Dell power calculator

Dell has launched what it calls the Dell Client Energy Savings Calculator, a tool for customers to estimate the energy consumed by a computer in a year and hence the operating cost.

The calculator is quite detailed, using information on the type of system, end user usage profile and some configuration settings. It lets you select energy saving features and compare the impact. It even accounts for the time that the system goes into low-power modes, during lunch or other breaks, which has an impact on energy used.


The tool does give greater granularity in calculating relative costs (although designed for Dell systems, in terms of the power management settings) but I can't help wondering whether purchasers really need (or want) this degree of detail.