Tuesday, September 13th 2016
New California Energy Commission Regulation Threatens Pre-built Gaming Desktops
California Energy Commission (CEC), the body tasked with keeping the US state of California both energy-rich and energy-efficient, is preparing a new series of regulations aimed at reducing power-draw of computers and the overall consumption of PC monitors. These regulations could have a profound effect on the PC industry at large, as California-based tech companies create industry standards. The regulations could come into force at various stages, between 2017 and 2021.
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.To begin with, CEC hopes to make computers more energy-efficient by setting idle power consumption targets for manufacturers to design their desktops to meet. The average Joe's office desktop should have no problems meeting those targets, as the technology needed to drive such applications has already approached such level of efficiency. Gaming PCs and workstations, on the other hand, will be given exemptions on the basis of an "expandability score." This is built around the idea that some users need machines that are expandable to meet their growing computational needs (think a video production firm that needs to change components in its workstations as it's moving from 4K to 5K video editing).
This "expandability score" is determined by a number of factors, most importantly, the features of specific hardware components. The higher your product's expandability score, the more "maximum idle power draw" it's allowed to have. Logically, something like this shouldn't affect DIY PC enthusiasts (people who assemble their own gaming PCs or workstations by purchasing components separately), since the resulting build is not technically a product, but an assemblage of products. This should, however, affect pre-built gaming desktop/workstation manufacturers.
One of the interesting specs on the basis of which a gaming desktop will be granted a "high" expandability score is the memory bandwidth of installed graphics cards. The draft regulations prescribe a graphics card with at least 400 GB/s will qualify for high-expandability exemptions in the year 2018. The regulators are aware the technology moves forward, and so does memory bandwidth, and so they set this minimum bandwidth requirement to 600 GB/s by 2020. This, in our opinion, is highly arbitrary. Today's high-end graphics cards such as the GeForce GTX 1080, only feature 320 GB/s, and it's expected that by 2018, mid-range GPUs will have the kind of processing power (and importantly memory bandwidth) of the GTX 1080. So you'll see mid-range GPUs with wastefully expensive memory to meet those bandwidth requirements. High-end GPUs will have moved on to faster memory standards such as GDDR6 and HBM2.
What adds to memory bandwidth being an arbitrary criterion is that both AMD and NVIDIA have innovated lossless memory compression tech that make the most out of low physical bandwidth. This is the same as air-pollution regulators using engine displacement to set regulations for cars, when technologies exist to make the most out of limited displacement (eg: variable valve-timing, turbochargers, etc.)
PSUs are the other key component of the regulations. To get a high-expandability score, the machine should also feature a PSU with a minimum capacity of 600W, workstations should feature PSUs with at least 80 Plus Gold switching efficiency. Lastly, a key target component of the regulations are monitors. On most desktops, monitors are the most power-hungry components. The commission is prescribing new standards for display manufacturers, to use the latest energy-efficient LEDs (for illumination), setting a new default brightness standard (since most consumers never change their monitor brightness); ambient-light sensors that dynamically adjusts brightness to the surroundings; new display signal technology that reduces power-draw by monitor electronics by clock-gating if the input frames are successively repetitive, and switching-efficiency standards for the monitor's internal power-supply.
The jury is out on whether these regulations increase costs for end-users in exchange for more efficient tech, but then that's the classic reaction to regulation meeting any industry.
Source:
DeliddedTech
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.To begin with, CEC hopes to make computers more energy-efficient by setting idle power consumption targets for manufacturers to design their desktops to meet. The average Joe's office desktop should have no problems meeting those targets, as the technology needed to drive such applications has already approached such level of efficiency. Gaming PCs and workstations, on the other hand, will be given exemptions on the basis of an "expandability score." This is built around the idea that some users need machines that are expandable to meet their growing computational needs (think a video production firm that needs to change components in its workstations as it's moving from 4K to 5K video editing).
