A Greener Home Office: Belkin Smart AV And Moneual Sonamu G100

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Want a fast and easy way to minimize your power profile? How about a smart power strip or an eco-friendly case from Moneual? If you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint and your electric bill, we explore how much energy you can expect to really save.

Test Setup

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Test Hardware
ProcessorIntel Core i5-2500K, 3.3 GHz, LGA 1155, 6 MB Shared L3AMD Athlon X2 4850e, 2.5 GHz, Socket AM2, 1 MB L2
MotherboardGigabyte GA-H67MA-UD2HGigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2
MemoryKingston Hyper-X 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 OCZ Gold Edition XTC 2 GB (1 x 2 GB) DDR2-800
Hard DriveIntel X25-M 160 GB SSDSA2M160G2GC, SATA 3Gb/s (System Drive)
GraphicsIntel Graphics 3000AMD Radeon 2100
Power SupplySparkle 1250 W, 80 PLUS
System Software and Drivers
Operating SystemWindows 7 Ultimate SP1 64-bit
DirectXDirectX 11
Graphics DriverIntel Driver 8.15.10.2266AMD Catalyst 11.2

In order to isolate the effects of the Belkin Conserve Smart AV power strip and Moneual Sonamu G100 case, we test the average power load over one hour of use.

We also test the Sonamu G100 in two modes. First, we check how much power is used by adding the auxiliary power module. Second, we measure how much power the 300 W Logisys power supply uses on its own. This is done so that we can isolate the effects of the power module.

Andrew Ku
20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • compton
    I'm no eco-terrorist, but I do consider power efficiency of my PC as one metric of it's performance -- one I do try to make lower in general. I have a 80+ gold PSU. I'm using a 2500k and SSDs. Even with my GTX 460, Asus Essence STX soundcard, ect I max out at ~208 watts at the wall during intensive games.

    If you really want to save some electricity and have more fun doing it then build a more efficient PC. These two products are just a little too gimmicky. At least in a PC with efficient components you get less heat (and noise) as well as a lower utility bill. The energy cost to make and distribute these two products will far, far exceed any energy or power savings realized.

    Still, it's good to see a different style of review. I'd like to see more in the series (like the GPU energy cost article). I know there are some products out there that can make a difference when it comes to lower energy bills.

    Good job.
    Reply
  • alikum
    Disappointed with Belkin's customer support
    Reply
  • newnow
    yes,it look wonderful
    Reply
  • ngazi
    Really nice to know to avoid these things.
    Reply
  • Olle P
    There are other, more elusive and difficult to assess, factors involved as well:
    - Environmental impact during production of the equipment.
    - Environmental impact of storage and transportation to your home.
    - Environmental impact once the equipment is taken out of service.

    To reduce these effects one must use the equipment for as long as possible, and then possibly re-use it for less demanding tasks.

    Personally I use one of those "smart" power strips to kill everything but the 5Vsb line when the computer is off.
    Reply
  • JohnMD1022
    How about those of us who believe 'green' is a crock?
    Reply
  • MU_Engineer
    JohnMD1022How about those of us who believe 'green' is a crock?
    It's only a crock to people who have a basic grasp of math or any clue as to what manufacturing a product entails. For the rest of the people, it's an excellent and highly effective advertising strategy because it's an emotional argument and not a logical one. "Our product uses less power and are environmentally friendly." "Don't you want to save the environment?" The sheer number of highly non-environmentally-friendly to manufacture and uneconomical Priuses out on the road will tell you the "green guilt" ad strategy works very, very well.
    Reply
  • It's a crock sometimes, sometimes it's not. Just like most other things.

    Using a more efficient PSU or driving a Ford Fiesta instead of a Humvee is perfectly reasonable both for the environment and for the savings provided.

    But yes, not all green products are actually green. Not all low fat products are actually low fat, and so on. Are you really surprised?
    Reply
  • huron
    I do hate when everyone jumps on the "Green" bandwagon and uses it primarily for marketing, but I look forward to a day when I don't have to pay for heat or electricity, or at least as much...that'll be a great day in my world.

    The interesting thing about PCs and electronics in general is that they are always getting greener for the most part, right - newer generations use less power, produce less heat, and offer greater performance.

    I am an enthusiast, so I get that high-powered GPUs and CPU overclocks are not as green, but for the same power output, I have a significant jump in performance vs a machine only a few years old. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if I wanted the same performance, I could get it at less power = GREEN?
    Reply
  • jonahkirk
    Sticking these on smartly built, newer peripherals probably would never pay-out. However, if you have an older monitor, 5 yr. old Logitech 6.1 surround sound which your 3 kids never kill at the power button, older printer/scanners or an entertainment system with a variety of vampire appliances including powered subwoofers and gaming systems which only get put in stand-by, then these strips might save you some cash.
    Reply