Your SETI farm power consumption?

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Profile Lord_Vader
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Message 723442 - Posted: 8 Mar 2008, 16:48:53 UTC - in response to Message 723418.  

I'm running 12 machines at about 1 kWh total. I know the basement machines are ~650 watts measured by a 'kill-a-watt' and I'm just guessing on the other two ( P4HT and P4 ). I just ordered a quad and will probably drop a couple of machines in the basement to compensate. I told my wife I would try to stay at 1 kWH or less, give or take.

I also don't worry too much since I went 'green' everywhere else in the house. The fridge is about 4$ a month, and the lights are all CFL. I also put in extra insulation and programable thermostats.

Even you you swap out something like 1 floodlight with a CFL, thats enough for a P2/P3 or so. :-)


Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station. - Grand Moff Tarkin
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Message 723487 - Posted: 8 Mar 2008, 19:47:30 UTC - in response to Message 723452.  

The Enemy...
No idea what type of Bird It is though.

Looks rather like a Pine Grosbeak.
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Message 723506 - Posted: 8 Mar 2008, 21:46:57 UTC - in response to Message 723495.  

So the House Finch might be It, maybe. They look nearly identical too when seen side by side.


Finches are pretty small (wingspan < 10"), the bird in the pic is much too big. Any way you can measure it?

In any case, Back to topic, I'm hoping My next electric bill won't go above $176 as It's warming up around here, We actually had a day that was in the mid 70's(Ducks for cover).


Wide range of temps here in SE Texas 30-80F like a yo-yo lately. Electricity bill might go up just a bit this month to $100 as I bring the new Q-Ball online and dial her in while letting the P4 Prescott drain her WU cache.
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Message 723646 - Posted: 9 Mar 2008, 7:21:12 UTC - in response to Message 723452.  

I'm running 12 machines at about 1 kWh total. I know the basement machines are ~650 watts measured by a 'kill-a-watt' and I'm just guessing on the other two ( P4HT and P4 ). I just ordered a quad and will probably drop a couple of machines in the basement to compensate. I told my wife I would try to stay at 1 kWH or less, give or take.

I also don't worry too much since I went 'green' everywhere else in the house. The fridge is about 4$ a month, and the lights are all CFL. I also put in extra insulation and programmable thermostats.

Even you you swap out something like 1 floodlight with a CFL, thats enough for a P2/P3 or so. :-)

Considering what I suspect the power the cpu heatsinks are using, It's no wonder You have 12 PCs and I have 3 yet I use almost as much power per month(949Kwh last month here for My 3 PCs). So I think I need to replace 3 TEC equipped heatsinks with 3 non TEC equipped heatsinks and sell the 3 old TEC heatsinks after their cleaned up on eBay for as much as I can(They're 2-Vigor Monsoon II heatsinks and 1-Ultra ChillTEC heatsink which are good for dual cores and not too suitable for an overclocked quad without some A/C or Swamp Cooler help). Of course getting the $148 odd dollars together will take a bit(3-Tuniq Towers), I'd sell two of the heatsinks on ebay now, But then I'd reduce My crunching by 2/3 until the replacements were installed, In addition I'm going to get 3 110cfm fans(3-120x25mm Silverstone FM121 White 110cfm fans) to replace the heatsinks stock fans and on 2 PCs replace the non stock NB heatsinks with large copper heatsinks(made for the job) and that's another $53 and change(2-SilenX IXN-40C Copper Chipset heatsinks). sigh, I'm in upgrade hell It seems. Plus I have other needed items to get and the list is at 41 lines long right now and hopefully It won't get any longer, It's bad enough I had to put on a couple items that are for the local birds to scare them off with and all(Ultrasonics w/a photocell), It's also about $3000 worth of various stuff too. In any case this will be enough for the moment as I have a whole lot of boxes that were piled up in the front bedroom to get rid of and they look like they're poised to take over the front room now as their on the sofa, in front of the sofa, next to the sofa(in a bag) and next to the TV(trash bin next stop).


The Enemy...
No idea what type of Bird It is though.

It is a house finch, which surprises me because they are cavity nesters.
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Message 723677 - Posted: 9 Mar 2008, 9:54:03 UTC - in response to Message 723518.  
Last modified: 9 Mar 2008, 9:55:16 UTC

So the House Finch might be It, maybe. They look nearly identical too when seen side by side.


Finches are pretty small (wingspan < 10"), the bird in the pic is much too big. Any way you can measure it?

In any case, Back to topic, I'm hoping My next electric bill won't go above $176 as It's warming up around here, We actually had a day that was in the mid 70's(Ducks for cover).


