC
by Jaymi Heimbuch, Central Coast, California on 10. 7.08
A cool thing about competition is that is creates a whole lot of options from which consumers can choose, especially in the realm of electronics.
It seems the Dell Studio Hybrid has a bit of competition. PC World has announced the Advent Eco PC. This little PC does just thaaaaat much more than the Studio Hybrid, breeding some interesting competition and irresistible comparison.
A Few Eco Feature Jabs
Two big green selling points of the Advent Eco PC are that it is made of 75% recycled material, and puts all the user manuals and documentation on the computer (rather than using up trees and ink for printing them out, when the consumer is just going to shove them in a drawer, eventually toss them out, and download again from the website anyway). The Studio Hybrid uses “only” 75% less printed documentation than standard towers.
Energy Savings Punches
Another big perk, and the part that one-ups the Studio Hybrid, is that the Advent Eco PC reportedly uses 78% less energy than comparable desktops. The Studio Hybrid claims a 70% energy savings. While the energy savings is often tied to the user and what the user does with the computer, an 8% difference is still fairly noticeable.
Pricing Knockout
What is also noticeable is the price difference. Advent’s desktop is priced at £600 – or about $1,200. The Studio Hybrid starts at $500. That energy efficiency difference doesn’t seem like such a big difference anymore, does it? At that price difference, Dell customers can afford to throw in the little extra for a tree, especially when they're getting a waaaaay more stylish computer.
And the Winner Is....Consumers!
Either way, and either PC choice a consumer makes, the green competition is great for better computer options. And this smackdown, I'm sure, is just scratching the surface of great eco-friendly competitions to come.
More on Eco-Friendly Computers:
Survey: Can a Shiny New Mac be Green?
BuyGreen: Desktop Computers
PC Buyers Might Get Efficiency Tags to Help with Computer Purchases
More on Energy Efficient PCs:
CherryPal: A 2-Watt Computer the Size of a Paperback
Fulwood Mini Desktop Sips Just 16 Watts
Um, I have been leaseing Dells for a decade and the ONLY manuals in the box are the legally required ones...user manuals went into the Start Menu like 8+ years ago.
It's silly to compare "70%" and "78%" without knowing what they are each using as the baseline. How about asking them for real specs before posting an "article"? To get you started, link from my name is the full specs on the studio hybrid, including power consumption, which is 44 W max, 25 idle, better than many but worse than many (most?) laptops.
Media and consumers both need to use the leverage they have over manufacturers to insist on real meaningful energy specs. Dell at least has them, though they are hard to find, and it's a hassle to download lots of pdfs to compare them--it would be much better if they had them all in a comparison chart.