4 ms·
''running ond old HW is probably counterproductive if you only value ecology'' I could be wrong, but i think the opposite than you. You are being reductionist,
by Whatever13 3y ago
''running ond old HW is probably counterproductive if you only value ecology''
I could be wrong, but i think the opposite than you.
You are being reductionist, and only accounting for the factor of direct eletrical consumption during use, and not the total energy and natural resources spent during the equipments lifetime , specially its manufacturing (which i think is the real measure of ecological efficiency we should aim).
The old hardware was already produced, resources were spent and pollution and emissions were made, so it is a duty that we should use it as much as possible until irrepairable breakdown happens, and reduce our consumption of new stuff that would only replace it. Like your example of a new smartphone or new steamdeck replacing the old Xbox Original: it is almost certain that the electrical consumption gains would not compensate, in terms of total energy and resources spent and pollution made, the discarting of the original xbox (in fact, it would generate more waste that would need to be reprocessed, generating even more pollution).
Remember the 3Rs ? The 1st R is REDUCE, not ''replace stuff every 3-5 years to get slightly less eletric consumption''.
It is kind of the point of the Permacomputing movement the OP mentioned: perma comes from perma-nent, make computers that last much longer lifespans than the current system.
If people could repurpose old PS3s and Xbox for playing indies, and bigger games we demaked to it, people could keep using the stuff and buy less.
A Few texts for inspiration:
https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/12/how-and-why-i-stopped-buying-new-laptops/ https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/12/how-and-why-i-stop...
https://www.iltascabile.com/scienze/sostenibilita-digitale/ https://www.iltascabile.com/scienze/sostenibilita-digitale/
- lmm 3y ago> Like your example of a new smartphone or new steamdeck replacing the old Xbox Original: it is almost certain that the electrical consumption gains would not compensate, in terms of total energy and resources spent and pollution made, the discarting of the original xbox Citation needed. We're talking about a huge difference in electrical efficiency.
- dandelany 3y agoThe “embodied energy” of a new tablet like a Steam Deck is estimated at roughly 1 GJ, which is ~275 kWh. Original Xbox draws around 100W, so you’d need to play for more than 2000 hours to get anywhere close to the energy cost of creating a new device. https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Embodied_energy#:~:text=It%20takes%20about%201%20gigajoule,processing%2C%20transporting%2C%20and%20fabricating https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Embodied_energy#:~:t....
- ehnto 3y ago2000 hours is very possible, I have 1000+ hours in single games, let alone on a single device with many games.
- vel0city 3y agoThat's 500 4-hour days of gaming. I imagine a large number of gamers would easily do more than that over a few years of console ownership, so I imagine a large percentage of devices did use more power than the embodied energy.
- frozenlettuce 3y agoPeople ignore the energy and scarcity of the materials involved in creating the hardware. It's like recharging a car battery with power from a coal plant.
- supertrope 3y agoCharging a car with 100% coal fired electricity is about as dirty/clean as driving a hybrid. https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myth1 https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myt... https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=bt2 https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=bt2 The most coal intensive region of the US is 67% coal.
- uoaei 3y agoInstantaneously that may be true, but what about factoring in the environmental costs of manufacturing, including mining the raw materials and transporting the completed product (mass) to its final location?
- supertrope 3y agohttps://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myth2 https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths#Myt...
- sunshinesnacks 3y agoWorst case, the EV is only slightly better. Typical to best case, the EV is 2-4X better. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-a-mid-size-bev-and-ice-vehicle https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-l...
- uoaei 3y agoYou're now talking about the entire life cycle. I'd be interested to see how many EV drivers today are expected to keep their vehicles for that long before moving on to flashier, longer-range, etc. vehicles before they reach EoL.