When buying a computer, not everyone thinks about the term "TCO” (total cost of utilization). Which is somewhat atypical for everyday use but quite important for industrial applications.

Specialists in this field know well what this term means.

What will be the total cost of owning the device, taking into account not only the product cost but also maintenance, repairs, upgrades, electricity consumption, and other losses during the device's operation?

I would like to focus in more detail on the penultimate paragraph. Just as for a European user, the most significant part of the costs is the work according to the non-deployable technique.

So if you bought yourself a modern desktop computer or laptop that has a 4-core processor, various accessories: a TV tuner, a powerful graphics card, and a large hard drive.

Of course, the seller will recommend a computer with a powerful power supply.

You happily use it without unplugging it from the power supply. After some time, you will be surprised when you receive a bill for electricity consumption that is 10-15% higher. You will say: only! But if you multiply that by 60 (the average number of months using a computer), you get impressive numbers.

It turns out that for that money you can buy another computer or another gadget. So what is the secret? What connects TCO, Android PC, and a home computer?

A specialist will say that in terms of electricity consumption, a modern computer has a capacity of no less than 500 W, which equals half the power of an iron and the combined power of an energy-saving lamp (about 50 pieces). Our favorite gadget consumes as much energy as all the lights on a small street in the city. So you have to work more to cover these additional costs.

What is the output?

The answer is simple: when purchasing a device, you should always pay attention to energy consumption.

For example, by purchasing a mini PC with the Android operating system, you will get a home computer with the same functionality, but with a power consumption of only 10 W, which is even less than the consumption of a regular energy-saving light bulb.

Now you can play all day without turning off the device.

Let the music play and the children play games. You don't have to pay high electricity bills like TCO. That means the total costs of using the device are lower.