[OT] Re: Electricity Usage (was Wireless Cards)

[Shane Hathaway]

Jason Holt wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 7 Nov 2005, Shane Hathaway wrote:
> 
>> However, note that seemingly minor hardware differences change power 
>> consumption significantly.  The computer I built for my dad has an 
>> Athlon XP 3000.  It draws 120W most of the time and 160W when it's 
>> busy, so it needs much more airflow than mine.  (But his cost less 
>> than mine and he uses it less, so it all works out.)  His originally 
>> had a 300W PSU, but the PSU died soon after I burned a DVD!  
>> Apparently, burning a disc takes enough power to push some PSUs over 
>> the edge.
> 
> 
> Fascinating.  Does your meter take into account power factor?  Your 
> Dad's power supply could be more inductive than your own.  Apparently, 
> in some countries you have to pay extra for inductive loads.

The meter provides both VA and wattage readouts, but I forgot to look at 
the VA measurement, so I don't know whether the inductance differs much. 
  That would be important for choosing a UPS or connecting a lot of 
computers.

(For readers who want some background: see
http://www.dansdata.com/gz028.htm )

Shane