MP 1,1-5,1 cMP 5,1 is a power hog

[haralds]

Just looked at the power consumption of the running cMP 5,1. That system consumes about 300W on average translating to 220KWh per month. This costs me ~$65 in CA. It is likely a little less when it sleeps. But I am going to start using my M1 MacBook Pro a lot more as my daily driver.

 

[bsbeamer]

It's always been that way...

What is your price/rate per kWh? Locally looking at $0.15-0.17 and would be about $200-220/year if used daily for 12 hours.

This calculator helps:

Electricity usage of a Computer - Energy Use Calculator

Find out the energy usages of a desktop computer.

energyusecalculator.com

So much more can be done on laptops these days if you're trying to conserve energy. One of the reasons MP5,1 was phased out internationally to begin with. A 2019 i9 iMac outperforms the MP5,1 in nearly every situation and usually hovers at 105-140W usage even with the 5K display.

 

[Schismz]

Just looked at the power consumption of the running cMP 5,1. That system consumes about 300W on average translating to 220KWh per month. This costs me ~$65 in CA. It is likely a little less when it sleeps. But I am going to start using my M1 MacBook Pro a lot more as my daily driver.

Yes, but... can it act as a space heater?
Is it bulletproof?
Can be used as boat anchor?

 

[mattspace]

Just looked at the power consumption of the running cMP 5,1. That system consumes about 300W on average translating to 220KWh per month. This costs me ~$65 in CA. It is likely a little less when it sleeps. But I am going to start using my M1 MacBook Pro a lot more as my daily driver.

Do you ever look up the energy consumption of a hair dryer, or toasting a slice of bread, firing up an oven, your hot water service etc?

 

[haralds]

Yes, I do. But they are not on 24/7.
I think in the age of Apple Silicon it will be time to move on.
Looking to replace this with the next generation Mini with a few more capabilities than the current model.

 

[b.lam]

Yes, I do. But they are not on 24/7.
I think in the age of Apple Silicon it will be time to move on.
Looking to replace this with the next generation Mini with a few more capabilities than the current model.

Exactly my thinking.

I'm also waiting for the nextgen Mini to replace my 5,1 which currently runs W10 (HS is too old and no longer supported) and my late 2013 Macbook Pro (also no longer supported for the upcoming MacOS release and its batteries are starting to bulge).

 

[Darth77]

Yes, but... can it act as a space heater?
Is it bulletproof?
Can be used as boat anchor?

Can it be used to grate industrial-sized blocks of cheese? 😉

P.S. I've had mine on 24/7 for the past 11 years. 😲 Fortunately, my electricity has been only 10-12 cents per kWh.

 

[haralds]

Well. I just revived the 5,1 and have been running it for a few days. PG&E triggered my high-energy alarm.

 

[14dcutaneo]

Well. I just revived the 5,1 and have been running it for a few days. PG&E triggered my high-energy alarm.

How do you test for power consumption? I've been trying to find an app for it for the longest time but no dice. I've always been curious. Test as in measure in watts

 

[b.lam]

I use Shelly plugs to measure the power consumption. And I can also remotely switch them manually and automated via Google Home

 

[jscipione]

Just looked at the power consumption of the running cMP 5,1. That system consumes about 300W on average translating to 220KWh per month. This costs me ~$65 in CA. It is likely a little less when it sleeps. But I am going to start using my M1 MacBook Pro a lot more as my daily driver.

Yes the power consumption on the Mac Pro is indeed high, if you replace the Xeon chip with a lower power one like X5650 and reduce the RAM you can lower the idle power usage down to about 150W while still having 6-cores. I ran mine with a L5640 for a long time for this exact reason.

 

[14dcutaneo]

I use Shelly plugs to measure the power consumption. And I can also remotely switch them manually and automated via Google Home

Thanks! I had a feeling I would have to resort to physical hardware. Shame cause my MacBook Pro can do it via the battery.

Yes the power consumption on the Mac Pro is indeed high, if you replace the Xeon chip with a lower power one like X5650 and reduce the RAM you can lower the idle power usage down to about 150W while still having 6-cores. I ran mine with a L5640 for a long time for this exact reason.

Heh, yeah I'm a bit overkill with 2x X5690's and 128GB RAM. Not to mention all PCIE lanes are full and so are my SATA bays lol

 

[Macschrauber]

Ram, spinners and old GPUs take a lot of wattage. Unmount unnecessary spinners (temporarily), lower Ram to the really needed level and downgrade to a modern efficient gpu are some steps.

Check your system for unnecessary threads. Activity Monitor gives a good overview.