shearer
Northern Lights
Premium
join:2002-06-18
Toronto, ON
clubs: | PC's power consumption
I've a 350W p/supply. Ignoring my desktop speakers, printers & other hware, does this mean that 350 Watts of electricity is being consumed when I'm using my PC? |
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CylonRed
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
 ·Speakeasy
| No - it doesn't. Look at this and you can figure out how much wattage you are using: »Hardware Forum FAQ »How to calculate power supply wattage
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Brian
CylonRed in the AOLL
"Just on the border of your waking mind........" |
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shearer
Northern Lights
Premium
join:2002-06-18
Toronto, ON
clubs: | Didn't know there's a faq for this. Based on the chart, I'm using about 190W at most. 350 - 190 = 160W. Where does the extra 160 Watts go? I'm talking about this with the power bill in mind. |
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antbhill2
Premium,MVM
join:2001-02-28
Northern VA
clubs:
| The 160 watts doesn't "disappear." 350 watts is the rated output of the supply- your machine can use up to that amount before overloading it. The power supply will draw from the AC line only what it needs to supply the output.
Power supplies aren't 100% efficient in converting AC to DC, so if you're pulling 190 watts out, there might be 225 or 250 watts of AC going in (the difference between input and output is dissipated as heat).
I have several machines running Team Helix projects 24/7. Early this year, I estimated that each machine consumes roughly $5/month of electricity. (This estimate was during the heating season, before the heat generated by several machines started having a HUGE impact on my electric bill due to additional air conditioning required.) This works out to a little under 100 watts. |
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ScottMo
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-15
Stony Brook, NY
| Interesting thread over in the Seti forum kinda relates to this.
»OT: Neat device
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Listen - strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. |
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shearer
Northern Lights
Premium
join:2002-06-18
Toronto, ON
clubs:
| reply to antbhill2
said by antbhill2  :
The power supply will draw from the AC line only what it needs to supply the output.
Thanks I think that answers my ques. |
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