How to Go Green With Computing
Buy efficiently., See 'Energy Star'., If you already have a working desktop or laptop computer, then you should try doing following:- Set the brightness on the screen to the minimum point., Take care of your computer.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Buy efficiently.
If you want a laptop with great battery life, look for netbooks with LED screens and power
- modest components, like an Intel Atom dual core processor.
Asus are very good at making lightweight netbooks that don't draw a lot of watts.
You can also buy a really high-performance computer and underclock (throttle) it, just in case you ever need the power. -
Step 2: See 'Energy Star'.
When out looking for computers, pay attention to the '"Energy Star"' label.
Computers with that mark have power supplies that waste maximum 20% of the energy of their consume.
In short words, these computers are very power effective. , On laptops this is usually done via a keyboard combination.
Take a look at the laptop keyboard and make use of your common sense or take a look in the instructional manual.
Open the Control Panel and then double click the icon "Power options".
From there, make sure you are running on power saving mode.
Set the screen to turn off after one minute of inactivity, the hard drive(s) to spin down after 15, and the computer to standby after five minutes of inactivity.
Print smarter! To do that you simply have to limit the amount of printing usage and stick to reading or showing off information on the screen instead.
But there is a program called Greenprint that can easily remove unnecessary stuff on a page you want to print out.
Make sure to use both sides of a paper when printing.
Replace with newer graphic cards.
The newest graphic cards are more energy
- frequent than older graphic cards.
When not needed, turn your Bluetooth and internet adapter off.
Get a flat panel monitor.
Newer flat panel monitors are not more stylish than old CRT monitors, they are also better at making use of energy.
Power the computer on and off again at the end of each day.
It is actually a good habit for proper PC maintenance.
Also, make sure the computer is turned off when leaving home.
Unplug any kind of external peripherals you don't need.
Flash drives and USB mice draw a lot of power.
For businesses:
Simply mailing documents that are saved as PDFs between each other instead of doing that old print and fax
- dance saves you both time, money and trees. , This really helps to Mother Earth.
Keep the hard drive fast and healthy by always having at least 20% free space.
De-fragment it now and then.
Add on more RAM whenever you feel the need for it.
Make sure to find a card that matches your motherboard.
When the machine finally retires, if you are able to, you may take it apart and sell working components on eBay.
If you manage to rescue the hard drive, you can always keep it for yourself and jam it in a USB docking station, as long as there still is information there worth rescuing. -
Step 3: If you already have a working desktop or laptop computer
-
Step 4: then you should try doing following:- Set the brightness on the screen to the minimum point.
-
Step 5: Take care of your computer.
Detailed Guide
If you want a laptop with great battery life, look for netbooks with LED screens and power
- modest components, like an Intel Atom dual core processor.
Asus are very good at making lightweight netbooks that don't draw a lot of watts.
You can also buy a really high-performance computer and underclock (throttle) it, just in case you ever need the power.
When out looking for computers, pay attention to the '"Energy Star"' label.
Computers with that mark have power supplies that waste maximum 20% of the energy of their consume.
In short words, these computers are very power effective. , On laptops this is usually done via a keyboard combination.
Take a look at the laptop keyboard and make use of your common sense or take a look in the instructional manual.
Open the Control Panel and then double click the icon "Power options".
From there, make sure you are running on power saving mode.
Set the screen to turn off after one minute of inactivity, the hard drive(s) to spin down after 15, and the computer to standby after five minutes of inactivity.
Print smarter! To do that you simply have to limit the amount of printing usage and stick to reading or showing off information on the screen instead.
But there is a program called Greenprint that can easily remove unnecessary stuff on a page you want to print out.
Make sure to use both sides of a paper when printing.
Replace with newer graphic cards.
The newest graphic cards are more energy
- frequent than older graphic cards.
When not needed, turn your Bluetooth and internet adapter off.
Get a flat panel monitor.
Newer flat panel monitors are not more stylish than old CRT monitors, they are also better at making use of energy.
Power the computer on and off again at the end of each day.
It is actually a good habit for proper PC maintenance.
Also, make sure the computer is turned off when leaving home.
Unplug any kind of external peripherals you don't need.
Flash drives and USB mice draw a lot of power.
For businesses:
Simply mailing documents that are saved as PDFs between each other instead of doing that old print and fax
- dance saves you both time, money and trees. , This really helps to Mother Earth.
Keep the hard drive fast and healthy by always having at least 20% free space.
De-fragment it now and then.
Add on more RAM whenever you feel the need for it.
Make sure to find a card that matches your motherboard.
When the machine finally retires, if you are able to, you may take it apart and sell working components on eBay.
If you manage to rescue the hard drive, you can always keep it for yourself and jam it in a USB docking station, as long as there still is information there worth rescuing.
About the Author
Carl Long
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Carl Long brings 5 years of hands-on experience to every article. Carl believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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