PS3 and Your Power Bill: Sony Cares
TGDaily has some interesting info regarding some die shrinkage in the PS3 that will help ease the monthly strain on your wallet.
Tokyo (Japan) – The Playstation 3 can be a significant contributor to your power bill, but Sony is reacting to recent criticism with a third-generation hardware version that we will be shipping this holiday season. According to media reports, the updated console will consume about 10 – 20% less power than current systems.
The transition to the new generation will mainly consist of a 65 nm shrink of the RSX GPU, which will join a 65 nm Cell processor. Combined with a new cooling architecture, which replaces copper heatpipes with smaller aluminum plates, the new PS3 is expected to consume only 100 – 120 watts, down from 135 watts today. The initial PS3 with a 90 nm Cell processor was estimated to consume up to 180 watts in normal operation.
It is unclear whether the reduction power consumption will be enough to allow Sony to drop the hardware into a slimmer case.
To us, it seems to be rather unlikely that Sony will change the form factor of the PS3 this year. Such a move is much more once the Cell processor hits 45 nm: Sony claims that a 45 nm CPU will consume 40% less power than the 65 nm version.
June 28, 2008 at 4:51 am
Interesting… Could we see a ’slim’ version of the PS3 in the future?
June 28, 2008 at 4:55 am
@Sev_er_His_Head:
Wow. Grow up.
June 28, 2008 at 4:58 am
Spam is not tolerated.
June 28, 2008 at 5:37 am
Thanks, Sev. I wonder if there will be a trade in with Sony… something like giving them my launch, 1st generation console plus a little cash in exchange for the 65 or 45mn processor (since my warranty is well expired). It’s just a matter time before we see a slim PS3 available. I hope Sony keeps the disc drive the same, unlike what was done with the flip-top slim PS2. It was good for it’s time, but I really like the new disc drive the way it is.
June 28, 2008 at 5:47 am
It’s times like these when the Bestbuy extended warranty comes in handy.
June 28, 2008 at 7:58 am
Sony cares and thats why we love you Sony.
June 28, 2008 at 9:51 am
Its unlikely Sony would introduce a a slim version so early in its life cycle.
June 28, 2008 at 3:03 pm
oops.
@whoelse:
I agree. I think we’re at least another year away from a slim 3, maybe longer than that.
June 28, 2008 at 8:29 pm
how much does the PS3 cost to the power bill? i play it every day all day and Fold@Home all night, how much does that cost for 24 hours?
June 29, 2008 at 5:53 am
@ lilj_j15:
I’m not sure, but if you don’t let your 3 rest every couple of days or so, you’ll definitely burs it up. Also, the 3 alone may not make a big difference in your bill (like a dollar or a few, if that), but a little here and a little there actually adds up
June 29, 2008 at 5:53 am
*burn it up
June 29, 2008 at 6:42 am
Mine is only on 3-4 hours a day at most. No worries.