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Intel creates a 90 per cent recyclable PC

by on24 February 2023


Launches it in China

Intel and its partners Tsinghua Tongfang and Acer have been showing off the first eco-friendly mainstream PCs, where 90 per cent of the components are recyclable.

According to Sohu, Chipzilla shared some guidelines to achieve ambitious, high-energy, low-carbon goals. It wants to see a "cradle to cradle" model with ecological controls to reduce carbon emissions from creating to recycling electronics.

Chipzilla outlined four points for its high-energy, low-carbon concept: definition and design, manufacturing and delivery, use and maintenance, and recovery and recycling.

The demo system used Intel's 12th Generation Alder Lake chips with a weak Intel stock cooler providing the cooling. Given the scope of the conference, it's probably a non-K (65W) or T-series (35W) SKU since it probably wouldn't look good if a K-series chip, which can have a maximum turbo power up to 241W, powering the compact PC.

Intel developed the "Intel Green Computer Software Control Center" software for this green PC to put the system into low-carbon operating mode. The program automatically detects the user's activity and improves the system's energy efficiency, depending on the usage.

The motherboard features fewer components, from 1,800 to 1,400, representing a 22 per cent reduction in materials. The power delivery subsystem seems modest. The power delivery subsystem is reportedly 6% more efficient than the design on a conventional motherboard. PCBs, made of metal, resin, and glass fibres, are a bitch to recycle. The recycling rate for metal is reasonable; however, the resin and glass fibres are hard to separate. Thus, Intel advocates for eco-friendly PCB solutions. AIntel and its industry chums claim 95 per cent recycling rates for metal and glass fibres and 90 per cent for organic matter.

The motherboard has a simple integrated design. There are two SO-DIMM memory slots, a single M.2 slot, and one PCIe x16 expansion slot. Intel didn't reveal what form factor the motherboard uses, only that the PCB area is 36 per cent smaller than a standard ATX motherboard. The motherboard design helps cable reduction since there are hardly any connectors. The only visible cables are the cable for the fan from the Intel stock cooler and the power cable from the power supply.

The green PC uses a small Gallium nitride (GaN) power supply up to 70 per cent smaller than a standard ATX power supply. GaN power supplies can reduce the volume and carbon footprint by up to 90 per cent. The unit sports a fanless design and provides a single 12V output. The GaN unit from the show floor boasts the 80 Plus Titanium certification, meaning 94 per cent efficiency at 50 per cent load and 90 per cent at ten per cent load.

 

Last modified on 24 February 2023
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