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...

[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/usen/products/Fluke+345.htm

[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.

[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 ... ...

[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

[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"...

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.