Greener PC

Nowadays, computers are so fast, that there are times when we spend more time doing less things, and suddenly it is not necessary to use all the energy that arrives, processing power, for example, surfing the internet, accessing email and maybe even a youtube video.

Of course, most people who have a desktop, like performance, but if you do the reverse of overclocking, downclocking or reduce the amount of energy going to the processor, you are very capable of being able to perform the same everyday tasks without so much effort, and the best, saving energy and heat. (And in notebooks, saving battery, having a longer life, but normally the BIOS for notebooks do not have voltage and clock settings of the processor, precisely so as not to damage the system, which is much more sensitive than the desktop).

If you have a little technical knowledge, start your computer and enter the BIOS setup, during the POST screen. Realize if there are options for overclocking the settings, be careful when increasing or decreasing a lot, do this with caution, since if you do not have technical knowledge on how to update the BIOS, or clear the CMOS, you will need to take it to a technician to perform this procedure.

Many motherboards nowadays offer features to avoid overclocking or downclocking configuration problems, such as some models of two Gigabyte BIOSes, which offer the user the freedom to perform any configuration, in case the system does not start as it should, it restarts the computer with a generic, basic configuration that makes any connected component work, without user settings, but when entering the BIOS setup, it appears that the saved settings have an error, and asks to correct them.

A Celeron-type processor is called that needs 1.3 volts, but it is possible to use it with a mere 1.05 volts, greatly reducing its operating temperature, even without downclocking, that is, reducing only the voltage, having the same speed, and you’ll have a cooler processor.

In a test I performed, at nominal voltage, a Celeron 356 processor, old, but with a speed of 3.33 Ghz, works at 70º in 1.3 volts. When operating at 1.05 volts, the temperature drops to a minimum of 35º. It is clear that the temperature rises as the system is used, but does not exceed 55º, which is still much lower than the nominal operating temperature, with its nominal voltage.