Computer: On or Off ?

[ivanbalt]

ssd ?

Yes. Boot up times are reduced to nothing. Installing software is much faster too.

[BS21213]

I leave mine off. You guys must be internet junkies. I write down things I want to google and then look them up when I log on.

I don't really do it to save bge though. BGE had some commercials about these devices using about 100 per year I think.

The problem with the way I do it is when I DO power up and log on I have a microsoft update and/or an avast update and/or a itunes update. It seems like they all update every freaking week.

[bmore_ken]

How big is it ?

1.5 TB

ssd ?

Solid state drive

[bmore_ken]

I leave mine off. You guys must be internet junkies. I write down things I want to google and then look them up when I log on.

I don't really do it to save bge though. BGE had some commercials about these devices using about 100 per year I think.

The problem with the way I do it is when I DO power up and log on I have a microsoft update and/or an avast update and/or a itunes update. It seems like they all update every freaking week.

No internet junkie here. There's just no real need for me to power down my computer every day. I doubt I'm missing that $100 every year

[dandrews]

1.5 TB


Solid state drive

How big is your SSD? I'm looking around at em and I really want to get one. Just need something to store the OS along with a few intensive and frequently used programs (Chrome, Itunes, etc)

[bmore_ken]

How big is your SSD? I'm looking around at em and I really want to get one. Just need something to store the OS along with a few intensive and frequently used programs (Chrome, Itunes, etc)

I don't have one yet, I was telling Georj what ssd meant. I'm sure Ivan can answer your question though as I believe he has one in his system

[dogstarman]

FWIW, you can easily estimate an upper bound for how much it costs to run a PC 365/24/7.

* Electricity costs $0.125/KWh in Baltimore.
* There are 8760 hr in a year.
* "Busy" power consumption for a comparatively beefy server is ~0.2 KW (average PC is less)
* monitor power consumption is ~0.025KW when on, <0.001KW when in sleep mode.

So, if your computer is running 24/7 and the CPU is relatively busy all the time, you are looking at an upper bound of $220/year in electricity + ~10-15% more depending on monitor power consumption. This does not include issues such as fan replacement that may occur as a result of running 24/7.

So, if you're going to run 24/7....
* Don't use a fancy screen-saver that doesn't sleep.
* Keep on top of dust.
* Make sure your computer is set-up for low-power mode (eg shutdown disks automatically after a certain idle time).

I wouldn't be surprised if power consumption can be ~$25/year for a home PC that is properly configured for 24/7.

[BS21213]

what about the DSL box and the wireless box? that is what I have. laptop, dsl box and wireless router. I turn them all off. Sometimes I hardwire the laptop to dsl but lately I've been using the wireless.

I think 100 per year is a lot. I can go to out to eat 3 times at a pretty nice place (with no alcohol) on 100! You guys must make a lot more than me.

[BS21213]

for about 30 bucks I can get a crabcake supper at a nice place. Yum! I'd rather do that then give it to bge.

[georjec2]

FWIW, you can easily estimate an upper bound for how much it costs to run a PC 365/24/7.

* Electricity costs $0.125/KWh in Baltimore.
* There are 8760 hr in a year.
* "Busy" power consumption for a comparatively beefy server is ~0.2 KW (average PC is less)
* monitor power consumption is ~0.025KW when on, <0.001KW when in sleep mode.

So, if your computer is running 24/7 and the CPU is relatively busy all the time, you are looking at an upper bound of $220/year in electricity + ~10-15% more depending on monitor power consumption. This does not include issues such as fan replacement that may occur as a result of running 24/7.

So, if you're going to run 24/7....
* Don't use a fancy screen-saver that doesn't sleep.
* Keep on top of dust.
* Make sure your computer is set-up for low-power mode (eg shutdown disks automatically after a certain idle time).

I wouldn't be surprised if power consumption can be ~$25/year for a home PC that is properly configured for 24/7.

I've pizzed away more beer in a year than $25.00.

Thanks dogstarman for your work !

[georjec2]

what about the DSL box and the wireless box? that is what I have. laptop, dsl box and wireless router. I turn them all off. Sometimes I hardwire the laptop to dsl but lately I've been using the wireless.

I think 100 per year is a lot. I can go to out to eat 3 times at a pretty nice place (with no alcohol) on 100! You guys must make a lot more than me.

I'm still not sure where you get $100.00. Something you read from BGE ?

[dogstarman]

That said, keep in mind that many folks have viruses and other malware on their systems that keep the machines running with a hefty CPU load. When I estimate $25/year I mean a PC that is clean of viruses and configured properly to save energy.

The $100/year figure is not outrageous. It is plausible.

[georjec2]

That said, keep in mind that many folks have viruses and other malware on their systems that keep the machines running with a hefty CPU load. When I estimate $25/year I mean a PC that is clean of viruses and configured properly to save energy.

The $100/year figure is not outrageous. It is plausible.

If you can hear your computer running even though you are not on it you may be paying a lot in electricity by years end. I only occasionally hear my computer and I have wonderful virus protection.