How much Power does a Comp' use?

[Eddie]

Hi,,



Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.



I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

both stubborn and wont change points of view.

So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

bill to the extent that he claims?



I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.



Ed

 

[Eddie]

Hi,,



Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.



I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

both stubborn and wont change points of view.

So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

bill to the extent that he claims?



I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.



Ed

 

[Paul]

Eddie wrote:

> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



One of these will help answer the question.



"Kill A Watt meter"

http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html



It plugs into the wall, then the computer plugs into the outlet

on the front. That will settle the argument, about how much power,

once and for all.



*******



Or you can estimate the power, by making a list of the components, and

using known figures for the components. But the results will be in

error by a bit (on the high side).



There is a fair range of power consumptions, based on whether the

computer has fancy video cards and a hot processor in it or not. So

not all the computers have exactly the same idle power consumption.

For example, the Prescott processors from Intel, used to waste 25%

of their electricity as heat, for nothing. The heat wasted wasn't

doing any useful work. It was a form of leakage current.



The idle consumption could be 60 watts up to perhaps 150 watts,

depending on the vintage of computer (those are numbers I've seen here).

Some older computers, will be drawing more power than the new ones,

even though the new computer computes faster.



*******



These are some gamer computer results.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2977/...x-470-6-months-late-was-it-worth-the-wait-/19



Idle power is 160 to 260 watts.



Load power is 220 to 680 watts, playing Crysis.



In this article, are low end systems, used for things like perhaps

an HTPC. These use graphics (GPU) on the motherboard, rather than a hot

video card.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2505/3



Idle power is 59 to 79 watts (using weaker processor choices)



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2505/4



Maybe 78 to 115 watts playing a movie.



The computer without the separate video card, draws less power

when playing a movie, than the gamer computer draws doing

absolutely nothing.



So there are some examples for you.



The size of the power supply, has nothing to do with it.

You can buy a 700W power supply if you want, but if the

hardware draws 60W, then it's using pretty close to 60W

from the wall. Power supplies have an efficiency figure,

and that helps determine how much waste heat they kick out,

and that waste heat is a function of the computer load inside.

The 700W rating, is the absolute max power you can draw from

it, before it shuts down on its own. The 60W figure, is what

it draws from the wall, when the computer is idling. Whether you

had a 350W or a 700W, that wouldn't radically affect the 60W

figure. It's still going to be in that ballpark. The very

best power supplies now, can manage about 87% efficiency when

converting electricity.



http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/17-194-058-Z05?$S640W$



60 watts internal load

--------------------- = 69 watts

0.87 efficiency



In that example, the power supply delivers 60W to the load, and

kicks out 9 watts of heat from the power supply fan hole. The total

heat exhausted is 69W, 9W coming from the PSU hole and 60W coming

from the other ventilation fans.



Not that many years ago, power supplies were 68% efficient. (The

68% efficient ones, don't state the efficiency on the label, which

is how you guess at it.) For the same 60W of internal component

loading...



60 watts internal load

--------------------- = 88 watts

0.68 efficiency



Spending a couple hundred dollars on a new power supply, to save

19 watts of electricity, has a pretty long payback period. There

are some cheaper ones that manage 80% efficiency, that might make

a more reasonable choice.



The savings go up, if you're a high end gamer. As there, the waste

is large, and the power supply heat can be large as well. Especially

when the computer is drawing that 680 watt number. But not too

many people can afford the video cards that draw that kind of load.

My crappy video card draws maybe 48.4 watts flat out, 22.6 watts

idling (like, while I'm typing this). This site has measured all

sorts of video cards. This is a small sampling.



http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/powercolor-x1900gt_5.html#sect0



The Kill A Watt meter will give an exact answer. If you're lucky,

perhaps you can borrow one from somewhere, long enough to measure it.



http://library.bowdoin.edu/news/kill-a-watt.shtml



"By presenting your Bowdoin ID Card, students, faculty, and staff

can check out Kill-A-Watt meters (and instructions) at both H&L

and Hatch Libraries for up to four days"



It's amazing the things they have at libraries these days.



Have fun,

Paul

 

[Paul]

Eddie wrote:

> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



One of these will help answer the question.



"Kill A Watt meter"

http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html



It plugs into the wall, then the computer plugs into the outlet

on the front. That will settle the argument, about how much power,

once and for all.



*******



Or you can estimate the power, by making a list of the components, and

using known figures for the components. But the results will be in

error by a bit (on the high side).



There is a fair range of power consumptions, based on whether the

computer has fancy video cards and a hot processor in it or not. So

not all the computers have exactly the same idle power consumption.

