Some configurations of this Alienware computer are limited to sales outside of six U.S. states.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have energy usage standards on pre-built PCs. These require energy consumption that would discourage unnecessary waste wile PCs are left idling. Most manufacturers haven’t ceased sales anywhere, but Dell has.
Dell, maker of gaming-focused hardware Alienware, decided to pull all but two of their performance-oriented Alienware gaming desktops into those six states. This is supposedly due to the overall consumption of power from both processors and energy-hungry GPUs in these systems, as well as a lack of tools to limit that power or expand these machines.
These plans were set in motion in 2016, and it was simply to limit power used while devices were at idle. This is literally unnecessary usage, power your computer is using while you’re doing nothing with it. Still, Dell has found the standards hard to meet with most of their gaming rigs, and has chosen to cease sales to six U.S. states.
Dell’s Disclaimer
“This product cannot be shipped to the states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont or Washington due to power consumption regulations adopted by those states. Any orders placed that are bound for those states will be canceled. ”
– From a disclaimer on Dell’s website for high-end PCs.
Dell says they cannot ship certain Alienware computers to consumers in six states due to the California Energy Commission (CEC) Tier 2 implementation, which went into effect on July 1st of this year. The guidelines prevent manufacturers from shipping machines that use more power than the CEC has deemed necessary, along with a great deal of other exemptions. Gaming enthusiasts and those whose work requires more energy-hungry hardware can still build their own. There are also exemptions for workstations and servers. However, according to Dell, their PCs couldn’t meet these exemptions, or, perhaps they simply haven’t had the chance to get them approved yet.
CEC Guidelines
As you can see in the video above, the requirements are a little strange. That’s because they’re not made to limit the power of PCs, but the ability to use only the power needed. PCs with lots of expansion and actually higher watt power supplies get more leeway than less expandable PCs. This allows the regulations to adapt to the needs of consumers. They’re similar to Energy Star requirements, and seek to limit energy used when your PC is idle. These requirements mostly come down to how much energy a computer uses when you’re not using it.
PC manufacturers can even have their configurations tested with low power modes, which they can then disable once they ship them to consumers. The idea is that consumers need to have the choice to reduce their energy consumption. That’ll please anyone looking to shrink their electricity bill.
These laws specifically allow more leeway for things like high speed memory, discrete graphics, and larger power supplies. The goal is to reduce needless waste, not weaken computers. In fact, if a PC maker like Dell wanted to ensure their PCs get approved, they could ensure that consumers have expandable options, like extra memory and expansion slots. They could also ensure that more hardware components can use a low power mode, or build a low power mode into the installed software provided to consumers.
None of the CEC’s new laws apply to homemade machines. If you want to build your own PC, you don’t have to follow these regulations. They’re only for PCs that combine hardware and installed software in a single package.
The CEC first announced these guidelines and a timeline in 2016. It has since then worked with PC manufacturers and even Intel to craft the legislation so it would improve energy usage without getting in the way of performance or customers’ needs.
Other Manufacturers?
Dell, a Texas-based company, seems eager to comply by the new guidelines set by other states, but not by making small changes, rather, by simply banning shipment of their PCs to those other states. Apple similarly makes machines that can potentially consume more power than even those Dell refuses to ship, yet still sells them. Could it be because Apple either has better low-power modes or is more willing to push back against the application of these laws than Dell, or because Dell is being overzealous in their compliance for some other reason? After all, Dell could use low power modes to ensure they pass regulations, and even ship with these low-power modes turned off. In fact, the CEC guidelines mostly go after idle machines, so it seems this is simply a configuration problem on Dell’s part. They could potentially fix it with a software or firmware configuration, and have had 5 years to plan this. Most manufacturers, including Apple, likely have prepared already. Worst case scenario, Dell could ship parts like the GPU separately, completely bypassing the rule by selling a kit, rather than a pre-built PC, though this does admittedly defeat the purpose.
Dell has many other options here, but has chosen not to take them for reasons they haven’t explained. CEC hardware requirements aren’t set on a single piece of information, like overall, average, or peak energy usage. Instead, there are a number of factors that go into consideration, including configuration options and device type. It’s possible that Apple’s Mac Pro simply falls in line with the long list of exemptions, while Dell’s Alienware PCs do not. Dell has had ample time to plan, and could have designed these PCs with more configuration options and software or firmware-based low power modes, but chose not to. This isn’t a crack down on powerful PCs, it’s a crackdown on powerful PCs that limit consumers’ options. And, really, isn’t that a good thing for gamers and those relying on powerful machines?
The Natural Resources Defense Council has estimated that the new PC standards will “save more than 2.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year – equivalent to annual electricity use by all the homes in San Francisco – and avoid 730,000 tons a year of climate-disrupting carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants.” All of that just by mandating that consumers have options about their energy consumption. It seems Dell has a few more choices to make.
Sources:
- AppleInsider Staff, AppleInsider
- Thomas Claburn, The Register
- Sam Rutherford, Gizmodo
- Anton Shilov, Tom’s Hardware