Wide range of temps here in SE Texas 30-80F like a yo-yo lately. Electricity bill might go up just a bit this month to $100 as I bring the new Q-Ball online and dial her in while letting the P4 Prescott drain her WU cache.


The Temps around this part of California range from 20-115F, Although lately It's been from 40-75F lately and windy(I'd rather It be a little windy than not as It gets HOT with no wind here), In any case on the Electric bill I've allocated about $176 until I know what the bills really going to be like in nearly 3 weeks. :D Actually It would pay to have a Wind Turbine farm in this area as We get lots of wind and some guy down the road has both photovoltaic panels and a small wind turbine on His/Her property. I'd put one up Here, but since I don't own the land and since the lot size My house sits on is really so small, that It wouldn't be allowed by the county even If the park ok'ed It, Besides the one neighbor I have nearby would probably object to It in any case, It would be different If I had an acre of land that was mine, But that's not the case.


You could always put up a few photovoltaic panels on Your roof. They could help You reduce Your electricity costs a bit, and Your neighbor has no right to object against these.
You can always ask the fellow down the road about his experiences with his PV- panels, to see if it will be worth the trouble for You.

ChrisD
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Message 723807 - Posted: 9 Mar 2008, 17:30:41 UTC
Last modified: 9 Mar 2008, 17:33:02 UTC

Hi JokerCpoC.

I know all about being on a fixed income, and Your overall situation may call for some ingenuity instead. (Here I mean cheap and efficient solutions that costs next to nothing).

One problem that can be adressed is the problem of cooling Your computers when the HOT season is on. I know this extra heat can tax Your A/C bill.

One idea that comes to mind is getting a 10 or 15 watts 12 Volts PV. ('ll be back with some prices, or maybe some nearby crunchers know where to find an affordable 10 Watts PV Panel?).

Next, ask around for some defective PC Power Supplies, preferably with large fans. Cannibalize the fans and make them run off the PV Power. Some clever ducting to get the air from where it is coolest and expell it without heating up the rest of Your living space, could save You a few $$ on Your Cooling Bill, and making Your computers run cooler.

Just an idea.

ChrisD
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Message 723946 - Posted: 9 Mar 2008, 22:57:02 UTC - in response to Message 723811.  
Last modified: 9 Mar 2008, 22:57:56 UTC

Hi JokerCPoC.

I know all about being on a fixed income, and Your overall situation may call for some ingenuity instead. (Here I mean cheap and efficient).

One problem that can be addressed is the problem of cooling Your computers when the HOT season is on. I know this extra heat can tax Your A/C bill.

One idea that comes to mind is getting a 10 or 15 watts 12 Volts PV. ('ll be back with some prices, or maybe some nearby crunchers know where to find an affordable 10 Watts PV Panel?).

Next, ask around for some defective PC Power Supplies, preferably with large fans. Cannibalize the fans and make them run off the PV Power. Some clever ducting to get the air from where it is coolest and expel it without heating up the rest of Your living space, could save You a few $$ on Your Cooling Bill, and making Your computers run cooler.

Just an idea.

ChrisD

Thanks ChrisD, 12v is nice, But as I've said I have no wish to have batteries as I have no where to store them and the electronics to keep them fed and such, So without batteries at night the PCs would go down, So It's not practical, I'm looking at replacing the Vigor Monsoon II and Ultra ChillTEC heatsinks that I have with 3 KINGWIN Revolution RVT-12025D 120mm H.D.T. CPU Coolers as the TECs in the current heatsinks can't keep up with My quads without help in the summer and that tends to drive up My bill here(They may also be adding to My bill too), So that is for Me easier to do and since I do rent My space(not My house) I can apply to the LIEE program, I just have to do It on Monday and they can replace My old furnace and non working a/c unit and maybe My old swamp cooler too, among other things that is.


My solution did not include a battery. You'll still have to cool Your computers at night, but as the thermal stress tends to escalate when the sun is shining, this breath of extra fresh air provided by the solar powered fans, will take the top off Your A/C Bill. (Or that was at least, the general idea.)

Best of luck with the LIEE..

ChrisD
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Message 724326 - Posted: 10 Mar 2008, 22:33:32 UTC
Last modified: 10 Mar 2008, 22:35:54 UTC

Some time back we looked at the power consumption of different graphics cards, in an effort to reduce power consumption.

Here is some very good news for You:

If You have a dedicated cruncher, You don't even need a Graphics Card :)

You'll need one to set up Your cruncher, but when this is done, You can remove the Graphics Card alltogether...

How does that sound??

My Phenom3 cruncher is now running without any graphics card at all..

It is all about remote desktop and setting BIOS to ignore errors.

Want the recipe?

