Players living in some US states are faced with a very unusual situation, where the most powerful computers that consume more electricity are banned in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and Vermont.
Dell’s own online store now has a notice on Alienware desktops warning that these countries can no longer purchase the gamer PC, because it doesn’t comply with current local laws on power consumption. Similar measures have also been applied to Amazon and other retailers.
The new law specifically focuses on the power consumption of a device when it is idle, hibernating or in sleep mode, as well as assigning a digital score to measure whether or not your computer is a high-end machine.
All Americans residing in the above states can no longer buy machines with a score higher than 690 and fail their energy consumption metrics, but there is a way around the problem: You can still buy the separate parts and assemble an equivalent machine on its own!
In other words, in practice these laws only serve to prevent high-end desktops from being sold with all the parts already installed. Let’s hope Brazil isn’t inspired by this unusual decision, shall we? Tell us here in the comments what you think of this controversy!
George Orwell is a writer and contributor covering politics, society, culture, and current affairs. His work focuses on providing clear analysis and thoughtful commentary on the issues shaping modern Britain and the wider world, helping readers better understand complex topics.
