Power consumption of the PS3 Slim

Sony just announced a new “slimmer” version of their console the PlayStation 3. Since there seems to be an interest in my previous article about the PS3 40GB power consumption and I know I would have been interested, here are the numbers.

So it seems, according to numbers gathered by CNet, that the new “Slim” version that use a refined design of cpu and gpu and overall components will consume around 75 watts while idling (not in game), and around 95 watts when playing a game, slightly less or around 80 watts when playing a blu ray movie.

That’s much better if you remember the previous numbers of 157 watts in usage and 130 watts of the first 40Gb revision (there have been other silent revisions since then) or the original PS3 that came out with a 200 watts power consumption while in use !

Also for a simple comparison, I’ve got a HTPC (Home theater PC) at home, that I’ve built with power usage in mind that plays Blu ray movies for around 50 watts (and 41 watts while idling on desktop). Of course the comparison may not be fair as it is less adept at playing games than a Playstation and it’s also a less streamlined experience.

The thing is that most of my media appliances (TVs, consoles, media pc) are usually turned off when not in use, and they are actually physically off the plug (via a switch) so that they cannot have any “stand by” or phantom consumption (my other work and home PCs are another matter unfortunately). So the impact of having a console being turned on a few hours at best per day is usually limited (compared to the air conditioning or some of my other appliances being always on). Anyway, it’s not like you time your buy of a console based only on power consumption and replacing an old power hungry one with a new one may not be cost effective (unless you expect the price of energy to go through the roof in the lifetime of the console).

So for commenters and lurkers : Is the power consumption of a device (any device) an important part of the decision to buy it ? Do you think a device that is occasionnally turned on would matter on your electricity bill ?

Thanks for visiting !