For example, the Prescott processors from Intel, used to waste 25%

of their electricity as heat, for nothing. The heat wasted wasn't

doing any useful work. It was a form of leakage current.



The idle consumption could be 60 watts up to perhaps 150 watts,

depending on the vintage of computer (those are numbers I've seen here).

Some older computers, will be drawing more power than the new ones,

even though the new computer computes faster.



*******



These are some gamer computer results.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2977/...x-470-6-months-late-was-it-worth-the-wait-/19



Idle power is 160 to 260 watts.



Load power is 220 to 680 watts, playing Crysis.



In this article, are low end systems, used for things like perhaps

an HTPC. These use graphics (GPU) on the motherboard, rather than a hot

video card.



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2505/3



Idle power is 59 to 79 watts (using weaker processor choices)



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2505/4



Maybe 78 to 115 watts playing a movie.



The computer without the separate video card, draws less power

when playing a movie, than the gamer computer draws doing

absolutely nothing.



So there are some examples for you.



The size of the power supply, has nothing to do with it.

You can buy a 700W power supply if you want, but if the

hardware draws 60W, then it's using pretty close to 60W

from the wall. Power supplies have an efficiency figure,

and that helps determine how much waste heat they kick out,

and that waste heat is a function of the computer load inside.

The 700W rating, is the absolute max power you can draw from

it, before it shuts down on its own. The 60W figure, is what

it draws from the wall, when the computer is idling. Whether you

had a 350W or a 700W, that wouldn't radically affect the 60W

figure. It's still going to be in that ballpark. The very

best power supplies now, can manage about 87% efficiency when

converting electricity.



http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/17-194-058-Z05?$S640W$



60 watts internal load

--------------------- = 69 watts

0.87 efficiency



In that example, the power supply delivers 60W to the load, and

kicks out 9 watts of heat from the power supply fan hole. The total

heat exhausted is 69W, 9W coming from the PSU hole and 60W coming

from the other ventilation fans.



Not that many years ago, power supplies were 68% efficient. (The

68% efficient ones, don't state the efficiency on the label, which

is how you guess at it.) For the same 60W of internal component

loading...



60 watts internal load

--------------------- = 88 watts

0.68 efficiency



Spending a couple hundred dollars on a new power supply, to save

19 watts of electricity, has a pretty long payback period. There

are some cheaper ones that manage 80% efficiency, that might make

a more reasonable choice.



The savings go up, if you're a high end gamer. As there, the waste

is large, and the power supply heat can be large as well. Especially

when the computer is drawing that 680 watt number. But not too

many people can afford the video cards that draw that kind of load.

My crappy video card draws maybe 48.4 watts flat out, 22.6 watts

idling (like, while I'm typing this). This site has measured all

sorts of video cards. This is a small sampling.



http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/powercolor-x1900gt_5.html#sect0



The Kill A Watt meter will give an exact answer. If you're lucky,

perhaps you can borrow one from somewhere, long enough to measure it.



http://library.bowdoin.edu/news/kill-a-watt.shtml



"By presenting your Bowdoin ID Card, students, faculty, and staff

can check out Kill-A-Watt meters (and instructions) at both H&L

and Hatch Libraries for up to four days"



It's amazing the things they have at libraries these days.



Have fun,

Paul

 

[tango@noplace.com]

On Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:04:00 -0400, Paul wrote:



>The Kill A Watt meter will give an exact answer. If you're lucky,

>perhaps you can borrow one from somewhere, long enough to measure it.

>

>http://library.bowdoin.edu/news/kill-a-watt.shtml

>

> "By presenting your Bowdoin ID Card, students, faculty, and staff

> can check out Kill-A-Watt meters (and instructions) at both H&L

> and Hatch Libraries for up to four days"

>

>It's amazing the things they have at libraries these days.

>

>Have fun,

> Paul



Having been an electrician before I retired, I'd go along with what

you're saying. I dont think the average computer would exceed 100

watts from the outlet, and likely less most of the time. I do believe

the computers from before 1990 used more power than those after 90,

but now these newest computers such as the dual core and quad core

ones use more power than any of the older ones. Just look at how much

cooling they need and that's the answer. Most power is lost in heat.



Of course we are just talking the computer, not the monitor. The

monitor is plugged into an outlet separately. The monitors use MORE

power than the computer itself. Particularly the CRT monitors. Then

add to that the printer. If the printer is left on, they use a little

too, but if it's a laser printer they actually use a lot of power,

since there is a heating element that fuses the toner to the paper,

and that heating element sucks lots of power. I dont really know if

that heating element is always on, or just turns on before a print

job, but they do suck power, just like a photocopier. I once had to

install a dedicated 20amp outlet in an office for a photocopier

because it drew that much power and was knocking out the breakers all

the time. That means it was using upward to around 2000 watts. Laser

computer printers are generally smaller, but they are still a large

draw. (of course it's simple to switch them off, how often do you use

a printer?).



