alt Hacker News> if you're looking at 1Y TCO, the Apple could easily be cost competitive performance per dollar.
Only if you're buying artesinal single source electricity sustainably sourced from trained dolphins.
Average US electrical power is $.18/kWh per google. Figure the desktop draws 300W continuous (which it almost certainly can't), and that's 0.3 kW * 24 hr/day * 365.2425 days/yr == $473/year. So even if the mac was completely free you'd be looking at crossover in 5 years, or longer than the expected life of the device.
Replies
A device with no moving parts, only 5 years of expected life?!
I understand if you say that high-performance users will want a newer system after 5 years, but I'd be very surprised if this 64GB RAM machine doesn't suffice for 98% of people, including those who want to play then-common games at default settings
Good to have some concrete figures nonetheless of course, it's always useful as a starting point
Some VHCOL areas are more than 2x or even near 3x that electric rate
But the price difference is only $38…
During peak hours (4-9pm daily) in San Diego you can be paying nearly $1/kWh (generation + transmission cost) to SDGE, so at least in certain areas, the running cost is very much relevant even for consumers.