How many watts do our computers consume when starting and running?

[erikiksaz]

I'm trying to figure out how much my computer contributes to the electric bill, sooo, what i want to know is, how much wattage does my system pull at startup, and when running.

I have....

300 w psu
1.4 Tbird ~ 1.8v
Geforce 3
1 hd ~ 20 watts
1 cdrw
1 dvd
1 15'' monitor :disgust:
Microworks system (sats are 12 watts, the sub 42 watts)


How much electricity would this computer consume?

K, i've tried to look up a few pieces, and i've run into trouble. Is there a way to convert from volts to amps? Or volts to watts?

 

[rival]

if its a 300w power supply, it consumes 300 watts, or can only consume that much (not very familiar w/ ps's)
not sure on the formula to figure watts into Wh (watt hours, what the power co bills you for)
might be like, 300 watts per hour, if its on 24 hrs each day for 30 days, thats 216kWh
so look on your power bill to see how much they charge per kWh

anyone who knows, how far off am i ? 😉

edit: this might help

 

[erikiksaz]

I can figure out all that kilowatt per hour stuff, i just need an estimate on how much wattage each part pulls when spinning up, and when running. I know that a power supply does not get fully taxed. 300watts 24/7 shore would be expensive!

 

[Yomicron]

I would try going to all of your components manufacturer's websites and look up the spec sheets. they should tell you how much power each part requires.

 

[marcio]

<< if its a 300w power supply, it consumes 300 watts, or can only consume that much (not very familiar w/ ps's)
not sure on the formula to figure watts into Wh (watt hours, what the power co bills you for)
might be like, 300 watts per hour, if its on 24 hrs each day for 30 days, thats 216kWh
so look on your power bill to see how much they charge per kWh

anyone who knows, how far off am i ? 😉

You're very, very far off. A computer with a 300w power supply running 24/7 might not be using even 100w per hour on average. I've done these calculations a while ago, and my Celeron desktop uses about 92W max, 72W typical, 70W idle. My T-Bird 1.2 about 175W max, 130W typical, 114W idle. Both have a 350W PS. I found consumption data on the datasheets of each component's manufacturer, except for the motherboards which I estimated.