Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 28843 2003-01-02 17:47:00 Wattage to Power Cost cyberchuck (173) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
110560 2003-01-02 17:47:00 Hey

Could someone give me the formula to work out how expensive it is to leave a 300W computer running for all day every day the whole year?


Thanks


CyberChuck
cyberchuck (173)
110561 2003-01-02 19:54:00 ok

300w x 24 = 7.2kw per day. @ 12c a unit = 86.4c a day
86.4c *365 = $315.36c

However just because you have a 300w PSU does not mean it is fully used. On average i work it out to be about 180w per hour which equals about $190 a year
roofus (483)
110562 2003-01-02 20:47:00 NOTE this maths does NOT include the monitor (another 60-80w of power) robsonde (120)
110563 2003-01-02 21:49:00 Never mind the cost, heat is the killer of all things electronic and there are only so many RPMs available from your HDD as well. Why use them up while you are sleeping?

Turn the computer on at the start of the day and off at the end. This way you avoid accelerated aging effects, uneccessary power usage and as a bonus, you enjoy the benefit of a daily hard boot to clear locked up memory and you get the automatic creation of a registry backup.

The latter is probably the greatest benefit as the changes you make to your set up and programs over time will not be recorded in your registry backup. If you have a crash, the consequences are far worse if your registry backup is out of date.

Toi ensure that you always have a current registry backup, see the Registry FAQ.

Cheers

Billy [8-{) :D
Billy T (70)
110564 2003-01-02 21:58:00 Hey

I agree with you Billy, however the computer in question will be an internet/email server which I would like to have running all the time .
I have thought of putting it to sleep and then getting it to wake on Lan (would that work??) and was just curious as to how much the power bill would be :p - the server will be monitor-less
Also, is there something that I can throw in the server (in question) so if the heat exceeds 60ºC or something then extra cooling fans will kick in automatically and then turn themselves off when the temperatures back down to something more managable (for the computer)???


Thanks



CyberChuck
cyberchuck (173)
110565 2003-01-02 22:03:00 Yes wake up on lan will work .

Your computer will probably use less power than 180w also . since there won't be any cd-rw drives going etc .

If the computer is of ATX type then there are progs that sit in the background and run extra fans when things get hot . (i think)
but if its just sitting there as an internet server, its not going to get that hot, and so won't require it . especially if the CPU is less than 1 . 7Mhz
roofus (483)
110566 2003-01-02 22:57:00 Did you know though that the biggest killer of electronic equipment is the power surge that happens when you turn them on!

I have never had a PC, Monitor, HD, RAM fail through old age (May get very slow as things get faster and needs speed). However I have lost quite a few things when they have been turned on.
Big John (551)
110567 2003-01-02 23:17:00 If you loose so much equipment through turning things on, you would imagine that one would install a surge protector!!!!

But you are correct that the most wear comes from a turn on, and not heat
roofus (483)
110568 2003-01-02 23:25:00 A surge protector will have no effect on "inrush" currents associated with switch-on of devices, as the surge protector is upstream. They do not act as "current limiters"

While it's true that switch-on is probably the most stressful time on components, the extra cost of running the system 24x7 would most likely replace those components several times over.

How many of us leave the TV running 24 x 7 to eliminate start-up failures? Its comparable in complexity and cost, yet we are happy to turn it off (standby is equivalent to off as regards starting stresses).

If I am not using a PC for a few hours its turned off. Since 1981 I have not lost anything that I could attribute to start-up stress.
godfather (25)
110569 2003-01-03 00:40:00 > Also, is there something that I can throw in the
> server (in question) so if the heat exceeds 60ºC or
> something then extra cooling fans will kick in
> automatically and then turn themselves off when the
> temperatures back down to something more managable
> (for the computer)???
>

Umm . . . If its in a nice location, why not add a few extra holes to the case and get 1 nice big fan that does the trick . My new case has a whole lot of small 1cm tall by 3mm wide holes on oth sides that really help the airflow .

Another thing is to invest in rounded IDE cables which would help the airflow if it is limited . These come from DSE for around $30 each, in a lovely shade of blue for all the case-mod fans out there :D!

Cheers


Chilling_Silence
Chilling_Silence (9)
1 2