Update: The ban targets PCs with high power consumption when idle. Provided a powerful PC has a power supply that is able to lower the power usage enough while idle, it will satisfy the CEC energy efficiency requirements. However, PCs using a power supply that still uses a lot of power while idle will be banned in certain states.
It should be noted that most manufacturers and system integrators have planned for the changes. The majority of modern power supplies should be fine.
PC gaming is about to get a whole lot less impressive across several US states. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington are beginning to ban powerful gaming PCs due to new power consumption regulations. As a result, retailers are blocking orders containing top components to these six states. In effect, it’s a government-issued gaming PC.
Is California banning gaming PCs?
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington are beginning to prevent gamers from buying high-spec gaming PCs due to power consumption regulations. Adding certain components to a PC can result in it breaching power consumption rules, effectively locking gamers in these states out of the highest settings and best gaming experience.
The new rules have been incoming since 2016, with the completion forecast for July 2021. California residents can read the compliance advisory on appliance efficiency regulations for computers and monitors here. Although California isn’t the only state adopting these regulations, it’s arguably the most surprising as the home of Silicon Valley.
Desktop PC and monitor combos can consume several times as much energy as laptops, notebooks, and tablet computers. As a result, they’re a specific focus of the new legislation. Although desktop builds aren’t banned outright, consumers won’t be able to outfit them with all of the highest-end components.
According to one Redditor, Dell refuses to deliver PCs containing a Ryzen 5800 CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU. In the future, as components presumably become even more power-hungry, more potential builds could be taken off the table. Games consoles like the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 aren’t coming under fire, however, which could lead to an increase in adoption rates.
In other hardware news, be sure to download the new iPhone update ASAP. iOS 14.7.1 contains “important” security solutions that Apple recommends for everyone.
In terms of gaming, Okami is coming to Monster Hunter Rise as a ridable mount — sooner than expected, too. There’s also a mysterious countdown in Fortnite that may be leading to a famous musician’s debut.