Anyhow, I'd suggest to save power, shut off at least the monitor when

not in use, and always keep the printer turned off except when you do

print jobs. Why waste money, and energy.



Personally, I keep my computer on when I plan to use it in the next

two or three hours or less. But I generally switch off my monitor

whenever I walk away from the computer, unless I'm jost going to the

bathroom or to grab a bite to eat. My printer is always off. I

probably use it twice a month, and only turn it on when I intend to

print something. Before bed, I ALWAYS shut off the whole system

unless I'm downloading a huge file.



This is just a rough guess, but computer and monitor left on is likely

using at minimum 100W. (probably more). 100W X 24 hours is 2400W.

Roughly 2.5 KWH. If you pay $0.14 per KWH, that's 35 cents per day.

Multiply that by 30 days and you spend $10.50 per month. However, I'd

estimate the cost to be more like $15 to $20 per month because I think

most newer computers use more power than 100W (with monitor, but NOT

printer).



So, if it's $15 a month, and you shut it off half the day, you save

$7.50, which in a year would be a savings of $90. I dont know about

you, but I dont have $90 to throw away.



Another thing. If you run air conditioning, the extra heat from the

computer makes the AC work harder, and that means more electricity

too. Now, in winter, the computer cuts down on the heating bill

slightly, so in that case it makes more sense to leave the computer on

in winter.



One last thing. Hard drives have bearings. The longer they spin, the

more they wear out. The same for fan motors in your Power supply and

CPU fan. Why wear out your computer when it's not in use? Finally,

ALWAYS turn it off during storms. Lightning will wipe out a computer

in a second. And if you dont have an AC, the comp can overheat in a

hot house in summer. Even the best CPU fan cant keep up if the house

is close to 100 degrees, and on hot days that happens in homes without

AC.



One of these days, I'm going to get one of those Kill A Watt meters.

 

[tango@noplace.com]

On Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:04:00 -0400, Paul wrote:



>The Kill A Watt meter will give an exact answer. If you're lucky,

>perhaps you can borrow one from somewhere, long enough to measure it.

>

>http://library.bowdoin.edu/news/kill-a-watt.shtml

>

> "By presenting your Bowdoin ID Card, students, faculty, and staff

> can check out Kill-A-Watt meters (and instructions) at both H&L

> and Hatch Libraries for up to four days"

>

>It's amazing the things they have at libraries these days.

>

>Have fun,

> Paul



Having been an electrician before I retired, I'd go along with what

you're saying. I dont think the average computer would exceed 100

watts from the outlet, and likely less most of the time. I do believe

the computers from before 1990 used more power than those after 90,

but now these newest computers such as the dual core and quad core

ones use more power than any of the older ones. Just look at how much

cooling they need and that's the answer. Most power is lost in heat.



Of course we are just talking the computer, not the monitor. The

monitor is plugged into an outlet separately. The monitors use MORE

power than the computer itself. Particularly the CRT monitors. Then

add to that the printer. If the printer is left on, they use a little

too, but if it's a laser printer they actually use a lot of power,

since there is a heating element that fuses the toner to the paper,

and that heating element sucks lots of power. I dont really know if

that heating element is always on, or just turns on before a print

job, but they do suck power, just like a photocopier. I once had to

install a dedicated 20amp outlet in an office for a photocopier

because it drew that much power and was knocking out the breakers all

the time. That means it was using upward to around 2000 watts. Laser

computer printers are generally smaller, but they are still a large

draw. (of course it's simple to switch them off, how often do you use

a printer?).



Anyhow, I'd suggest to save power, shut off at least the monitor when

not in use, and always keep the printer turned off except when you do

print jobs. Why waste money, and energy.



Personally, I keep my computer on when I plan to use it in the next

two or three hours or less. But I generally switch off my monitor

whenever I walk away from the computer, unless I'm jost going to the

bathroom or to grab a bite to eat. My printer is always off. I

probably use it twice a month, and only turn it on when I intend to

print something. Before bed, I ALWAYS shut off the whole system

unless I'm downloading a huge file.



This is just a rough guess, but computer and monitor left on is likely

using at minimum 100W. (probably more). 100W X 24 hours is 2400W.

Roughly 2.5 KWH. If you pay $0.14 per KWH, that's 35 cents per day.