ChrisD
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Message 724330 - Posted: 10 Mar 2008, 22:38:15 UTC

I am very happy with my 7300GS card, very low power, and the graphics are off most of the time anyways, except when I'm playing with something on there.
Daniel

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Message 730286 - Posted: 25 Mar 2008, 22:38:36 UTC - in response to Message 730268.  

I thought I'd keep this thread alive for a bit longer(Or until the OP decides differently),


It can run forever ;)

I am winding down my old machines now as I have set up some Quads to take over. The quads are loads more efficient, more crunch for the £ so will work out some comparisons when I have some more spare time.

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Message 730461 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 3:18:57 UTC - in response to Message 730268.  

I thought I'd keep this thread alive for a bit longer(Or until the OP decides differently), As I just got My bill for the month and I somehow saved $7.09 on the Electric Bill($120.86-7.09=113.77) and I only used 865KWhs to boot. Next month I should see a rise in the electric bill as I have the swamp cooler powered up and set on the low setting as It's getting into the high 70's to low 80's outside(It's a warm spring here).


I tapered off on a P4 single core and a Prescott and powered them off before I left home. That made some room in the monthly KWh to throw another Q6600 together... I've already got the MoBo, DDR2 RAM, graphics card and HSF, so if MicroCenter still has the CPU for $200 and I don't go totally bust here in Vegas, I'll try to get the chip soon after my return home. Only issue will be keeping the chips cool enough as ambient will rise to ~85f in a few months. I sure hope those "Direct Touch Heatpipe" HSF's are up for the challenge.

@Joker - Made the drive over to Baker and up toward Death Valley today, beautiful. Desert flowers are in bloom lots of yellow & purple... temps topped out at 80F. Simply a wonderful 220 mile loop back through Pahrump. Much better drive now than in July or August. If I'd known that "The Mad Greeks" Gyro Emporium was in Baker I'd have skipped breakfast so I could give it a try. I love Gyros and can't remember the last time I eaten one.

Well that's all the break I get, gotta head back to the PaiGow Poker table for another 4 hour run.

BOINC On..On...
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Message 730537 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 8:06:48 UTC - in response to Message 730487.  
Last modified: 26 Mar 2008, 8:39:00 UTC



Be glad It's not Summer there, Baker, Las Vegas and Yermo all get temps well above 100F, Baker is worse though, Only Needles and Death Valley get hotter. In Yermo We get about 110 days a Year with Temps above 100F and about two days at 115F, Not a place for a Whale. Have fun JD, Hope You don't lose too much in Sin City.


I'll be there soon :D I am counting down the days to my road trip. 2 and a bit weeks in June to come and play in the Sunshine - something we saw little of all last year in the UK! I can remember my last Summer trip to Death Valley, the wall of heat when you stepped out of the car was something I will never forget!

I am glad we don't get those sort of temperatures to contend with here!
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Message 730540 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 8:29:30 UTC

I'm in Phoenix, not much better over here. I remember a few years back Phoenix International was shut down because the tarmac was too hot for planes to take off on and land. It was melting the tires. I think the ambient was about 125 F that summer.
Daniel

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Message 730666 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 18:29:47 UTC

I must look up the technicalities of a swamp cooler. I am imagining some sort of compressorless a/c unit using a reservoir of water as the cooling source perhaps? Dunno, just guessing. Will be on Google later :D

Well, I am running down the old machines now. When they run out of work, they get turned off for good. The Quads are much more efficient & quieter and I have a few (ok, 5) of them now to keep the work turning over.

I have also treated myself to a new UPS which I picked up for a steal from Ebay. I already have a 1.5KW UPS running in the garage, fed back into the house to provide UPS supplied power for some lights, TV, alarm clocks and a PC, but have now purchased another to run the Quads from as they have all (except one!) suffered from power locks ups or shutdowns in the last week. The electricity supply seems to be very unstable here!

On a power related note: Each Quad is using about the same power as the old Optiplex machines, so I am getting 4 times the crunch for the same power, although will be running less machines now, so a big saving overall.
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Message 730667 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 18:32:34 UTC - in response to Message 730540.  

I'm in Phoenix, not much better over here. I remember a few years back Phoenix International was shut down because the tarmac was too hot for planes to take off on and land. It was melting the tires. I think the ambient was about 125 F that summer.


Daniel, I was going to ask how you cope with it, but I guess you just do! Your houses and cars all have A/C. A/C in houses here is a rarity (I have it though :D) and A/C is only just starting to become commonplace in cars. I doubt very much our infrastructure could cope with anything more than a short heatwave - and the sort of heat we get here doesn't compare!
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Message 730693 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 19:16:11 UTC - in response to Message 730666.  

