New Toy

[Bender10]

Not only did I get a box of computer parts today, But a weird new toy.

I bought one of those "P3 International - Kill A Watt" gizmos. So I ran down to the computer dungeon to try it out. First I hooked it up to an AMD 2600+ (1.6 Ghz i think). This box has everything: ATA HD, Floppy, Geforce 4200 video, CDROM and a zip drive....I did not crack the case open to see what size the PS was, most likely a 350 or 450 watt. I ran it for 2 hours (had to make and eat dinner).

I then switched over to an X2 5200 (oc'ed to 2.8 Ghz). This box only has a HD, everything else is on board, and a 420 watt PS. Here's what I found.

I used BOINC as a load (100% cpu usage). I'm not sure how accurate this meter is, but it's not bad for a reference.

Zero load (idle):
2600 - 130 watts - 1.57 amps
5200 - 59 watts - .78 amps

100% load
2600 - 150 watts - 1.81 amps
5200 - 110 watts - 1.36 amps (cpu temp = 36 C)

The 5200 idles pretty good, But wow the power draw goes up fast! It almost doubled!

If I did not oc the 5200, the power draw should be lower at 100%....still not bad. Watt to Watt, the 5200 does a lot of "Crunching" for less power...even oc'ed.

But we knew all this...:icon_mrgreen:

[Jerod Vandehey]

I had been meaing to get one of those... Cool! However, when I installed my old system on a ups (power outages and no crunching - no way!) I found that my XP2400 uses 216 watts (with a lot of extras - vcr, monitor, etc. etc.). My new computer only uses 130 for the entire case. Mine is o/c'd 22.5%.

[Bender10]

I ran the 5200 on the meter all night. I wanted to get a good number for the KWH reading.

9 hours gave me a .98 KWH total.

Cool toy. I'll have to "de-clock" the 5200 and check it again.....

[Nflight]

So I don't have to unplug any devices in commercial applications as such, I am going to expel some funds to acquire one of these instead!


http://us.fluke.com/images/Products/Industrial/Power_Quality_Tools/F-345_01b_200p.gif

http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/Fluke+345.htm

[Bender10]

This is a cool device. I just ran my Gaming box (X2 4200 (65w)) on it for a while. It has a 550 watt ps, 2 x 7600 GT video, 2 x dvd, 80mm aftermarket cpu cooler, 1 x sata HD, 2 x 120mm fans and NO OC. Added results.

Zero load (idle):
AMD 2600 - 130 watts - 1.57 amps
X2 5200 - 59 watts - .78 amps
X2 4200 - 120 watts - 1.49 amps

100% load
AMD 2600 - 150 watts - 1.81 amps
X2 5200 - 110 watts - 1.36 amps (cpu temp = 36 C)
X2 4200 - 170 watts - 2.05 amps

Both of the X2's are 65 watt. The Gamer uses more power at "idle" than the stripped down, oc'ed 5200 "cruncher" uses at 100% !!!

That's a good argument for using only the minimum of "extra's" on a "cruncher" build ...:icon_rolleyes: ...

[tek182]

Hey Bender10,
That is cool! I should get one. You got me curious about my own systems! I guess my newer systems are going to be more efficient. It is good to know. Have fun with it.

tek182 :icon_mrgreen:

[Bender10]

Yes it's cool!

In reality, it is just telling me (in more detail) what I already know. The fewer gizmos connected to a power source, the less power you use.

And it confirms that a slow, older machine might not be worth turning on 24/7, if you want to "crunch" with it. Maybe play some Solitare with it, let the kids use it, or give it away. Then go buy a new "Quad"...:icon_mrgreen:

This P4400 does not provide a log of readings taken. It only shows 'elapsed time connected to power' and a running total of 'KWH used'. This is all lost when you un-plug the meter.

It also shows: Volts, VA, Watts, Amps, Hz and PF. This too is lost when you un-plug.

It is very simple to use, even a Cave Man could do it!!

[Bender10]

Here's another update:

I just finished putting together a diskless 4200 (no OC). Here is the whole list.

