How much power are you using?

DRZ

DRZ

DRZ

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Right now, at your PC how much power are you using? I was just trying to work something out relating to power usage and it occurred to me that I am using a ridiculous amount of power here!

My hifi amp is 150w/channel and operates at nowhere near 100% efficiency, I would estimate that it is drawing at least 500w when in use, my preamp draws about 50w, PC draws 500w or so, xbox 360 draws ~400w, two TFTs use up 200w or thereabouts plus about 250w in other assorted bits and bobs!

Thats a staggering 1.9kW! No wonder it gets so hot in my room!

When I was living in my own flat I left everything on 24/7 and I was paying ~25/month for the electricity I used. My parents notice the increase when I move back home for the summer from uni...

Roughly, how much power are you using just sat at your PC?
 
It would help if you turned things off, wouldn't be so bloody hot in your room if you did.
No idea how much power i use i really wouldnt think it was a huge amount though.
 
When im at uni, i have my PC with a 430W PSU, a 19inch monitor, speakers (cant remember rating) and a couple of bits and bobs.

That should take a load of power, butt i always turn my monitor and speakers off when im not in the room, that should save a load of power.
 
I hate to think!

In this small room I'm running PC, 2 x 24" TFTs, 1 x 20" TFT, Laptop, Mac Mini, colour laser printer, oodles of network equipment, HiFi amp, subwoofer & air con unit.
 
Can't see you drawing 1.9kW :confused:

I would say more like 150W - 250W for the PC (depending on spec)

CRT monitor 75W - 100W (tft 30W - 50W)

Amp at moderate volume 50W - 75W
 
LewisStuart said:
Can't see you drawing 1.9kW :confused:

I would say more like 150W - 250W for the PC (depending on spec)

CRT monitor 75W - 100W (tft 30W - 50W)

Amp at moderate volume 50W - 75W
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Yeah agreed

Most PC's/consoles will not use the full rated power of the PSU and TFTs have very low power consumption.

As for amps on hi-fi's etc, unless you are blasting at full volume you wont be putting out 150W per channel.
 
Six6siX said:
Yeah agreed

Most PC's/consoles will not use the full rated power of the PSU and TFTs have very low power consumption.

As for amps on hi-fi's etc, unless you are blasting at full volume you wont be putting out 150W per channel.
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It is a Class A amplifier. It is 150w/chan RMS.

A lot of heat is wasted by my PSU / PC in general - I have no reason to doubt my figures, not least the power meter I have thats suggesting that my guestimations are not far off the mark ;)

I think the 360 guess is way off the mark but made up for by everything else using more than I think.
 
A class A amplifier putting out 150W per channel? That thing must heat the room when it's on!

1.9KW sounds a big over-estimation of your power usage to be quite honest.
 
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DRZ said:
It is a Class A amplifier. It is 150w/chan RMS.

A lot of heat is wasted by my PSU / PC in general - I have no reason to doubt my figures, not least the power meter I have thats suggesting that my guestimations are not far off the mark ;)

I think the 360 guess is way off the mark but made up for by everything else using more than I think.
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What TFTs have you got that draw 100W? Some massive 30inchers? :p My Xerox XA7-19i only uses 58W...

Where did you get the value for your PC? Was it under load or idle?
 
Six6siX said:
What TFTs have you got that draw 100W? Some massive 30inchers? :p My Xerox XA7-19i only uses 58W...

Where did you get the value for your PC? Was it under load or idle?
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For a start, this was an estimation and not intended to start a grilling! Im not saying OMFG IM SO WIN BECAUSE I USE ALL OF THIS POWAH!!

Power is Current x Voltage, my 172v claims to draw 0.7A at 100vac so thats 70w and the 19" draws 1.2A at 100vac so thats 120w which ~=200w or as near as damnit for the estimation.

The PC one I am not sure about as I was using figures for my old (hugely overclocked) PC, this one probably uses quite a bit less.

