Desktop and laptop chips are similar, if not identical silicon, and task energy is objectively lower since the same cores run at lower voltages. They idle lower too, especially on AMD’s side where the laptop chips are monolithic.
The only exception I can think of is like an X3D chip with tasks that love the extra cache, or one of Intel’s exotic “E core” server chips.
poVoq@slrpnk.net 15 hours ago
Under high load conditions maybe, but that is very rare in homelabs and especially for people just starting out like the OP.