Multiply that by 30 days and you spend $10.50 per month. However, I'd

estimate the cost to be more like $15 to $20 per month because I think

most newer computers use more power than 100W (with monitor, but NOT

printer).



So, if it's $15 a month, and you shut it off half the day, you save

$7.50, which in a year would be a savings of $90. I dont know about

you, but I dont have $90 to throw away.



Another thing. If you run air conditioning, the extra heat from the

computer makes the AC work harder, and that means more electricity

too. Now, in winter, the computer cuts down on the heating bill

slightly, so in that case it makes more sense to leave the computer on

in winter.



One last thing. Hard drives have bearings. The longer they spin, the

more they wear out. The same for fan motors in your Power supply and

CPU fan. Why wear out your computer when it's not in use? Finally,

ALWAYS turn it off during storms. Lightning will wipe out a computer

in a second. And if you dont have an AC, the comp can overheat in a

hot house in summer. Even the best CPU fan cant keep up if the house

is close to 100 degrees, and on hot days that happens in homes without

AC.



One of these days, I'm going to get one of those Kill A Watt meters.

 

[Doum]

Eddie écrivait news:OCC1yFtBLHA.4388

@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:



> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



My Core2Quad PC is powered through an APC ups. That computer has 6 hard

drives, 8 GB ram, there is also a 24" LCD monitor, an external audio

interface and powered speakers connected to the ups.



APC PowerChute software claims that the devices connected to the ups

consume between 222 and 228 watts.



HTH

 

[Doum]

Eddie écrivait news:OCC1yFtBLHA.4388

@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:



> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



My Core2Quad PC is powered through an APC ups. That computer has 6 hard

drives, 8 GB ram, there is also a 24" LCD monitor, an external audio

interface and powered speakers connected to the ups.



APC PowerChute software claims that the devices connected to the ups

consume between 222 and 228 watts.



HTH

 

[Leythos]

In article ,

albert@greenacres.far says...

>

> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



Your battery backup (UPS) should be able to tell you how many watts your

computer is drawing - in my case, I draw about 300W all the time, but I

have Dual Drives, Dual 24" LCD monitors, etc...



When I look at my servers, I have a APC SU2200 UPS, it shows that two of

them, their network switch, firewall, and tape drive, draw about 480W

constantly - that's about $40/month in electric costs.



--

You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little

voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that.

Trust yourself.

spam999free@rrohio.com (remove 999 for proper email address)

 

[Leythos]

In article ,

albert@greenacres.far says...

>

> Hi,,

>

> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

> bill to the extent that he claims?

>

> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

> Ed



Your battery backup (UPS) should be able to tell you how many watts your

computer is drawing - in my case, I draw about 300W all the time, but I

have Dual Drives, Dual 24" LCD monitors, etc...



When I look at my servers, I have a APC SU2200 UPS, it shows that two of

them, their network switch, firewall, and tape drive, draw about 480W

constantly - that's about $40/month in electric costs.



--

You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little

voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that.

Trust yourself.

spam999free@rrohio.com (remove 999 for proper email address)

 

[John John - MVP]

Doum wrote:

> Eddie écrivait news:OCC1yFtBLHA.4388

> @TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:

>

>> Hi,,

>>

>> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>>

>> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

>> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

>> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

>> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

>> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

>> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

>> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

>> bill to the extent that he claims?

>>

>> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>>

>> Ed

>

> My Core2Quad PC is powered through an APC ups. That computer has 6 hard

> drives, 8 GB ram, there is also a 24" LCD monitor, an external audio

> interface and powered speakers connected to the ups.

>

> APC PowerChute software claims that the devices connected to the ups

> consume between 222 and 228 watts.



Which translates to approximately 5.5 kilowatt-hours per day if the

computer runs 24/7. At 10¢/kWh that is 55 cents a day, at 15¢/kWh that

is about 83 cents per day. Per month $16.50 to $24.75.



John

 

[John John - MVP]

Doum wrote:

> Eddie écrivait news:OCC1yFtBLHA.4388

> @TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:

>

>> Hi,,

>>

>> Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>>

>> I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

>> left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

>> My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

>> said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

>> both stubborn and wont change points of view.

>> So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

>> power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

>> bill to the extent that he claims?

>>

>> I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>>

>> Ed

>

> My Core2Quad PC is powered through an APC ups. That computer has 6 hard

> drives, 8 GB ram, there is also a 24" LCD monitor, an external audio

> interface and powered speakers connected to the ups.

>

> APC PowerChute software claims that the devices connected to the ups

> consume between 222 and 228 watts.