Still, there is somewhere between 1.5 and 2kW being used here. The exact specifics arent required are they? Its a LOT of power, enough for me to not once have turned on a heater through the past 2 winters.
 
DRZ said:
For a start, this was an estimation and not intended to start a grilling! Im not saying OMFG IM SO WIN BECAUSE I USE ALL OF THIS POWAH!!

Power is Current x Voltage, my 172v claims to draw 0.7A at 100vac so thats 70w and the 19" draws 1.2A at 100vac so thats 120w which ~=200w or as near as damnit for the estimation.

The PC one I am not sure about as I was using figures for my old (hugely overclocked) PC, this one probably uses quite a bit less.

Still, there is somewhere between 1.5 and 2kW being used here. The exact specifics arent required are they? Its a LOT of power, enough for me to not once have turned on a heater through the past 2 winters.
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Its not a grilling lol, Im just trying to work out how you came up with 1900W ;) :D I know its an estimation, but it seems to be a but out - just doesn't seem possible from what you have said.

Firstly, assuming 172v is a samsung monitor, a quick google shows typical power consumption at 45W, I'd assume the 19 would be a bit more, but only by about 10W. Call it 100W for both monitors.

Google finds the xbox 306 at about 160W.

Using this calculator http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp as a guide, I put my system in, overclocked whatever I could and at 100% load on everything only came out with under 400W : /

I know this calculator isn't totally accurate either, but it suggests that unless you have heavily overclocked SLI or Crossfire with an FX62 or similar with several HDD's etc you won't get near 500W+ even at 100% load.

In fact, I'd say the average PC draws approx 350W.

Given that, and your amp at 150W per channel, drawing 500W from source assuming low efficiency for class A.

= 500ish (amp) + 50W (preamp) + 350 (pc) + 100 (tft) + 160 (xbox) = 1160W
 
Fair enough - maybe the sticker on the back claiming 0.7A / 1.2A is an overestimation on their part. There is "other" stuff running that you didnt take into account, chargers, CDP, networking gear, printers, lamps etc etc - I have 20 plugs here!

Even if we were to say a typical usage of 1.5kW for arguments sake (I dispute the figures for the x360 based purely on the sheer amount of heat this thing puts out!) then its still a shocking amount of power! Thats all I was getting at with this thread.

I dont really see this as "wrong"... Maybe I am going straight to hell :p
 
using a desktop pc atm so who knows. 99% of the time I use my laptop, I think the mains adapter draws 90w, and my lamp on its dimmest setting probably uses 15w or so.
As for the hifi, amp sucks up 300w, cdp probably doesnt use very much.
 
since i dont want to breach competition rules, i cant post a link, but you need to get a "Plug-In Mains Power & Energy Monitor"...... it is a plug that will display the energy usage of the connected appliances....
 
No idea how much I'm drawing, probably quite a bit:
  • 3.5kw air con
  • 2 x 17" TFT
  • 1 x PC (500W PSU)
  • 42" Plasma
  • Air purifier
  • Xbox/xbox 360/ps2
  • 75W Per chan amp
  • subwoofer
And other random bits, printer etc..
 
DRZ said:
Fair enough - maybe the sticker on the back claiming 0.7A / 1.2A is an overestimation on their part. There is "other" stuff running that you didnt take into account, chargers, CDP, networking gear, printers, lamps etc etc - I have 20 plugs here!

Even if we were to say a typical usage of 1.5kW for arguments sake (I dispute the figures for the x360 based purely on the sheer amount of heat this thing puts out!) then its still a shocking amount of power! Thats all I was getting at with this thread.

I dont really see this as "wrong"... Maybe I am going straight to hell :p
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Agree to disagree ;)

It is a lot of power though, agreed there. Personally, on average I'd be using about 500-550W. With speakers and other bits and pieces on, playing a game or something, probably nearer 800W. Keeps me warm in the winter though.. :D

That aside, I think you should definately consider yourself "THE WINN0R FOR USING ALL T3H POWAHHH!!!11" :D

edit: just seen overclockeoo's post. Air con is cheating :p
 
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