Facepalm: Interested in a new gaming PC from Dell’s Alienware brand but happen to reside in one of half a dozen states with strict energy efficiency rules? Well, you’re out of luck, as recently adopted laws are now preventing the company from shipping select configurations to customers in six states.
Per the new rules, Dell is unable to ship select configurations of its Alienware Aurora R10 and R12 gaming desktops to residents of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont or Washington due to recently adopted power consumption regulations.
In a statement issued to The Register, a Dell representative said the California ban was “driven by the California Energy Commission (CEC) Tier 2 implementation that defined a mandatory energy efficiency standard for PCs – including desktops, AIOs and mobile gaming systems.”
According to the Dell rep, the new regulations went into effect on July 1, 2021.
As The Register further highlights, additional regulations are in the pipeline. Starting December 9, 2021, Tier 2 requirements will be expanded to include “computers with high-speed networking capability, multi-screen notebooks, notebooks with cyclical behavior, and monitors with high refresh rates.”
Tom’s Hardware notes that the new standards do not encompass DIY PCs, meaning enthusiasts are still free to build whatever system their heart desires (and wallet can accommodate).
It’s unclear if any other manufacturers are currently being affected by the change. A spokesperson for Acer told The Register that they are looking into the matter. HP didn’t reply to a request for comment before the story went live.
We’ll keep our ears open and report back if we hear of any other manufacturers being hit with similar shipping bans.