Leaving a Computer On

[Robert Maxwell]

Ice Queen's suggestion is good.

And I didn't take standby mode into account because the OP said it would be left on all the time for SETI@Home.

$200 is what a "typical" computer plus CRT would cost at 11 cents per kWh, averaging 240 watts of constant usage.

Shit, 11 cents per kWh? Expensive electricity! Thats almost twice what I pay.

Believe it or not, that's the US average, when I looked it up!

The site could have been wrong, though, or outdated.

 

[James Bond]

I have an iMac Core Duo 17" and an HP Small form which both use about 110-115 watts each. Calculating their wattages at maximum, I would pay, on average, $13 a month to keep both of them on 24/7. In actuality, that number is closer to $8 a month for both because I implement energy solutions on both, but they do stay on all year round.

J.

A bit off topic, but would it generally be alright to leave a computer running 24/7, in that it wouldn't cause performance issues with the system?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

No, leaving it on would not cause performance issues. As long as you don't have any issues keeping the system cool, it should be just fine.

 

[Iasius]

Think yourself lucky your not in England, it's 11p per kWh here. Convert that into your green dollars.

Meh. I pay more than 0.20€ per kWh.

 

[Jadzia]

Think yourself lucky your not in England, it's 11p per kWh here. Convert that into your green dollars.

Meh. I pay more than 0.20€ per kWh.

I suppose we should weigh this against typical income and the cost of a fixed standard of living in any particular country. I expect you save money in other ways, like lower VAT? lower council taxes? lower cost of car fuel? lower cost of public transport? lower cost of food?

It'd be interesting to compile a table of information like this to compare where each of our countries is cheap or expensive.

One of my friends went to Norway in the summer, and her loudest remarks were that prepared food prices were staggeringly high. People generally don't know how costs differ from country to country, unless they visit.

 

[Iasius]

I expect you save money in other ways

From talking to other people I assume the rent I pay is comparatively low. 159€ per month (excluding utilities) for a 24 sqm flat in an average area in this city of 500,000 people.

 

[Amaris]

I have an iMac Core Duo 17" and an HP Small form which both use about 110-115 watts each. Calculating their wattages at maximum, I would pay, on average, $13 a month to keep both of them on 24/7. In actuality, that number is closer to $8 a month for both because I implement energy solutions on both, but they do stay on all year round.

J.

A bit off topic, but would it generally be alright to leave a computer running 24/7, in that it wouldn't cause performance issues with the system?

No, leaving it on would not cause performance issues. As long as you don't have any issues keeping the system cool, it should be just fine.

^ Robert answered it. You'll be fine. I do weekly performance tests on my systems, and they tend to run about the same each week.
J.