PS3 & Xbox 360 consume more energy than a fridge – Mac beats PC
With energy costs rising to their highest levels ever, being economical around the house is a big concern of many people. So the latest research which suggests video games consoles the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 cost more to run than a medium sized fridge will surely have parents stopping their kids playing the latest Grand Theft Auto game forthwith.
Australian consumer group Choice conducted a study in to the energy costs of computers, as well as various household gadgets. The research throws up some surprising results, the biggest being that video games consoles are the most energy hungry household electronics of them all.
The Playstation 3 takes away the award for being the most expensive console to run, costing $248 a year to run while on and idle. Playing a game doesn’t up the rate much, making it just over the $260 mark. The Xbox 360 comes second costing $203 to run per year while a game is being played, and $184 while idle.
The Nintendo Wii is not only the cheapest console on the market, it is also the cheapest to run, costing just $24 a year while on and playing a game. I’m sure parents haven’t thought too much about this when making a purchasing decision, but it is yet another advantage the Nintendo machine has over it’s rivals.
These figures put the cost of running one of the two current generation consoles massively higher than of running a medium sized fridge. The PS3 would cost five times more to run than a medium sized fridge at $50, while the Xbox 360 would be four times higher. Even a fast computer running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year would come nowhere near, costing an estimated $130 to run.
A Mac is cheaper to run than a desktop though, costing roughly $80 a year. This means that those people on a budget may actually be better off buying an Apple product, something I never thought I’d find myself saying.
The only device which came close to beating the PS3 was a plasma TV, which would cost $232 to run per year while playing a DVD. This is estimated to be four times more than an analogue television of the same size.
I doubt these results will make any difference when people come to choose which gadget they next want to buy, but maybe as the recession kicks in, and green issues become higher priority, manufacturers will start to consider the running costs of the products they make.
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June 4th, 2008
I assume these numbers are if the console, PS3 or Xbox, are continuously running; while a medium sized refrigerator (who has one of those?) does not continuously run.
Chances are, if you purchased one of these systems, you’re not likely to be worried about the energy costs; besides, I just can’t get amused by sitting in front of the fridge for a few hours (I’ve tried)
June 4th, 2008
So its a good job no-one has their PS3 sitting in idle 24 hours a day 7 days a week then. Unlike a Fridge.
Going by these figures using a PS3 for gameplaying for 3 hours every day would cost just over $32 a year while a fridge will cost you $50 because it has to be on all the time.
June 5th, 2008
If anybody actually bases their choice of console on energy consumption, they are idiots. This is assuming you leave it on 24 hours a day. No normal human would do that, not even the most obsessed gamer.
With gas costing $4 a gallon, I would rather my kids stay at home and play some games instead of taking the car out. And fridges don’t entertain most kids!
June 5th, 2008
RE: I would rather my kids stay at home and play some games instead of taking the car out
Well said Outtie!