[goose90proof]

Hey guys n' gals,

I'm trying to predict the cost of running my computer 24/7 so I can make sure I am going to be able to support folding on it full-time. I found this neat website that calculates cost x kilowatt hours for you but I am not certain how much my computer uses per kilowatt hour.

I have a 750W power supply, does that mean I am using 750W of power at all times? If so, it would cost me $54/mo just for the computer (which is manageable). My hardware specs are in my signature below if that helps.

[Yensen]

Interesting read: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/artic...ing-Home/640/1

There's a test system that loosely matches your rig. I'm guessing around 400kWh at most, if you include the GPU.

[goose90proof]

My PSU operates at 80%+ efficiency.

My video card pulls 419W at full load - see here

[Know Nuttin]

See if your library rents out power meters like the Kill-A-Watt (or equivalent), then use it to measure how much you are using over a span of a few typical days.

Note that Guru3D clearly states that they are showing full-system power draw, not just video card. A GTX470 typically pulls ~200w, not sure how much your's would pull over that since it is overclocked.

[goose90proof]

I was looking at the Kill-A-Watt online. Probably will get one if the electric bill is out of hand. I moved to a new place so I'm not used to how much everything in this apartment pulls. Air conditioner here is like one I've not seen before. It doesn't even have a filter?!? That's weird to me.

My GTX470 is overclocked @ Core Clock: 750MHz ; Shader Clock: 1500MHz

I appreciate the help. Electricity is not one of my strong points but one I have recently developed a healthy interest in.

[4GHZ_or_bust]

My i5 rig with 5850 card does about 450w under 100% load. 450w x 24 hours x 30 days = about 324Kw a month. At $0.10 per Kw my second rig needs about $32.40 a month of electricity.

My main rig is a power beast with dual GTX 470 and overclocked CPU plus few HDs and more. Almost 800w at full load $58 a month average

[TempliNocturnus]

I once had a computer that ran 24/7 for several months and I noticed about a $20 difference in the electric bill.

The best way to tell is to look at your electric bill statements and figure out your rates, then use a Kill-a-watt to determine your computers average usage over time.

If I did my math correctly (which isn't often), my electric company charges about $.30 per KWH. If I remember correctly (again doesn't happen often.. getting old), my computer draws about 250 Watts per hour, according to my Kill-a-watt. This comes out to about $1.80 per day which times 31 equals $55.80. Hence, it's not a great idea for me to run my main computer 24/7.

[Enablingwolf]

Figure about $20-25 per machine @ 12(cents)kWH. Depending on load and hardware.

I expect each of my machines to cost about $10 running 24/7 @ 6(cents)kWH.
It depends on how much load per day the machine is running. That is including monitor and sound. My PS3 would be about the same, if it was on 24/7..

My machine that does run 24/7 without sleeping costs me average of $10 per month. I know this, because I seen the spike in cost. My AC costs me $25-30 in summer.

A full load machine running 24/7 might be good to estimate around $25 in a high energy cost area. Which would be around >$0.20 per kWH.
Now if you let it sleep. Figure out how much time it is sleeping and ratio that. It would give a very rough estimate.

Yes, it is very rough estimate. Though $10 a month would be a good start.

[goose90proof]

Thanks for all the help. I'll probably stay under $40

[QUOTE=TempliNocturnus;6834225]
If I did my math correctly (which isn't often), my electric company charges about $.30 per KWH.[QUOTE]

Deng man... $.30? That's so expensive. Where do you live?

[TempliNocturnus]

[QUOTE=goose90proof;6834652]Thanks for all the help. I'll probably stay under $40

[QUOTE=TempliNocturnus;6834225]
If I did my math correctly (which isn't often), my electric company charges about $.30 per KWH.

Deng man... $.30? That's so expensive. Where do you live?

Hawaii. HECO is a Mafia-ran organization

EDIT: Actually, I initially did my math wrong rounded up a power of 10 ... it's actually about 25 cents per KWH here; still fricking high and I still say HECO is a bunch of crooks.