The 5 Best Energy Star Computers

According to an EPA estimate if every computer in the United States was sold to Energy Star requirements, over $2 billion would be saved annually as well as 2 million cars worth of emissions would be prevented.The EPA's Energy Star guidelines have allowed most consumers to take significant steps in reducing their personal carbon footprint. One of the Energy Star Rating Systems allows consumers to view which personal computer systems are the most energy efficient by EPA standards. Whether it be a small screened laptop or a gaming tower with a 26' inch flat panel, computers are such a part of people's lives that it is essential that manufacturers and users take steps towards lessening the amount of electricity used during various parts of both the day and night.

Desktops

Dell Precision 390

The long time trusted name of Dell has continually delivered powerful PC's for virtually every fascet of life. This Precision 390 offers dual core as well as quad-core professors, Windows XP Professional and up to 8GB of memory. This model offers great capacity for the price range upwards of $800.

Apple iMac 24-inch, 3.06GHz

Apple commands a strong loyalty amongst its army of consumers. For good reason too. This Energy Star rated desktop offers blazing speed with one of the most stylish and slim packages on the market. The 24-inch screen and the shiny chrome type metal holding up monitor above it's white base makes this brand of computer as much of a decorative item as it is a powerhouse of a computer. This model will run upwards of $2,100.

Hewlett-Packard HP Compaq dc5800

HP's business models are getting more attention lately due to their high bang for less buck philosophy. The trophy that Dell and IMB once held as a common office computer is slowly being taken away by HP's consistent high quality. What helps even more is HP's drive to make as many of their PC's Energy Star rated as quickly as possible. This particular model starts around $700.

Laptops

Lenovo ThinkPad R61

The laptops with the little red button in the middle of the keyboard that you see all over cafe's and airports are probably some sort of Lenovo Thinkpad. These workhorses are powerful, light and known for taking a beating and coming back for more. Despite not being the absolute cheapest laptop on the market, these tend to be the most sought after for employees with important information that needs to be taken around in a light and safe package. These particular models start above $800.

Apple MacBook Pro, 17-inch, 2.5GHz

Few consumer laptops are as popular as the MacBook. These slim and chic notebook computers have powerful hardware matched with excellent portability. You would be hard pressed to walk into virtually any cafe with wireless and not see at least one person sporting their own MacBook. Despite being very light, the computer itself cary's a hefty price tag, well above $2000 for most models.

What all of these computers have in common, whether they be desktop or laptop models, is their energy efficiency built in. The laptops will benefit from this feature even more because of the longer battery life that can be had on a more efficiently ran machine. At one point the cost of owning any high efficiency computer would have been might higher, but market demand is driving the price down so that everyone no matter how great their computing habits are, can help reduce emissions and their own carbon footprint.

Resources:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.ShowProductGroup&pgw_code=CO

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=LT