Update: the articles regarding the USA that were banning high-end gaming PCs are click baits

Sorry guys, many users pointed out that these articles about the banned states for high-end PCs are fake, so first of all I thought they were real since there were a couple of YouTube videos talking about them.

Here are the clickbait articles.

High-End Gaming PCs Banned in Six US States after California Energy Bill Limits Sales On High Performance PCs - Niche Gamer

New Gaming PC Consumes so Much Power That It’s Banned in California (futurism.com)

Edit: The article writers all appeared to misunderstand about High-End Alienware prebuilt PCs cannot be distributed so they end up believing all high-end PCs, in general, are banned for the following states being mentioned in the articles.

The GameRevolution article is deceptive. Gaming PCs are not being banned in California. California is regulating sleep mode power, creating higher efficiency and standardizing power consumption rates for sleep mode across all desktops. The Reddit post the article links to even makes that distinction. And before people get up in arms about that, the guidelines specifically state it can't affect performance of your computer.

Also high end PCs, especially ones used for manufacturing and cloud computing, are exempt from the regulations.

Oh, I didn't know the GameRevolution article is deceptive, thanks for letting me know.

I'll sort this out as the real particulars become evident. What I will say is the impossibility to get a gpu at the correct price makes this all moot.

And that is something that keeps me in a constant state of impotent rage (for the very worst rage is impotent rage). I was just looking at an advert on the Microsoft edge for a wonderful 2060 overclock, fucking effing lol!

I am really wondering if decent higher end cards are ever going to happen, in wonderful CA or elsewhere. As for Governor Haircut having a potential hand in this potential described 'banning', well the world has become too evil to have him drawn and quartered over it.

For now...

Edit; @onemanarmyy-you be right.

Your forefathers smuggled booze across state lines and you will tell your children how you smuggled 3090’s under the cover of night.

In the future you gotta move your gaming rig from place to place before the feds can get on your trail like Walt and Jesse in Breaking Bad.

Luckily I have a mid-spec gaming PC (Which I mainly use for playing Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista 2, Team Fortress 2, and some other games).

You'll just have to hide your PC in a giant pile of marijuana, nobody will bother you then.

The all in one systems, that don't comply with CES power consumption regulations, will probably change their systems a bit to make sure that it does. Like this fairly similar specced XPS system seems to comply with the regulations by offering a more efficient PSU with the PC.

And for all the DIY builders out there, i imagine that you can still buy the same parts you always did. Who can say whether this PSU, CPU, SSD and GPU and Soundcard and networking card and etc etc.. will all end up in the same system after all? Edit: Jay's video linked below my post even shows that high end gaming systems are exempt from this regulation.

makes this all mute.

I think it's moot instead of mute

I'm just gonna trust Jay on this one.

Manufacturing and cloud computing are exempt while individual users bear the (admittedly low) burden? There's a metaphor in here about who really bears the blame for climate change, but I'm too exhausted to make it.

Is this legislation aimed at Crypto Miners, without openly going after Crypto Miners???

Cuz that was my first thought hearing about this.

Well this is the wrong approach, i have a high end PC but right now i'm watching youtube videos and typing in a forum, later on i'll play Snowrunner which isn't taxing the hardware at all, so my power use is very low, when i'm not using the PC i turn it off on the wall because i don't like having things sat in standby.
One of the more taxing regular uses i can think of is video or 3D rendering, maybe people with private servers who are transfering terabytes of data daily, but we're talking about a ridiculously small number of people.
So... what's the problem...

Ok i'll stop being coy, it's fucking cryto miners, they're the ones with all the hardware absorbing the power grid, some people are doing it from home having it running all day every day, then there's operations where they're setting up in old factories or near power plants specifically so they have access to more power, they are literally doing the thing that this bill takes issue with, but instead they're targeting regular users.
This isn't the intended use of these parts, regular users can't even get the parts partly because of mining, if they even want to consider controlling the power use of regular users they should crack down on mining first.

The wrong approach? Did you read a) the article, or b) ZombiePie's post, the second one in the thread?

Can we delete this post or edit the OP with the proper article?

@nameredacted: No.

The standards were approved back in 2016 and are hoping to reduce/cap home PC power use in order to save power and lower the impact on the environment.

Which is why I have zero sympathy for GPU and CPU manufacturers as well as high end desktop makers like Dell who are scrambling to blacklist certain Alienware PC models from California consumers.

They knew this was going to happen, and they had five years to prepare.

Three points:

1: this was passed into law in 2017. This is not somethings pre-built makers didn't see coming. Same for component manufacturers.

2: This doesn't' seem to be (and I could be wrong, I've not and will not be reading an entire legislative bill today because it's my goddamn day off) about more than just wholly prebuilt systems. So the components to put together a system of your own, something that actually saves you a ton of money as is not much harder to do than putting together a lego set, will still be doable in the same what it always has been.

