News EPA to discuss Energy Star 5.0 draft

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/04/08/epa_to_discuss_energy_star_5_0_draft/1

The US Environmental Protection Agency is holding a meeting today to discuss the draft edition of the new Energy Star 5.0 energy efficiency rating system.

 

the more efficiency the better IMHO.... so this is great.

 

do Corsair Hx620w meet that new standard?

didn't know EPA actually exists, thought it was Simpsons imaginary joke.

 

Well yes because i always think high efficiency PSU should be standard.

 

Energy Star 4.0 is part of the 80Plus program for PSUs, and 85 percent shouldn't be a problem - we've already seen it in some new PSUs

 

as the article says though, sysmte integrators are in for rough times if they need to find psu's in their price class (i.e. sub 15$) that meet those requirements.
for the avg. bit-tech reader it wont be a problem though as I am sure that Seasonic and co will bring out psu's by then that do meet the requirements.

 

If you need a sub $15 PSU then you can still get one. Honestly, if you want efficiency expect to pay for it. Especially when it comes to power supplies.

 

I agree with treedude. you get what you pay for, so if you want high efficency, pay for it. There will still be cheap psu's out there because there will still be a market for it.

 

I dont want a 15$, I was talking about hp, dell and co that have never even come close to a psu that costs more than 15$ (obviously excluding server market). Simply put, the oems that make up for the majority of pc sales in retail wont be able to use any psu that meets energystar 5 requirements.

 

I don't think they use any that meet the current requirements (80%). My statement still stands. OEMS are not required to meet this standard, they can still get any PSU they like. This only means they cannot put the energy star badge on the PC. I don't think it will effect sales much.

Besides, don't you want better quality components? Any standard which tries to increase overall quality standards is fine by me. The more better quality PSUs are made and sold, the lower the price. May cost more now, but if everyone jumps on the bandwagon the cost will drop back down to normal.

 

NO one HAS to meet it.. Meeting it just lets you put the sticker on your product. Its no more a requirement then the little star on the Crysis box that says "Includes farcry inside"

 

with the whole green mania in europe I woudnt be surprised if there woud be a law soon that requires them to stick to that standard.
do I want a psu that meets such requirements? sure, i'll buy one (even though it wont be the only criteria).

 

While I always support energy efficiency, I still don't understand why try to make a 500W appliance 95% energy efficient, and then hop into your 5L V8 pick up to drive to the mailbox...

 

Most people that drive to their mailbox have a V8 that is larger than a 5L,, at least around texas anyway.
I have to agree that we will just see less equipment with the energy star logo on it. However, it does make sense to go for energy star appliances. I know I can claim the larger ones on tax day, and get a rebate back from the gas/elec company for switching to some of them. Examples that I have used due to repairs, water heater, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer. And when you leave your pc on for most of the month the electric bill really helps having some effeciency in the powersupply of the pc.

 

I'm all for efficiency. But even if we achieved 85% or more efficiency, do we all really need 800-watt super gaming monsters?

You can live without a GTX or two. Get a 65-watt laptop.

 

In addition to being good for the environment and your electric bill, higher efficiency parts mean cooler and quieter cases.

 

Actually, you dont need a 800 W psu for a highend pc, look at reviews on bit tech, high end machines pulling around 300W from the wall.

 

I did not say that a computer would be maxing out a 800-watt supply. Fast-forward about a year or two and envision what a typical 'enthusiast' personal computer would be like.