Have you considered the cost of my time? My 4.7 GHz i5 desktop with a good SSD is probably at least 3 times faster to compile my project than a Mac Mini would be (even with an SSD). It's now fast enough that I don't get the urge to switch to Hacker News while waiting. If I had to pay $100 per month for electricity for it, I wouldn't care.
And I doubt that the electricity difference is major. My i5 spends most of it's time at 1.2 GHz, and I'm using an efficient power supply. So when running at full-tilt it uses a lot more power, but when just running Emacs it's basically idle.
And yes, a modern Linux desktop does hibernate properly, although sleep is a little more problematic. It also boots in about 5 seconds (although most modern PCs have horrible BIOSes that add about 15 seconds).
And I doubt that the electricity difference is major. My i5 spends most of it's time at 1.2 GHz, and I'm using an efficient power supply. So when running at full-tilt it uses a lot more power, but when just running Emacs it's basically idle.
And yes, a modern Linux desktop does hibernate properly, although sleep is a little more problematic. It also boots in about 5 seconds (although most modern PCs have horrible BIOSes that add about 15 seconds).