3. see 2. The prebuilt PC market, while perhaps once upon a time was a legitimate business model, has degenerated into a total scam. I highly recommend a youtube channel called GamersNexus that has been anonymously buying and tearing down prebuilt PCs in 2021 and finding unacceptably bad installations, cheap components, terrible assembly, and just direct lies regarding what's under the hood. Alienware/Dell are specifically egregious. Some of these systems are actually fire hazards, others have such bad airflow and heat sink installation they would potentially brick components at 100% load.


TL;DR: I think this hurts corporations selling garbage prebuilts more than it hurts real human beings, and I don't think this is a cause for alarm of PC building enthusiasts like myself (I'm in Oregon, so I'll get to find out if I'm right or wrong soon enough).

That's why I'm glad that I avoided pre-built PCs so I have a custom-built PC instead.

This is the article I read, I think it sums things up well and also includes the actual rules and standards put in place. It also mentions specifically that DIY builds are unaffected.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dell-alienware-cannot-ship-to-certain-us-states

The thing about these standards is I'm not sure how to actually convert this into which power supplies do or do not follow the standards. Also in a quick glance at Alienwares online, I couldn't find them reporting what kind of PSU they include, so I can't even compare that way.

@tontogoldstein: Phew. Breathed a sigh of relief when I saw this didn't affect DIY PCs.

Sorry if i offended you, i was referring to the topic in general rather than the actual regulations which would be subject to change in the future, it doesn't affect me (i'm also in a different country so it double doesn't affect me currently) i'm just wondering why this bill is going after low power users and not miners, though maybe they're doing that as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fc5ZX6Kzk

A lot of false clickbait, pretty much only shitty prebuilds with inefficient power supply's are affected, and have to pass certification to be sold. Upgradable pc's and DIY's aren't really affected. I have no idea why a big company like dell wouldn't have already complied with this as it was passed years ago. I wouldn't doubt they are trying to boost sales by getting in the headlines for being "banned".

I thought they were real, to begin with, plus they misled and causing all high-end gaming PC owners to panic about this situation.

As people have pointed out this is not actually an issue and that fist articles on this were clickbait that was poorly researched. Second, it good that there are rules and regulations for power used when they system is sleeping or hibernating...I'm all for that.

I think most of the industry is going the correct direction. Use of Gold or Platinum power supplies are a good start. Second, reducing power use, while they system is not doing anything is excellent! Even YouTubers like JaysTwos cents , said just mindlessly turn off more efficient modes on our gaming PCs was not really smart or worth it. Saving resources and driving down power use -that is not necessary- just to make our PC wakeup in 2 millisecond instead of 1 second is good! Energy efficient appliances, light bulbs, cars, and other transport are GOOD things.

Something coming out of California are stupid, like California needs to stop saying everything causes cancer. But rules to reduce power usage, water usage, and protect people form real dangers are good. A rodent study pinned acrylamide, as a possible carcinogen. Yet, that compound is found in almost everything that’s cooked at a high temperature in tiny amounts. So, California is now on the verge of requiring all coffee shops and roasters to include a warning on the beverage that COFFEE may cause cancer - oh, please.

Yet, as I said saving power is good. And let us be honest, not being able to buy a REALLY badly designed Alienware/Dell computers is a good thing.

@monkeyking1969: I used to like Alienware gaming desktop PCs until now.

@gtxforza: Alienware was bought buy Dell many years ago. They were good, but expensive machines. Now, they're just expensive Dells.

I hear you. It is not like they don't work, I just wish Dell would do a few things different. I used to tear apart computers for part from junk piles. So after doing that a bit you notice some really exhausting parts with Dell machine for teh least 12 years. However, there is some good too


THE GOOD
- They systems often just work out of the box; they work slow without the top 8 % of their full potential - but they work. And, if you work at it, you can regain lost ability but it takes some DIY.

- They sysetsm are often compact because of that "origami" chinese-food carton folding cases that have flip out armstures for teh drives then get in the way of teh CPU cooler. A family or grandma doesn't need to open the box or get 12 extra frame per-second.

- Their professional office workstations are solid, they work when you plug them in and they look discrete on the desk. If you want a workstation or server they do the job out of the box- pretty bulletproof.

- Dell was quick to switch to the new power supply standard - ATX12VO standard. I think that standard is made to simply the PSU and requires the motherboard to step down power, thus making the boards need to be a bit more complicated. These ATX12VO power supplies are suppose be more efficient. But again it is great until you want to upgrade the machine or use it for parts a Dell/Alienware machine is terrible for reusing parts.

SFF gonna get even more popular but you gotta hide em in crates of coffee to throw off the dogs