Which translates to approximately 5.5 kilowatt-hours per day if the

computer runs 24/7. At 10¢/kWh that is 55 cents a day, at 15¢/kWh that

is about 83 cents per day. Per month $16.50 to $24.75.



John

 

[Eddie]

Think I'll turn it off then.

To all repiers, Thanks.



The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

wasting quite a few bucks.

The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)



Ed

 

[Eddie]

Think I'll turn it off then.

To all repiers, Thanks.



The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

wasting quite a few bucks.

The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)



Ed

 

[No Mo]

Think I'll turn it off then.

And, since you changed the subject line and didn't quote any of your

previous message, who knows what you're talking about.



"Eddie" wrote in message

news:OHwEbywBLHA.5464@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

: To all repiers, Thanks.

:

: The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

: video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

: wasting quite a few bucks.

: The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

: AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)

:

: Ed

 

[No Mo]

Think I'll turn it off then.

And, since you changed the subject line and didn't quote any of your

previous message, who knows what you're talking about.



"Eddie" wrote in message

news:OHwEbywBLHA.5464@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

: To all repiers, Thanks.

:

: The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

: video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

: wasting quite a few bucks.

: The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

: AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)

:

: Ed

 

[John John - MVP]

Think I'll turn it off then.

A kilowatt-hour is a kilowatt-hour regardless of where you are in the

world. Just look at your power bill and you will see your cost per kWh,

add applicable taxes, if any, just do the math.



1 kWh = using 1000 watts for 1 hour.

Using 10 100 watt light bulbs for 1 hour = 1 kWh.





Computer usage 24 hours/day, monthly cost:



Assuming 300 watt power draw:



(300 watts x 24 hours x 30 days)/1000 = 216 kWh



Where I live residential power is about 10 cents/kWh + 15% tax which

equals about 11.5 cents per kWh. Running the above 300w computer would

cost me about $24.84/month, if I turn it off 12 hours/day I would save

about $12.42/month... or $149.04/year.



Of course, if you use your power saving options to turn off the monitor

or other components in your computer your usage won't continuously be

300 watts/hr. Also keep in mind that many utilities have staggered

power rates, the first x kWh might cost more than the next x kWh.



John



Eddie wrote:

> To all repiers, Thanks.

>

> The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

> video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

> wasting quite a few bucks.

> The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

> AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)

>

> Ed

 

[John John - MVP]

Think I'll turn it off then.

A kilowatt-hour is a kilowatt-hour regardless of where you are in the

world. Just look at your power bill and you will see your cost per kWh,

add applicable taxes, if any, just do the math.



1 kWh = using 1000 watts for 1 hour.

Using 10 100 watt light bulbs for 1 hour = 1 kWh.





Computer usage 24 hours/day, monthly cost:



Assuming 300 watt power draw:



(300 watts x 24 hours x 30 days)/1000 = 216 kWh



Where I live residential power is about 10 cents/kWh + 15% tax which

equals about 11.5 cents per kWh. Running the above 300w computer would

cost me about $24.84/month, if I turn it off 12 hours/day I would save

about $12.42/month... or $149.04/year.



Of course, if you use your power saving options to turn off the monitor

or other components in your computer your usage won't continuously be

300 watts/hr. Also keep in mind that many utilities have staggered

power rates, the first x kWh might cost more than the next x kWh.



John



Eddie wrote:

> To all repiers, Thanks.

>

> The comp' in question is an AMD2.4g with 1gig Ram and an average to good

> video card,, it also has a CRT monitor. Sounds like I might be

> wasting quite a few bucks.

> The monies that you guys were quoting, was that in US $$'s? were any in

> AU $$'s? (would give me a rough idea how much I been paying.)

>

> Ed

 

[Jim]

On Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:42:16 +0930, Eddie

wrote:



>Hi,,

>

>Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

>I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

>left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

>My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

>said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

>both stubborn and wont change points of view.

>So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

>power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

>bill to the extent that he claims?

>

>I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

>Ed





So long as they both work , why worry ?

 

[Jim]

On Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:42:16 +0930, Eddie

wrote:



>Hi,,

>

>Need to settle an arguement twixt buddy and myself.

>

>I have this computer and another with xp on it; the xp comp has been

>left on for months and months, and I go over to use it often.

>My buddy says I should switch it off as it is sucking electricity, but I

>said that it would be so minimal as to not fuss about it... we are

>both stubborn and wont change points of view.

>So, in the case of a comp' with a 350watt power-supply, just how much

>power is my computer actually drawing and would it affect my electricity

>bill to the extent that he claims?

>

>I used Everest to look but couldnt find anything useful in there.

>

>Ed





So long as they both work , why worry ?