This "expandability score" is determined by a number of factors, most importantly, the features of specific hardware components. The higher your product's expandability score, the more "maximum idle power draw" it's allowed to have. Logically, something like this shouldn't affect DIY PC enthusiasts (people who assemble their own gaming PCs or workstations by purchasing components separately), since the resulting build is not technically a product, but an assemblage of products. This should, however, affect pre-built gaming desktop/workstation manufacturers.
One of the interesting specs on the basis of which a gaming desktop will be granted a "high" expandability score is the memory bandwidth of installed graphics cards. The draft regulations prescribe a graphics card with at least 400 GB/s will qualify for high-expandability exemptions in the year 2018. The regulators are aware the technology moves forward, and so does memory bandwidth, and so they set this minimum bandwidth requirement to 600 GB/s by 2020. This, in our opinion, is highly arbitrary. Today's high-end graphics cards such as the GeForce GTX 1080, only feature 320 GB/s, and it's expected that by 2018, mid-range GPUs will have the kind of processing power (and importantly memory bandwidth) of the GTX 1080. So you'll see mid-range GPUs with wastefully expensive memory to meet those bandwidth requirements. High-end GPUs will have moved on to faster memory standards such as GDDR6 and HBM2.
What adds to memory bandwidth being an arbitrary criterion is that both AMD and NVIDIA have innovated lossless memory compression tech that make the most out of low physical bandwidth. This is the same as air-pollution regulators using engine displacement to set regulations for cars, when technologies exist to make the most out of limited displacement (eg: variable valve-timing, turbochargers, etc.)
PSUs are the other key component of the regulations. To get a high-expandability score, the machine should also feature a PSU with a minimum capacity of 600W, workstations should feature PSUs with at least 80 Plus Gold switching efficiency. Lastly, a key target component of the regulations are monitors. On most desktops, monitors are the most power-hungry components. The commission is prescribing new standards for display manufacturers, to use the latest energy-efficient LEDs (for illumination), setting a new default brightness standard (since most consumers never change their monitor brightness); ambient-light sensors that dynamically adjusts brightness to the surroundings; new display signal technology that reduces power-draw by monitor electronics by clock-gating if the input frames are successively repetitive, and switching-efficiency standards for the monitor's internal power-supply.
The jury is out on whether these regulations increase costs for end-users in exchange for more efficient tech, but then that's the classic reaction to regulation meeting any industry.
94 Comments on New California Energy Commission Regulation Threatens Pre-built Gaming Desktops
I've even posted my hardware but you expect the total power draw to be more than the manufacturer's peak rating at idle?
Like I said, tired of repeating myself. You have no idea what you're talking about and you've offered no proof just meaningless blanket statements.
Do some research.
Thanks.
Yeh your Right Unbelievable
Goofball, you're using more than 3 watts to post here on your desktop.
This is the problem though, people are so used to an era with 400W+ PCs that they can't even imagine 50W systems even though they're incredibly common in productivity.
I have a NUC that probably draws <20w from the wall but it only has a 3w TDP Atom processor in it. That said, it performs like a <20w system.
All my computers have BOINC on them so, idle power consumption? When does it idle? Next to never.
I don't have a problem with California trying to get rid of CCFL monitors. The fact they're still selling them boggles my mind. Additionally, if this move by California pushes all monitors to have and use adaptive sync, that's a great thing too. Adaptive sync is like MPEG-2 for video: only updates the parts of the screen that requires updating. It can lead to massive power savings in the graphics card at very little cost--this is already standard in laptops to power their integrated screen.
Try a wall-meter, for flocks sake!
Spanish Inquisition Team in Bound:)
give me a Nylon/plastic Comb and a dark Room and i will comb my hair and generate enough Static Electrickery to blow some Electronics
In the Dark i can crackle and Spark up a small lighting Storm
I Survive !!!!
PS DOES NOT WORK IF YOUR BALD (i'm not Bald)
Electricity is dangerous, but its not instantly lethal except in very specific circumstances.
Why are we talking about our ghetto electroshock therapy methods again? Is it going to be outlawed in california too?
that usually makes you jump and if under the hood bang your head