I was wondering which computer is it? I mean, the old or the new one? the old 486 or something newer? Which processor? I know it's a dumb question but I still wonder...

You can just look at the power supplies and see which one outputs more watts.

The lowest power computer in the world is probably some sort of small embedded device...

A mac mini consumes typically about 40. Idle 23 and top 110 watts.

If you think of processors only, look at the fan sizes on today's models compared to old ones. The wattage heats up your room after all. If you pay for both electricity and heating, it doesn't really matter how much power your box comsumes. If you live in a high-rise, you pay for the processors heat, but the house saves on it.

It matters around here. Electricity is much more expensive than gas for heating!

Silly Apple fanboy, thats more than my laptop uses. Its 65W max with USB powered devices plugged in to it and uses much less.
That mactoy is no where near a low powered computer.

Ok., for a real low power computer look at one of VIA's mini-ITX boards. I have an EPIA 500 which has a 500MHz fanless cpu, 128M RAM and a 128M CF card plugged into an IDE adapter running from a minibox PW60 12v in power supply. I've ran it from a 900mA wall wart which puts its operating power draw under 12W. It runs as a headless print and file (with another drive plugged in) server.

this computer uses the least power i know of

http://tinyurl.com/358wzh

this one uses the same amount but isnt quite as advanced
http://tinyurl.com/2k7lde

Being a 40 year old bearded engineer who doesn't own a mac, I don't quite get your point

Why stop there, or at the nano ITX, several embedded systems draw less than those. I was speaking of the modern computer for day to day usage. That means a proc of more than 500MHz, and yes, I have a 600MHz server, but for a normal desktop/laptop, something more efficient perhaps.

There's the higher-up C7s, and there's the Isaiahs, or you could always undervolt and underclock a more powerful CPU.

the via MB in the gos pc only uses 20 watts, 2 when idle. But thats without using an different video card.



Only uses 8 watts:
Stuff We Like: Tiny Solar Powered Linux Computer
http://lifehacker.com/software/stuff...ter-328777.php

http://tinyurl.com/358wzh

no watts, for quite powerfull computing
beat that!

There is wave of real tiny computers lately mostly based on C7 cpu's like the zonbu - there's a bunch of others but I seem to have misplaced the links.Consume typically 15 watts under full load.
Would have gotten something like that but shipping and import cost was a showstopper.

Why would you point out that worthless apple toy that isn't a low power use computer?

The reaosn I suggested mini itx instead of nano is the reason you specified, day to day usage. A linux system is just fine on 500mhz for day to day usage, I know may people who use less even in windows.

I'm quite impressed by the low power usage of the Mac minis. We've got one that we use for demo purposes and it hovers in the very low double digits of watts. This is for a full-blown, powerful computer too, not some stripped down machine!

If you want real low power usage, you can run embedded versions of Linux on various small microcontrollers.

The only way that a "low power competition" makes sense is if you define a certain level of performance. Otherwise it becomes as silly as arguing over who can fly an airplane the lowest, since you can always make a less powerful system that uses less power.

I got a question about the mac mini (seems to apply to mac's in general (wildly off-topic)):

Why they specify a maximum altitude? Never seem that on any other computers specs.Those things run on oxygen?

The power usage quote in the above post put it slightly above the avergae small desktop so it hardly qualifies as low power, so what is the reason for including it when talking about low power?