Win $3! Help me prove my roommate wrong!

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M

Mellow

Senior member
Aug 3, 2004
366
0
0
So, my roommate's been on my case about charging my laptop (a standard Apple Macbook) and keep the computer on when I'm not at the apartment. His beef is that my laptop consumes as much (if not more) energy than his PC Desktop (with a 350w psu), and that because of my computer, our electricity bill is unfairly inflated.

This is where you come in!

If you can provide the best hard evidence that my laptop is more power-efficient than his desktop, I will paypal you $3! You can go buy yourself a McOrgy, my treat! I would be especially inclined to declare you the winner if your testimonial includes:

Web Links to official looking sites.
Some kind of formula or math
Some kind of ratio (for every 1 hour his desktop runs, my laptop can run for x hours, consuming the same amount of electricity)

May the best man/woman win!
 
M

Modular

Diamond Member
Jul 1, 2005
5,027
67
91
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Amazon

Kill-A-Watt
Click to expand...

Win?


Edit: OK, I'll add something useful. You could potentially lose this if he has all lower power components/uses speedstep/etc. Just because he has a 350 watt PSU doesn't mean that he draws that much from the outlet.
 
frostedflakes

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
81
Yeah, buy a Kill-A-Watt. It depends on what parts he is using, but chances are your MacBook will use less power than his desktop. $3 isn't worth it to me, but with a bit of Googling I'm sure you could easily find power measurements somebody else has done for your model laptop.
 
Hacp

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
81
Originally posted by: Mellow
So, my roommate's been on my case about charging my laptop (a standard Apple Macbook) and keep the computer on when I'm not at the apartment. His beef is that my laptop consumes as much (if not more) energy than his PC Desktop (with a 350w psu), and that because of my computer, our electricity bill is unfairly inflated.

This is where you come in!

If you can provide the best hard evidence that my laptop is more power-efficient than his desktop, I will paypal you $3! You can go buy yourself a McOrgy, my treat! I would be especially inclined to declare you the winner if your testimonial includes:

Web Links to official looking sites.
Some kind of formula or math
Some kind of ratio (for every 1 hour his desktop runs, my laptop can run for x hours, consuming the same amount of electricity)

May the best man/woman win!
Click to expand...
Power and energy are two different things.
 
sandorski

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,783
6,341
126
MacBook + (the electricity Jobs skims off your line for using Apple products) = > than roomies PC

Your Roomy owes me $50
 
Skeeedunt

Skeeedunt

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2005
2,777
3
76
No way either of your computers is using more than $5-$10/month. If that's what he considers inflated, kick him in the teeth. If not, do it anyway.
 
xanis

xanis

Lifer
Sep 11, 2005
17,571
8
0
Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
No way either of your computers is using more than $5-$10/month. If that's what he considers inflated, kick him in the teeth. If not, do it anyway.
Click to expand...

This.
 
Bill Brasky

Bill Brasky

Diamond Member
May 18, 2006
4,324
1
0
I would a) laugh in his face then b) tell him to fuck off.

If he wants to save electricity, then turn down the AC.
 
Zenmervolt

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
44
91
Look at your power brick. It will have an input spec on it somewhere.

For example, my ThinkPad's power brick shows 2.4 amps maximum draw from 100-240 volts. At nominal household voltage (110 volts) the power brick can pull as much as 264 watts. Now, that's the maximum draw of the AC to DC converter itself. The output spec is 4.5 amps at 20 volts, meaning that the computer's maximum draw is only 90 watts.

Now, since the power brick isn't melting down and smoking, and since it doesn't burn you when you pick it up, it's probably not dissipating 174 watts into heat, so it's a safe bet that your power brick won't be drawing anywhere near maximum amperage.

If I had to make an educated guess a laptop PSU will draw, at most, 150 watts. I mean, that's assuming that it's only 60% efficient and that your computer can draw as much as my ThinkPad's power brick can supply (90 watts).

ZV
 
D

ddjkdg

Senior member
Dec 22, 2001
718
0
0
Your laptop uses 14 watts whle idle with the monitor on, and 9.3 with monitor off. If you sleep it when you leave it draws about 1 watt. Max power draw under full load is 60 watts.

Source: http://images.apple.com/enviro...ES_MacBook_1-08-08.pdf

Need more info to get any numbers for your roommate's PC... model #, specs, etc. No way it draws less power than your laptop though.
 
Newbian

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Tell him that since yours is a mac and needs less power since it's underpowered in speed and in graphics that of course it uses less power.

Not to mention the one button mouses use less energy then normal mice. ;)
 
M

Mellow

Senior member
Aug 3, 2004
366
0
0
Thanks for the information everyone! Someone's going to be walking away with 3 whole dollars!

My roommate built his own computer. It's a relatively new dual core AMD desktop, 2gb ram, low-end PCIe 16x card, etc. 350w PSU
 
frostedflakes

frostedflakes

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
7,925
1
81
Originally posted by: Mellow
Thanks for the information everyone! Someone's going to be walking away with 3 whole dollars!

My roommate built his own computer. It's a relatively new dual core AMD desktop, 2gb ram, low-end PCIe 16x card, etc. 350w PSU
Click to expand...
Yeah I'd guess his is using 60w or so idle (assuming CnQ is enabled) and a few watts in standby. And as others have mentioned that doesn't include LCD power consumption.

That said, do you have your MacBook set up to suspend to RAM when it's not being used? If not definitely do that, computers use next to no power in standby, it's a great way to save energy.
 
RadiclDreamer

RadiclDreamer

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2004
8,622
40
91
Originally posted by: Newbian
Isn't a 350 watt psu a bit low for a dual core and pci-e?
Click to expand...

For someone so dense as to argue OP on this, It doesnt suprise me that he skimped on the psu, likely generic as well.
 
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