Zero load (idle):
AMD 2600 - 130 watts - 1.57 amps
X2 5200 65w - 59 watts - .78 amps (BOINCpe cd only)
X2 4200 65w - 120 watts - 1.49 amps (gamer)
X2 4200 89w - 97 watts - 1.22 amps (BOINCpe flash drive)

100% load
AMD 2600 - 150 watts - 1.81 amps
X2 5200 65w - 110 watts - 1.36 amps (oc'ed to 2.8, cpu temp = 36 C)
X2 4200 65w - 170 watts - 2.05 amps (gamer)
X2 4200 89w - 97 watts - 1.22 amps (BOINCpe flash drive)

This 4200 was removed from another box to make room for the 5200. I thought it was a 65w cpu. I guess not. And it is not overclocked. No change from 0 to 100%.

[drezha]

Cheers Bender!
I might invest in one myself now to see what my Skt 754 3200+ system compares to my Core Duo laptop.

Also I want to compare the power consumption of external drives drives attached to my NAS compared to a file server system.

Also want to measure my Xbox power and TV power etc. would also be nice to compare other leccy using goods.

[Accs]

So I don't have to unplug any devices in commercial applications as such, I am going to expel some funds to acquire one of these instead!

< image of Fluke 345 removed >

http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/Fluke+345.htm
[/CENTER]I've used similar meters before. You clamp it around ONE wire, and measure the current flow through it. This will give no information on voltage or wattage. Also, if you put a power cord through it, it will measure ZERO, as the current through the hot is balanced by the return current through the nuetral. This works great inside a breaker box, or if you can pull the outlet out of the wall, but beyond that, it's a pain.

On my build bench, I have a power strip plugged into a Kill-A-Watt. This lets me measure the power draw of systems with redundant PSUs. This is a REALLY nice unit. Mine's been working well for >2 years.

[BlackAdder]

Your exactly right about the Fluke meter or any other clamp on style ammeter, (the Fluke is a multimeter not just an ammeter) , you can only run one wire thru the clamp to get a measurement but it doesn't matter which. The neutral carries as much current as the hot wire does. :)

[Bender10]

Here is the most recent BOINCpe box. This is the one with the X2 4200 (89w). Running on a Sandisk mini cruzer (1 Gig, was ~$14 at Staples).

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/8467/p6270058hm3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is still a $350 computer. But good ram cost a little more, and of course the CPU is the most expensive item.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/7189/p6270057hf0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I suppose I could have just screwed it to a Plank. Maybe next time...:icon_rolleyes:

The picture above shows my new workbench. The cabinets are from the 'old' kitchen. I'm still working on pegboard for the wall, and a real counter top. I also have some anti-static mats to put down, and more outlets...I picked up a used 19" LCD monitor without a stand (cheep). Then $5 for a used articulated wall mount and Voila', more counter space!!

I took a break from the BOINCpe stuff for a while. When I started up again, I forgot which image files I was using to create the boot CD. My notes got lost in whirlwind of cleaning one weekend...

Anyway, I had a basic set of notes. So I started in on using the Flash Drive. The Flash Drive is easier to run than the CD. Now, I just do the basic BOINCpe 'build', and copy it to the Flash Drive.

Now I can 'Install' my other DC Project software to a folder on the Flash Drive (D2OL, TSC, Pi Segment etc), and run my other projects through BOINCpe.

This box is still clogging up my 'workbench'. I'll have to move it to the 'rack' after this race...

[mitchellds]

Very nice Bender! I want to do the same with Boincpe as soon as I can make time. Getting rid of some extra heat (harddrives) for the summer wont hurt at all.

Are you creating a ram disk to run from after the Boincpe boots, or are you running off a shared network drive type setup after boot?

I understand that flash drives actually have a limited "write many" lifetime. I wonder how long that actually is.

[Bender10]

It runs on a 'RamDisk' plugin, you set the size. I use 256 mb or 512 mb, since all BOINC wu's are stored on the 'ramdisk'. 256mb seems to be plenty so far. I even had 100 wu's from proteins loaded with space to spare.

So in theory, the writes to the Flash Drive should not be too often.

Actually, If you just run BOINCpe, disk 'writes' are zero. It is designed to run from a CD-ROM. The complete OS loads to the 'ramdisk'. There may be some disk 'Reads' during operation (I don't think so)....I think that's how it would work.



EDIT: I'm running 1 gig of ram, so I figured using 256mb for the 'ramdisk' would still leave enough system ram for crunching...I may increase to 1.5 or 2 gig if necessary.

[drezha]

Bender's right, RAMdisk would only require loads really as it cant write. I guess if persistency is enabled, it may write to the USB drive or a network server.

Bender, nice PC case, I have one as well. Really impressed with it :)