[dragontamer]

Switchers in the 80s were only 80% efficient at best. The chips just weren't fast enough for much better.

Switching from maybe 70% efficient linear to 80% efficient switcher means only a 30% reduction to copper or transformers.

-------

Today, a switcher is maybe 95% to 99% efficient. So switching from 70% efficient linear to 97% efficient switcher is a 90% reduction in coils/heat sinks.

[kens]

Switchers have much smaller transformers because the frequency is much higher, >20 kHz vs 60 Hz. (This is the same reason that avionics use 400 Hz power instead of 60 Hz.)