SOLVED An electric question.

I've been wondering if computers use more electricity if you turn them on or off about three times a day or if you just let them go idle 24/7.

Anyone know?

Depends on what your definition of "idle" is and how long they would stay on and off. If "idle" is running full throttle folding with the monitor on then yes you would probably save electricity if you turned it off. If "idle" is in standby mode then maybe you would break even. If "idle" is in hibernate mode you might be better off leaving it on. There are too many factors to answer you question without specifying.

Well considering the difference between having it on at full load vs leaving it off is probably in the neighborhood of $10/mo, I doubt you'd save a whole lot either way. If idle is in standby mode, then the difference is very minimal. The system probalby doesn't pull more than 10 watts or so in standby. Obviously it will use even less power if it's off or in hibernate, but then you have those startup times. I'd say use standby after, say, half an hour or so for most things should be fine. You don't take forever to load back up but it doesn't use much power either.

nerdlogic said:

I've been wondering if computers use more electricity if you turn them on or off about three times a day or if you just let them go idle 24/7.

Anyone know?

Click to expand...

Generally speaking, only devices that draw a lot of current on start up, depending on how they're used, would it make sense to leave on over a period of time in order to save money on the electric bill. Personally, I don't think a computer falls into this category, however i've never tested to see just what the startup load is, couldn't be a whole lot though.

To give you a point of reference, I can tell you that my system, at idle, draws a bit more than the equivalent of four 60W light bulbs (@ 120VAC), or 253W, running prime 95 it draws around 280 something watts. That includes 19" monitor, computer in sig, cable modem, and 8 port router.

It seems to me that over a fairly long time, say a year, you might save enough money on the electric bill, turning your box off when not being used, to take hubby out for a anniversary dinner. (I didn't say a nice dinner, maybe a full blown Macdonalds extravaganza, with some nice wine in the car before you go in. lol)

Hope this helps
elec.tron

I've counted that even if I had my 350W comp and 90W monitor on max 24/7, my electricity bill would only be less than €5 for them.