So how much does it cost to leave a computer running?

[TallBill]

I know that it has been posted here before, but I cant find it here or with google. How much power does a computer use up in different modes when left on?

Hibernating/idle/100% cpu/etc


Found this page http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/computers.html

 

[Leper Messiah]

depends on the computer. some parts draw more power than others, but if its in sleep/hibernate, its normally less than 10 watts

 

[eelw]

Average PC should only use around 100W idle and 200W under load. 0W with hibernating since everything should be off. 5-10W when in suspend mode.

Add another 50W for a LCD or 100-150W for a CRT. That will translate into $10-15 per month running 24/7

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: eelw
Average PC should only use around 100W idle and 200W under load. 0W with hibernating since everything should be off. 5-10W when in suspend mode.

Add another 50W for a LCD or 100-150W for a CRT. That will translate into $10-15 per month running 24/7

Thanks for an answer. I do realize that it will vary for everyone, but curiosity kills the pigeon.

 

[Vette73]

Get one of those kill a watt items and measure it at the wall. Then do some math 🙂

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Get one of those kill a watt items and measure it at the wall. Then do some math 🙂

Uh, no.

 

[BrianH1]

holy jiggawats Marty.

 

[BillGates]

try this

or this

 

[ShadowBlade]

its in gh

 

[Goosemaster]

My Access points name is Tesla for a reason😀

 

[Eeezee]

Hibernate doesn't bring your usage to 0 W, does it? I believe only turning off the computer can actually bring you to 0 watts (since there's still minimal consumption)

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Hibernate doesn't bring your usage to 0 W, does it? I believe only turning off the computer can actually bring you to 0 watts (since there's still minimal consumption)

Never said it did. I'm basically curious because of distributed computing implications. I always leave my pc on anyways, but my wife likes to shut hers down.

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

I thought hibernate was just like suspend but it writes to your hard drive instead of RAM so it can power down completely just like turning off.

 

[eelw]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Hibernate doesn't bring your usage to 0 W, does it? I believe only turning off the computer can actually bring you to 0 watts (since there's still minimal consumption)

Ideally, it will be 0. But with a little power going to the keyboard/mouse and NIC, it will use a wee bit of power.

 

[Hacp]

Originally posted by: eelw

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Hibernate doesn't bring your usage to 0 W, does it? I believe only turning off the computer can actually bring you to 0 watts (since there's still minimal consumption)

Ideally, it will be 0. But with a little power going to the keyboard/mouse and NIC, it will use a wee bit of power.

Hibernate is 0 on my laptop

 

[Captante]

Mine runs from $20 to $25 per month... cost determined by leaving it running 24/7 vs shutting down while at work during the day & while sleeping over several months.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

i dont know but my dad is not letting keep my comp on overnight for downloads anymore =(

 

[Vic]

With the monitor off and running at idle, no more than a 60W lightbulb, even with several drives and fans. I figure it at maybe $2.50 per month per rig at $0.06/kWh. Now if you start running SETI or Folding or some other cpu-intensive app 24/7, your power usage is going to triple or even quadruple.