you need to know the power requirement of each component that is installed on your pc (it is printed on the component itself)
for desktop pc's
usually the cpu is 0.24A x 1.5v (this would be an avg P4 chip)
gpu (depends) 8800 consumes 450W+ (my gpu rating would be abt 50W)
hdd is 0.75A x 12V
dvdrw 2.4A x 12V
cdrw abt 18~20W
ram depends on brand, type and number of modules!
(these are only the approximate values..)
and so on..
i don't know the exact power rating of monitors, but LCD monitors require a lot less power than CRT's..
the actual power that is consumed is not the summation of this, but the summation of the ratings of the components that are running!
so if you aren't reading/writing a cd, then your drive isn't consuming any power,
so basically your monitor, gpu, cpu, ram, hdd are the ones that account for the major consumption of power (they're always running!.. if your pc is switched on)
as for laptops, they consume a lot less power than the dektops (obviously)
for (in laptops) cooling, you can go for blowholes (if you're willing to take the risk!), i guess they're the best heatsinks (and they're free! ..lol)
else, there are "gels" and "pastes" available, you can try going for those,
(i guess that would be, all i know abt laptop cooling! ..lol)
and, i guess that's it!
cheers!
