[panahead]

i could use some help... i have a cabin that is off grid and is solar powered... i also have a 20" apple display that is not being used... it is maybe 7 or 8 years old? it has the aluminum bezel around it.... i am wanting to set up a computer at my place and was wondering if i should get the mac mini and use the monitor i already have or should i go with a laptop? the mac mini is less $$.. but not sure what the power draw would be compared to a laptop? any thoughts or advice?

[thegeriatric]

The obvious thing that sprung into my mind was a Laptop has a rechargeable battery, so could at least be used for a while, even if you couldn't recharge it.

By the way welcome to applenova.

[panahead]

thanks.... the battery is not super important to me as i already have a battery bank that keeps me going for a couple of days without a charge... it is more the overall draw that concerns me....

[Dave]

According to Apple's technical specs, the Mac Mini has a maximum continuous power consumption as 85W (plus whatever your monitor draws). For laptops, Apple just lists the power supply ratings: the 15" Macbook Pros come with an 85W power supply, the 13" Macbook Pros use a 60W power supply, and both Macbook Airs have 45W power supplies.

Hope that helps, and welcome to the forums :-)

[turtle]

Maybe I'll take my Kil-a-watt to work and see what my Mini uses in real time. The max of 85 is likely only when working the CPU at full load though. Maybe start up and such. I can say that the ACD is going to use more power than a laptop though as a general statement just due to it's size. The real question is how much will you be using it and in what way?

I'd lean toward the laptop just because you can make it mobile and it can hide easier. Most cabins I think of space is a premium so a dedicated desk is not a good a use of space.

Welcome to Applenova!

[Dorian Gray]

My 22-inch EIZO CG223W display consumes about 40 watts in typical operation. That’s a lot of power if you’re running it off a battery.

By comparison, something like a MacBook Air will merrily run on 5–10 watts of power, display and all. If you want to run on solar/battery power, the laptop would be by far the best choice.

For typical home-computer use, the most important power-consumption metric is the idle consumption, since the machine will spend much of its time at or close to idle. Apple’s Product Environmental Reports provide idle power consumption values.

The current Mac mini (PDF) uses just over 10 watts at idle. That’s great, but the display is the real power hog. For example, the Thunderbolt Display (PDF) sucks down a massive 110 W at maximum brightness.

By comparison, the current 11-inch MacBook Air (PDF) uses just over 4 watts at idle with the display off, or about 9 watts at idle with the display at full brightness. Use with the display at moderate brightness would fall in between (I get about 5 hours of normal use from the 35-watt-hour battery in my girlfriend's 2010 MacBook Air (PDF), which uses even less power than the current model: that averages to about 7 watts).

What's more, Apple says this about the MacBook Air: “Using only 9.0W in idle with the display on, it consumes less power than any Mac, and consumes 27 percent less than the original MacBook Air.”

[panahead]

thanks a 1,000,000 for all of your great info... i really appreciate it!!!