In some US states it will be increasingly difficult to buy gaming PCs

Buying a new graphics card is difficult enough due to low availability and sky-high prices shortage of semiconductors. But for people living in some states of the USA, please order pre-assembled gaming systems by some PC manufacturers it has become much more difficult due to new energy regulations implemented.

Buying a gaming PC is getting harder and harder

Although the energy regulations in question were actually passed in 2016, some PC vendors have begun to restrict shipments of certain high-end desktop configurations to comply with state regulations. This is due to some recent changes to the regulation expected in the coming months.

Just this week, a Reddit user posted a thread containing a screenshot from Dell’s website. The user reports that due to energy consumption regulations, Dell would not be able to ship an Aurora desktop PC pre-assembled in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Dell said “all orders placed for those states will be canceled.”

Dell appears to be the first vendor to implement new restrictions based on recent state guidelines. But in the future, more PC manufacturers could join due to the additional regulations that will be implemented later this year and in 2022.

According to a Dell statement provided to The Register, the only models currently affected by the new regulations are Alienware’s Aurora R10 and Aurora R12 desktops. Dell says the decision to ban shipments in some states “was led by the California Energy Commission (CEC) Level 2 Implementation which set a mandatory energy efficiency standard for PCs, including desktops, AIOs, and gaming systems. mobile.”

What the regulation says

But while many of the regulations seem sensible, some of the rules of the CEC they seem a bit out of context with modern devices. For example, according to the Section 1605 of the CEC guidelines, a regulation requires all computer monitors manufactured after July 1, 2019 to be shipped with a “Screen luminance less than or equal to 200 cd / m2 ± 35 percent”. Namely approx 200 nit (or 270 nits if you take into account the margin of error). This is significantly lower than the average for monitors sold today.

When it comes to pre-built desktop PCs, systems made after July 1, 2021 are limited to one maximum absorption of 75 kWh / year. With, then, some leeway based on the specific configuration. It therefore appears that other manufacturers of high-end systems will have to deal with energy regulations.

Electronics such as game console (PS5, Xbox Series S / X, etc.) e User-assembled desktop PCs are not subject to these regulations. So there is the option to purchase high-end single components and assemble them. However, with the limited supply of graphics cards due to the constant running out of chips, many gamers have begun to consider pre-built systems. It would be, right now, the only way to more easily get the new GPUs from Nvidia and AMD.