[macgeek2005]

When i've got my Mac Pro and my 23" ACD both turned on and in use, how many watts of electricity is it using?

Does it make a difference if things are plugged into the computer and monitor. For instance if i'm charing my iPod through the computer.

Thanks.

[thebunny]

Says here Mac Pro uses 250W max. If you have more memory, hard drives or the x1900XT (130W peak alone!), you have to add to that. Also, says here the ACD will use up to 90W.

[Tuoder]

Originally Posted by thebunny 

Says here Mac Pro uses 250W max. If you have more memory, hard drives or the x1900XT (130W peak alone!), you have to add to that. Also, says here the ACD will use up to 90W.

AFAIK, the amount of energy that RAM uses is negligible.

[Mister Elf]

Mac Pro PSU apparently can draw up to 1200 watts - 250 is just the basics, running at full.

[thebunny]

Originally Posted by Tuoder 

AFAIK, the amount of energy that RAM uses is negligible.

You'd be correct for regular DDR and DDR2 but the FB stuff in Mac Pro is much worse. See here. I have seen worse numbers but I can't find the links now. At 10W per 512 MB module, 2 GB would run you 40W. That's not negligible and that's why I wouldn't buy a module without a heat sink.

[Tuoder]

Originally Posted by thebunny 

You'd be correct for regular DDR and DDR2 but the FB stuff in Mac Pro is much worse. See here. I have seen worse numbers but I can't find the links now. At 10W per 512 MB module, 2 GB would run you 40W. That's not negligible and that's why I wouldn't buy a module without a heat sink.

I see. This is not to mention how many slots that the MP has. I am not used to dealing with more than 4 DDR DIMMs.

[Scotttheking]

It is using a lot. Figure at 10c/KWH (average, I pay 15c for instance) if you leave it on for a month it'll use a little over $17/month.

[thebunny]

Originally Posted by Scotttheking 

It is using a lot. Figure at 10c/KWH (average, I pay 15c for instance) if you leave it on for a month it'll use a little over $17/month.

True but this is a professional machine with a pile of power and still runs very quiet. Putting hard drives, monitors and the whole machine to sleep when you're not using it helps a lot (or shut it down, like me). If you're energy conscious, use an xMac (oops, doesn't exist) or iMac/MacBook I guess. All of the numbers above are max power, not typical. If you're running Seti@Home 24/7, you can expect $17+ a month.

[macgeek2005]

Hmm. now i'm confused.

We have one big room that has a 1800 watt circuit.

In this room we have: (all plugged in and turned on at the same time)

Mac Pro and 23" ACD
Speakers
G3 iBook
G4 Cube with 15" ADC monitor
Epson Printer
15.4" Intel Core Duo Acer Laptop
20" iMac Core Duo
Space Heater.

The space heater is supposed to take up 1500 watts on it's own. I don't get it, how is this possible? If the Mac Pro's PSU can take up to 1200 watts..... it just doesn't add up correctly.

[Xyrrus]

Originally Posted by macgeek2005 

Hmm. now i'm confused.

We have one big room that has a 1800 watt circuit.

In this room we have: (all plugged in and turned on at the same time)

Mac Pro and 23" ACD
Speakers
G3 iBook
G4 Cube with 15" ADC monitor
Epson Printer
15.4" Intel Core Duo Acer Laptop
20" iMac Core Duo
Space Heater.

The space heater is supposed to take up 1500 watts on it's own. I don't get it, how is this possible? If the Mac Pro's PSU can take up to 1200 watts..... it just doesn't add up correctly.

Those are all peak useages. The Pro's PSU might be *rated* to 1200 watt, but won't ever actually come near that. If you put 4 high RPM drives in the pro, used all the PCIe slots, all the ram slots, 2 optical drives and both mobo power rails, then you might begin to approach the rating at boot time. Remember, this is Apple and (much like enthusiast home PC builders) they're going to put in a PSU that is rated above whatever the machine will actually need so that less stress is put on it.

I'm guessing if you "loaded up" all the machines with as much as they could handle and booted them all at the same time, you might be able to pop a breaker, but remember the laptops draw very little power (65-75W each) and the LCDs don't draw much, and an imac is in many ways a repackaged laptop.

-Xy

[Madrag]

forgive my ignorance, but the power consumption posted (and in the links supplied) shows the amount of watt per year? or what?

[P]

Watt is efficency, ie energy per unit of time (specifically Joule/s). If you talk about the energy consumed over a year, it's either in Joules (SI correct, but uncommon for electrical energy) or Wh (much more common but incorrect).

[Madrag]

thanks for the explanation, but I still don't understand the application to the reality of a statement saying 150W, is this average to something?, to what?
sorry for hijacking the thread.

[Scotttheking]

A Watt is a unit of energy per unit of time, as said above.
Electricity is billed in KWH (kilowatt hours). So if you leave your 150W computer on for one hour, it will draw .15KWH. For 30 minutes, it would be .075KWH. This is because electricity is billed in hours (at least in the United States)

[Madrag]

nice one Scott!
thanks for explaining.