From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Jun 8 18:48:43 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 03B3F16A4CE for ; Tue, 8 Jun 2004 18:48:43 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtpout.mac.com (smtpout.mac.com [17.250.248.87]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C87CB43D41 for ; Tue, 8 Jun 2004 18:48:42 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from cswiger@mac.com) Received: from mac.com (smtpin08-en2 [10.13.10.153]) by smtpout.mac.com (Xserve/MantshX 2.0) with ESMTP id i58Imffg002351; Tue, 8 Jun 2004 11:48:42 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [10.1.1.193] (nfw2.codefab.com [199.103.21.225] (may be forged)) (authenticated bits=0)i58ImQBO012088; Tue, 8 Jun 2004 11:48:41 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <20040608135903.024729b8.wmoran@potentialtech.com> References: <20040608122101.GA68204@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org> <87zn7ednwg.fsf@pele.r.caley.org.uk> <20040608172756.GA70798@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org> <20040608135903.024729b8.wmoran@potentialtech.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v618) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Message-Id: <6CCB3AEC-B97C-11D8-8148-003065ABFD92@mac.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Charles Swiger Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 14:48:25 -0400 To: Bill Moran X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.618) cc: "Questions@BSD Questions" Subject: Re: Leaving a server on all day X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 18:48:43 -0000 On Jun 8, 2004, at 1:59 PM, Bill Moran wrote: >> Hopefully I'll get my flat screen back soon from repair. I guess >> those use >> less power, right? > > I remember having this conversation with someone not too long ago, and > our > consensus was that flat screens used just as much power as tube > monitors. Don't > hold me to that, though, I don't seem to remember our testing > technique as being > very ... uhm ... "scientific". No need to guess, use an amp-meter. :-) Radio Shack and the like will sell something with male and female plugs that will measure both voltage and current, and give you the current power load in Watts. Smart UPSes may also have a similar capability. >> Also, a 1.8GHz Athlon won't use any more power than >> necessary during idle time, right? > > Different processors are different. Many newer CPUs will throttle > their power > consumption while the machine is idle, but most older ones can't do > this. > You'll need to research the specific CPU + motherboard to see if this > is > available or not, but (as far as my lousy memory serves) Athlons in > the 1.8G > range don't support reduced power during non-usage, and will consume > just as > many watts while the system is idle as while it's doing a buildworld. A 1.8GHz AMD is likely to be a Barton, or possibly a later-model Thoroughbred. The CPU should have AMD's PowerNow! capabilities if APCI is enabled, and they should also significantly reduce power consumption if the OS runs the HLT instruction in the idle loop. I have one machine with an AMD 1800+ (1.54 MHz T'bred-B), which runs at perhaps 48 or 50 C if the system is idle. If I run something like SETI@Home for a day or so, the CPU will go up to around 56 or even 57 C as a result of the load. The difference in thermal output due to load is very obvious. -- -Chuck