How much power does your pc consume?

hermitwin

I am planning to get a new pc.
I am torn between buying a desktop or a netbook.
A pc with low power usage will be preferred.
If you know how much power your pc consume, please let me know.
I believe an average desktop use about 150watts
while a laptop use about 70watts.
I am not a techie, so please correct me if I am wrong.

vinlyn

I would choose one type of computer over another based on power usage. I would choose based on features such as memory and whether or not the computer could handle what I want it to do. For example, since I work with amateur photography, I need a computer with lots of memory.

ThailandTom

vinlyn said:

I would choose one type of computer over another based on power usage. I would choose based on features such as memory and whether or not the computer could handle what I want it to do. For example, since I work with amateur photography, I need a computer with lots of memory.

This, it depends on what you need it for. Seeing as I am a graphic designer, I need a lot of memory, a graphics card etc. The power it gives out or uses doesn't really bother me tbh, and believe or not I found a laptop which fits all of my spec, I need to move it to work and home so a static PC wouldn't do..

hermitwin

guys, can you tell me how much power your pc consume?

vinlyn

ThailandTom said:

vinlyn said:

I would choose one type of computer over another based on power usage. I would choose based on features such as memory and whether or not the computer could handle what I want it to do. For example, since I work with amateur photography, I need a computer with lots of memory.

This, it depends on what you need it for. Seeing as I am a graphic designer, I need a lot of memory, a graphics card etc. The power it gives out or uses doesn't really bother me tbh, and believe or not I found a laptop which fits all of my spec, I need to move it to work and home so a static PC wouldn't do..

I goofed. I meant to write I would NOT choose...

Deepankar

Is there is way to an android tap or ipad having a separate storage and graphic hardware. Try for solar battery...

Dakini

I read about some that are being made now with solar panels built in. Or maybe it was a case for a laptop that was make with solar panels. You might try to Google around & see if you can find that.

hermitwin

so far, nobody has answered my question...

BhikkhuJayasara

hermitwin said:

so far, nobody has answered my question...

I'm not sure anyone UNDERSTANDS the question :P

DaltheJigsaw

Get a laptop and hook it up to your television if needed.

Brian

NewBuddhist EXCELS at taking things way off the rails If you can't contribute something useful to a conversation, there's no need to post!

@hermitwin, the other site that @lincoln and I run is a tech community called Icrontic. If you post the question there, you'll get tons of help.

That said, I recently reviewed the new flagship CPU from AMD, the FX-8350, and a very massive desktop system draws 274w at the max, while overclocked. You could consider that "maximum" power draw for a heavy, hot, high performance desktop PC. My workstation laptop draws about 191w, while my normal power-saving laptop draws about 35w at full load, 19w idle.

You're usually going to get a lower power draw with a laptop, but that's not always the case.

An average desktop PC (you haven't said what you'll be using it for, which will help answer this question) will probably draw about 90w max. Modern CPUs are much more power efficient than they used to be. If power draw is a big concern to you, make sure to look for an SSD instead of a hard drive, and you'll probably want to look at AMD A8 or A10 APU-based systems.

hermitwin

thank you, leon. i am a 'dummy' user, just surfing n watching videos.

anyone else care to share.

ThailandTom

hermitwin said:

thank you, leon. i am a 'dummy' user, just surfing n watching videos.

anyone else care to share.

If you just want a machine for surfing and watching videos you won't need something with a crazily high power output. My D-drive only has 300GB but that is more than enough even with all of my design work that is mounting up. If it gets full I will just get another external hard-drive, I still haven't learned my lesson of backing things up from when my macbook got stolen. By the way hermitwin, make sure you C-drive is never more than 50% full, it will slow your computer down.

hermitwin

sorry, i mean thanks brian.

Brian

You'll be able to get a desktop that draws less than 90w at idle. You can get a laptop that will draw less than 40w during charging.

lobster

My tablet uses 5 watts being based on the low power requirements of the ARM processor. Android based Netbooks often use these low power chips, some coming from China use MIPS based low power CPU.
People are trying to help you. A tablet is suitable for limited usage. It is useless to get a low power PC that does not fulfil your requirements.
You also might find that your old hardware can be made more efficient by using fast software such as Puppy Linux.
http://puppylinuxnews.org/releases/install-puppy-linux-in-windows/
I will only be buying tablets in the future or Project Glass when available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Glass

karasti

If you already know laptops (generally speaking) use quite a bit less, it seems like an easy answer We have one of those things you plug a device into and it tells you what it is costing. My husband runs a gaming desktop and his computer costs us $15 a month to run. My laptop (Sony Vaio) is also used for games but costs us about $6 a month to run. Tablets are definitely a good option as well, especially since they can now be added for pretty cheap to cell phone share plans. I find them a pain to type with though, personally. I have little patience for touch screen keyboards and their horrible autocorrect features, lol.

Straight_Man

PCs can run 350-750 watts power and up and are more capable than laptops overall still.

Laptops run 170-350 watts but are less capable than PCs in many ways.

There is your answer, but folks have been trying to say: buy for what you need rather than merely by the power it uses. I agree with this last part and have designed and built custom systems for folks (retired now).

Jeffrey

Mac has a power saving mode and a performance mode and it can have 2 graphics cards, one for when high resources (and power) of graphics are needed and a different for lower power needs. I have a macbook pro and I like it.

lamaramadingdong

If I'm not careful, my laptop seems to sap me of all my power.

hermitwin

thanks for all the responses.
i am willing to sacrifice performance for
energy efficiency.
A 30-50% energy saving is significant.
even tho some may argue that power is cheap.
i believe in doing what i can for future generations.
who knows i may be reborn in 2050.

Straight_Man

Jeffrey said:

Mac has a power saving mode and a performance mode and it can have 2 graphics cards, one for when high resources (and power) of graphics are needed and a different for lower power needs. I have a macbook pro and I like it.

I have seen laptops with built-into-CPU graphics and a mini graphics card. I have one. It has a 170 Watt power brick. It does not game worth even beans, but for what I use it for (almost everything else) it is fine. It is a Lenovo W520 Laptop. Durable, aluminum alloy casing. Add to the power use for entire system a router, a modem, an external HD. But the laptop is quite conservative in power use.

yildun

hi psu in a PC are rated between 300 -550 watts
plus the power used by your monitor 50-100 wattts

The average PC will use 200 watts aprox,with everthing runing
at the same time ie Motherboad video card ,CD, Cooling Fans etc.

The rating of the PSU unit will always be above the expected power used
(Watts) otherwise the PSU would overheat ie a 400w PSU can handle 400w burst but
will run cool all day at 200w

So on average you will run about 200-300 w including monitor and
at a constant use thats 3.5 hours per electric unit (here inIreland thats 18.5c
per unit}

A good laptop i5/7 cpu onboard 18inch monitor will run 50 watt max
you can add an extension monitor for anothe 50-100w

Most laptops run on 12 to 20 Volts dc (Mains transformer 220vac to 12-20 DC)
so much easier to connect a laptop to a battery charged by solar//wind.

\slainte

Mahuidou

As memory serves working on desktops before I completely switched to laptops.. The idle load of desktops is always going to be substantial no matter what you are doing due to always having the fans on, and trying to get below 150 watts on desktops might start costing you on performance.

Brian

Not necessarily with newer, very low power chips from AMD and Intel. Desktop performance from a "TDP" or "Cost-per-watt" standpoint has become a big focus in the last year or two, and low-power is the new goal.

Nevermind

Mac Mini with an i7 cpu = 85w. Add another 100 for the monitor though.