I must look up the technicalities of a swamp cooler. I am imagining some sort of compressorless a/c unit using a reservoir of water as the cooling source perhaps? Dunno, just guessing. Will be on Google later :D

They are very simple indeed, just a big box with water and power connections, a pump to spray water and a large area of material that both holds water and lets air through (called a "pad"), and a big fan to blow outside air through the moist pad and then into the house.

They work pretty well in places with really low relative humidity and with daytime peak temperatures not much over 100F. They lose efficiency rapidly with higher relative humidity, and they can't really provide comfort at Death Valley-type 115+ temperatures.

In the 1950's and 1960's they traditionally they were the cooling means of the poor in the desert Southwest of the United States. But here in Albuquerque, their virtues of greater power efficiency and better interior relative humidity during most of the cooling season made them the dominant form of cooling in all types of housing, from mobile homes to mansions, for a few decades. Now there has been a bit of a trend back to traditional Air Conditioning, as people tire of the maintenance requirements, don't like feeling damp and warm in August, and have become more concerned about the water consumption.

On the other hand, in a more humid place such as Louisiana, Florida, or Ohio, you won't find them at all.

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Message 730716 - Posted: 26 Mar 2008, 20:26:18 UTC - in response to Message 730693.  

On the other hand, in a more humid place such as Louisiana, Florida, or Ohio, you won't find them at all.


I live in SE Texas (Houston area), 95F summer temps are commonplace, often with relative humidity > 80%. I hate running A/C in the flat, so have gone the opposite of the swamp cooler by running a dehumidifier and an area fan or two to circulate the air. 85F at 40% humidity is comfortable to me with a slight breeze. I do have the A/C to provide a bit of relief when the ambient in the flat gets near 90F. I must admit that I climatize very easily, possibly due to my time in SE Asia without A/C or years spent in NW China without proper heat. Neither the warm or cold bother me much, I enjoy both for different reasons and dress accordingly. I hate paying the electric company and enjoy my monthly 1000KWh ($90) bills.

Also coming in from the outside where the temps and humidity are high, it still feels much cooler with the lowered humidity and a slight breeze.

Cheers,
John
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Message 730939 - Posted: 27 Mar 2008, 11:14:26 UTC - in response to Message 730700.  
Last modified: 27 Mar 2008, 11:14:48 UTC



A swamp cooler is an evaporative cooler,


I've wiki'd and Googled these now and know what they are :D I've even seen the large boxes on people's roofs over there and wondered what they were before now - well, now I know :) Sounds like a very cost effective way of cooling in the right climate.
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Message 731183 - Posted: 27 Mar 2008, 23:34:54 UTC - in response to Message 731168.  

(For those outside of the UK, the Government stupidly privatised our utility companies some years ago and now they are all about making profit, not providing an essential service).


Dont say that. The NSW government is trying to sell off the state electricity generators now (I work at one!!!!) and have repeatedly stated that it will force prices down!

Yeah right, not even my kids would fall for that lie.


LOL. Our most recent example is British Gas announcing record profits - yet the bills rose around 15% last year (75% since 2003). Dividends to Shareholders increased to 17%. Speaks volumes doesn't it?




Oops punched return too soon.

Cure is to buy some shares of the company. That is one thing that I did decades ago. I hold shares in both the electrical generation and natural gas distribution in this area around Washington DC.

Also Baltimore, Virginia and half of Florida.

Even Warren Buffett is buying into generation of electric current. But he buys the whole company! Yes I own some of his company as well.

My almost new Mac Pro has two dual processors and runs on about 255 watts. Monitor when on adds about forty more. My old Mac Mini (pre intel) uses about 38 watts and a recently retired laptop used 32 watts with screen lit, and five less when it was off. Two processors in the Pro are on Seti and two others another project. They whiz compared to the prior machines.

Electric energy costs about 12 US cents a KWH on average. More in summer and a bit less in winter. You can translate that to your pence. About $2 to a Pound sterling now.

Our local power is no longer generated by plants owned by the utility! They sold them and buy the energy on the market. The buyer of the plants went bankrupt, but didn't stop producing and selling power. Mostly by burning coal, some oil and gas turbines in summer peak loads.

duke
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Message 731193 - Posted: 27 Mar 2008, 23:52:28 UTC

My farm only has one machine that isn't really needed it is a motherboard screwed to the wall, I made it because someone here said you needed a case. It has been running for about a year now with no harddrive. The rest are used in my business or are personal. I have found over the years that I have much less problems with my machines when they are left running 24/7 so they would all be running anyways...Might as well do Seti.
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Message boards : Number crunching : Your SETI farm power consumption?


 
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