Are your machines on permanently? Or why are you so obsessed with power usage?
Note because even heavy computers have regulated fans and sleep levels nowadays, (maximum) power usage doesn't equal noise anymore.
My computer has been on too much and the AMD machine was quite a power hog, true.
Still, that is only part of the reason for my "obsession". My geeky mind tries to find the most optimized way of doing things. Already now the technology is ready for personal computing without propellers. High-end tablets and cell phones are a proof of that.
If a CPU is so power hungry that it needs a fan, it leads to an avalance effect with the surrounding electronics and mechanics. A big multi-hundred watt power supply, multiple propellers and the mechanics to support all that. As a result we still have the big ugly boxes.
People try to justify them because a user can modify their internals freely. It is ok but it only proves how immature the whole concept of computng is. It is like the pre-T-Ford time with automobils.
Remember that the first electric computer was built in 1940's, only about 70 years ago. Compared to agriculture or metal refinement or even car manufacturing it is a very young area.
The early computers with vacuum tubes and ferrite coils look now funny in museums. The fact is that the current PC boxes with their buzzing propellers will look equally funny in museums in the future.
What more, the replacing technology is already here. The low-power mobile CPUs and GPUs can already do all the "normal" tasks.
The development up to this point was understandable. Both computing power and amount of memory were the limiting factors during many decades. The goal was to increase them by any means, including multible propellers and big power supplies.
The goal was reached. There is enough computing power and memory now.
Recently the goal of chip and device manufacturers has been to reduce power consumption, make the gadgets smaller and get rid of propellers.
That goal was pretty much reached, too. Tablets, cell phones and other gadgets are very powerfull now.
In fact 2 opposite motivations are now struggling inside me. One part tells me to recycle and buy an old big computer because they are cheap and they could end up to garbage otherwise.
Another part tells me to move forward and leave the outdated technology behind.
Now I think I will do the latter because the change in technology is so big and profound.