News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough. Parent comment

Re:If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is go... by steponlego on Sunday February 05, 2023 @05:19PM (#34670245)
A Mac LC absolutely sips power, you should see how long you'd have to run your $300 mini PC to save enough power to make it worthwhile.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is go... by NovaPenguin on Monday February 06, 2023 @12:40AM (#34673795)
It is kind of neat just how little power some of these older systems used. A big part was it was cheaper to make processors that used non-ceramic caps on them - but it limited the amount of power they could use due to thermal dissipation limits.

A good example in a similar fashion is the Super Nintendo. The power supply is rated to 7.85 Watts but it only uses roughly half of that when running. I believe the Neo Geo used 5 Watts peak. And these aren't physically tiny machines like a Raspberry Pi.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is go... by steponlego on Tuesday February 07, 2023 @11:27PM (#34704130)
My old Palm Pilot Professional lasted a month on ordinary pen cells. Same with my HP 200LX
[ Parent | on HN ]