Computer Idle Power
This is my computer:
XFX HD4890
XFX HD4870
MSI K9A2 CF Mainboard
GSkill 8GB DDR2 800 Ram
2 x Seagate 1TB 7200.12 Drives
2 x 500 GB Harddrives
2 X DVD Optical drives
Phenom II 945 3.0Ghz 95 Watt Processor
Corsair H50 Cooler
Thermaltake 750 Watt Powersupply
2 case fans.
So, the idle power draw at the wall is 248 Watts. (No cool and quiet enabled and using a Kill a Watt at the wall.) Most of the power draw is from both video cards and I do not always leave my computer on. The curious thing I am wondering is this:
Would I save a significant amount on my electric bill if I were to switch to one HD5870 which idles at 27 Watts. According to what I find online, my cards probably idle at 60 to 70 Watts each. More specifically, would the cost of the new card be offset by the reduction in electrical costs?
XFX HD4890
XFX HD4870
MSI K9A2 CF Mainboard
GSkill 8GB DDR2 800 Ram
2 x Seagate 1TB 7200.12 Drives
2 x 500 GB Harddrives
2 X DVD Optical drives
Phenom II 945 3.0Ghz 95 Watt Processor
Corsair H50 Cooler
Thermaltake 750 Watt Powersupply
2 case fans.
So, the idle power draw at the wall is 248 Watts. (No cool and quiet enabled and using a Kill a Watt at the wall.) Most of the power draw is from both video cards and I do not always leave my computer on. The curious thing I am wondering is this:
Would I save a significant amount on my electric bill if I were to switch to one HD5870 which idles at 27 Watts. According to what I find online, my cards probably idle at 60 to 70 Watts each. More specifically, would the cost of the new card be offset by the reduction in electrical costs?
"For God so loved the world..."
Comments
rate request and get a discounted rate if you stay under a fixed number of kilowatts. If you have any disabilities, or a pet poodle, etc.
You can email them and ask for a more detailed invoice. They can average your monthly bill to keep the price more predictable. Since you have a Kill A Watt, you can find the power hog.
Your fridge compressor may need cleaning. It's good to give it a vacuum and a look for leaks occasionally. There are lots of mechanical devices in there that wear - like rubber belts and bearings.
Here's a place to get the price of the cost of the Vizio TV. http://reviews.cnet.com/green-tech/tv-consumption-chart/
Maybe when electric car Lithium-ion batteries start appearing in the junk yards there could be something to use. But, those batteries also have a fixed number of recharges. The warranty for the Lion batts is 140 Kmiles. They stop recharging around that time. We were driving my neighbor's Prius after we took her to the airport and all the flashing dashboard lights came on saying "pull over and call the dealer." It had 137 Kmiles. We were able to drive it back to her house. When she got home, she took it to the dealer and had it replaced without cost. (or without charge) It would have been around $4K if it had happened 3 Kmiles later. It's very predictable and very precarious. She had paid extra for the longer warranty. You gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
Oh yeah, one other thing. The price of your power varies depending on some strange formula that includes a multiplier based on the highest amount of current drawn in any 15 minute period during the whole month. So, if you have a breakdown of your supermarket refrigeration system, you have to follow a very slow start-up process so as to not exceed the 15 minute period that has happened this month. The repairmen know this and sometimes have to leave a whole frozen food cooler off the power until tomorrow and just let the food spoil because it'll only benefit PG&E if you turn everything on at once. My repairman friend also has worked at a sawmill. It was the same thing about firing up a 1500 Kw sawing system. It would consist of various electric saws, electric motors for moving the logs thru the saw and other such appliances. The start-up process was very important to keep the whole month's bill where it usually ends up.