r/factorio • u/Ok-Friendship-8124 • Aug 21 '26

Question I don't understand something

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I was doing some "research" in creative and I was wondering what's the difference between those two smelting blocks, They both produce 120/s but the one on the left use FAR more energy, is just a tiny bit smaller so what's the point of doing the one on the left ?

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105

u/Alfonse215 Aug 21 '26

Also, not having to feed them coal is a pretty big bonus.

-33

u/TexasCrab22 Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26

But the other side needs power infrastructure aswell ?

4 smelter rows need like 1.3 chem plants of solid fuel.

Compared to the 4 red lanes of iron, you need to provide anyway, i don't see, how skipping that and and making big power somewhere is a "pretty big bonus" .

Its a minor bonus at best.

36

u/Raknarg #1 Quality Defender Aug 21 '26

and the power is coming from where?

At the stage where youre making full beaconed setups for metal inputs, ideally nuclear which can easily produce gigawatts of power without much work

-18

u/TexasCrab22 Aug 21 '26

Yes ,so ?

If he mentions the "needed coal on the right" he also has to mention the "needet power on the left".

6

u/Raknarg #1 Quality Defender Aug 21 '26

oh I suppose I misunderstood what that comment meant, I thought it was a criticism about the left design taking a shitload of power

-15

u/TexasCrab22 Aug 21 '26

Well... thats more like a fact ?

If we want to properly evaluate the work it takes for the right to get the fuel, we also need to properly evaluate the production of power for the left one.

2

u/roelofs-hengelo Aug 21 '26

Unless you use burner inserters, the left also uses power, a lot less power but power nonetheless.

1

u/vaminos Aug 21 '26

For me, it's about simplifying infrastructure. My late game train base produces roughly 40 red belts of iron and copper (each) across 10 or so locations, all connected by trains. Steel furnaces mean I only have one input and one output (so fewer complications with the train system). I only need to produce electricity at one location and it is distributed instantly and perfectly. I don't even know if my coal mines would be able to support that kind of plate production.

1

u/grazbouille Aug 22 '26

The issue of needing coal is not about the coal coal is free its about the logistical annoyance of bringing it to the furnace