If you are looking to build a new system or upgrade some existing components, you should weigh in the energy efficiency of the components you are purchasing. Not only do energy efficient components put less strain on the environment, but can really save you some cash both directly (lower power usage in your computer) and indirectly (less A/C cost to cool down a room where your computer is kept).

I posted a tip a while ago about making your office setup more energy efficient, but for the computer component realm, Ars Technica has a great article for a buyers guide to “green friendly” components. All the major components are covered in this article: hard drives, video cards, processors, monitors, etc.

If you are in the market for new parts, do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to read.