Dell ships first Energy Star 4.0-ready PC
updated 01:00 pm EDT, Wed October 31, 2007
Dell Energy Star 4.0 PC
Dell says that it has begun selling its first Energy Star 4.0-compliant consumer computer, a new version of the Inspiron 531. The desktop is said to have an "80 percent efficient" power supply, and will by default switch to a sleep state after 15 minutes of inactivity, though this can be changed as necessary. There is also a "paperless" manual, though Dell has not confirmed what format it does come in. The company further claims that by using PCs like the 531 for four years, in tandem with a flat-panel monitor, owners can cut down on carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to driving a car for eight weeks.
Prices for the new Inspiron start at $369, with lower-cost configurations including parts like Athlon 64 X2 processors, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. The main limitations come in the form of Vista Home Basic, a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and integrated Nvidia graphics.
