On 2014-06-18 06:23, Felix Miata wrote:
On 2014-06-17 17:42 (GMT+0200) lynn composed:
We often overlook the power consumption aspects of reusing old computers. '...old desktop from a decade [...] ago...' Maybe should be written, 'inefficient, hot and expensive to run'.
I don't think there's any rule of thumb about the current crop of desktops being any more or less efficient than those of 10 or 12 years ago. Power supplies and power supply recommendations had generally topped 275W by then, and they're rarely any lower than that now, often 400W or 450W or more.
Yes, but the losses have decreased, switching power supplies are better. Meaning that if the load doesn't need those 500W, but, say, 20 W, it doesn't take 40W from the mains. I don't have actual figures, but a quick check is how much a laptop power supply pack gets. I compare my old one to the new one, and the new one remains mostly cold or just warm. The old one gets hot. Or compare the size of AC-DC adapters for gadgetry, like cell phones: new ones are ridiculous in size and weight. They can't have a transformer inside!
CPU power consumption has generally averaged somewhere near the middle ground between 45W and 95W throughout the
I think that what has improved most is the standby power. How much a CPU needs when idling. How much the same CPU uses at full computing power and max freq, as compared to when the load is about 5%. That's what is important for typical small server, running full time, but actually used little. It just waits. (I'm idly considering rigging up a solar panel and battery to power up those small but permanent loads. Feasible? Worth it? :-? ) -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 13.1 x86_64 "Bottle" at Telcontar)