Electricity Bill and Efficiency

N

Nomikal

Gawd
Joined
Jun 29, 2004
Messages
712
I have a few questions pertaining to this months electricity bill. I would like to run my PCs 24/7 to contribute to the F@H project, but I'm curious as to what type of increase should I expect in my electricity bill?

Laptops

1.1.46 GHz Intel Pentium dual core processor T2310
2. Pentium 4 mobil cpu @ 1.6ghz

Desktop
1. E4300 running @ 2.7ghz


Also, I understand that you can running multiple clients(the console versions) simultaneously, Would that be more efficient? Additionally, I have ubuntu installed on the desktop and the dual core laptop is the linux version any better?
 
If your after the best Points per Watt then you'll need to run the SMP client on your Desktop box.
At 2.7 Ghz it should make the deadlines with time to spare.
I would restart the fah6 client with the -smp switch after its finished the work unit its on.

As to adding a second client to your laptop, just make a second folding folder, add the client, start it & in the advanced section of the config, set the Machine ID to 2.

Luck .................. :D
 
your laptops willl pull ~60w/hr ea (the T2310 is a more efficient machine but has 2 cores) folding.
Your desktop will pull ~135W (assuming a low grade video card) for a total of 255w/hr for a total of 18.36Kw/hr per month costing $14.69/month @$.08/Kw/Hr
 
Just about any decent desktop is going to cost you the equivilant of running 3 to 4 100 watt standard lightbulbs. My Q6600 at 3.5 with a 650 PSU and the usual drives etc along with an 8800 GTS vid card and 24" LCD monitor under full load shows about a 330 watt draw. Knock that down to about 285 watts with monitor off.

The addition of the "80% efficient" PSU's isn't all that earth shattering when measured at the wall.

I think the biggest issue for everyone is how accurate the power meter is on your house. Mine has been proven to be way wrong both by me and a professional with lab grade gear. As a customer you are give the option of one meter change for a small fee and after that you are stuck with that meter right or wrong. Now, If your electric bill takes a sudden plunge after the new meter they will want to replace that but if it reads way too high, you are stuck.

I'd rather fight the IRS then the Utility companies or the PUC. After 5 years I've made no progress.

Pardon my small add on rant;)

 
I must have a really really faulty meter then. My lowest electric bill since I moved into this apartment was $38. That was with no TV, computers, A/C or furnace running. Lights, hot water heater, stove, oven, fridge and lights were the only thing in use.

My last electric bill was just under $50. It was the same stuff running as I just mentioned except for a [email protected], PIII 800, AthlonXP [email protected], 19" CRT and 2 17" CRTs.

However, over the summer my electric bill like to jump above $100 due to having to run the A/C almost constantly. Now I'm going to have to deal with the same thing with the furnace. I hate having nonexistent insulation, single pane windows and a drafty door. I really wish I had gotten the weatherstripping put on around the door before it cooled off the other day. Hopefully I'll get around to doing that soon.

I will say the computers and CRTs help keep my furnace from turning on as much. Especially since I added an X2@3Ghz and another 17" CRT.

 
Hmmm, 19 mins/frame? does it vary depending on the WU being processed? because from the GUI it shows a time of 48sec/frame...
 
48 seconds? i'm guessing you're using the graphical client? it shows things differently than the console client. the console client frames are 1/100th of the number of steps....the graphical client is something different for their "frames"

 
If im running multiple clients on different computers do i have to change the machine ID?
 
Nomikal said:
If im running multiple clients on different computers do i have to change the machine ID?
Click to expand...

No, each client on one machine is still #1. If you were running two standard clients on a dual core machine you would have a #1 and #2 client.

 
I tend to disagree with the 80% efficient comment. Any additional waste in heat and power usage is not needed and it is beneficial to use a better power source. Also, some power companies are helping individuals pay for a solar system on their house. Most have been able to pay for a system and get that exact amount of equity added to the house. Of course this does not apply to all power companies. I wish it did...
 
I outfitted all my boxes with 83% efficient power supplies, and according to my calculations,break-even is about 2.5 years. The money is secondary to saving electricity (and reducing the attendant pollution). Not all things worth doing mandate a positive ROI.
 
It may vary per area. I chose to do the same thing to my boxen. The ROI would happen in over a year on the electricity pull alone, however the imense reduction in heat output from my boxes has been benificial in the arizona heat. I estimate about a $20 reduction in AC costs in the 3-4 months I am using my AC constantly.
 
The effects of efficient PSUs can vary as well as ROI.

Part of this is due to when the PSU was bought. Was it purchased at the same time of the machine or is it a replacement for a currently running PSU? If it's bought at the time the machine was built, ROI will come sooner money wise. If it's bought as a replacement it will take longer to get the ROI.

It also depends on the PSU you get. Some of them aren't as efficient as others as not all PSUs are created equal. Take a look at some of the [H] tests on PSUs. Another factor is the wattage of the PSU. Is the PSU the right one for the job? If you buy a 500 watt 80% efficient PSU for a machine that only pulls 150 watts, it's not going to be very efficient as most PSUs are the most efficient around the 75% utilization mark.

I just got a 380 watt Antec Earthwatts PSU for my X2 I just put together. Many people wouldn't even think of getting a PSU that small for a modern system. However, the only thing in that machine is the CPU, 1 gig of RAM, 1 hard drive and a DVD burner. It has onboard video which I'm currently using. I doubt I'm anywhere close to 75% utilization on the PSU even with the CPU overclocked from 2.1Ghz to 3Ghz. Eventually I will probably move my 7600GT to that system as well as another hard drive or two when I get the money. I don't foresee any problems with that setup regarding power.

Finally, the amount you pay for the PSU is going to make a difference on the ROI. The 380 watt PSU I picked up is $20 after mail in rebate. That's hard to beat and usually a much better deal than what you would find on a plain jane PSU. It all boils down to finding the correct balance.

I don't have a Killawatt to test anything but I'm sure those with them can attest to the points I have made here.

 
I've begun considering the kw/crunch equation myself. I've had two machines for a total of 3 cpus running the Grid project for a couple years now. My electric bills have become absurd. I'm even considering dropping watercooling.

Has anyone done a dedicated kw/crunch thread yet?
 
My power bills go down in the winter, the ac cost to keep the farm running in the summer is high, but come winter half the house is heated by AMD, and Intel. :D
the other half doesn't have heat and gets a bit chilly but a box fan in the door of the puter room makes the indoor temp about 65. probably not warm enough for some people but i work out doors half the time and it's comfortable for me. gets really cold and I cover the open window in the puter room so the cold air can't come in,and put the fan on high. :D

All a matter of perspective,
 
I have done one on just KWh/week. Nothing on adding numbers really on there.
 
is it possible to hide the console smp client in the background that im running on my laptop
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top