Keeping the nMP always ON

[dollystereo]

Some math: [work/idle]    [average day]   [Kw/h per year]    [$/year]
nMP:          205/44          2344 w           586           146.5
MP(2008):     318/155         5024 w           1256          314

Savings: 314 - 146.5 = $167.5 / year

This is assuming work 8h/day, idle 16h/day and working 250 days per year. (cost of electricity $0.25/Kwh).
Hardly $500/year

You have to add the external raid setup for the nMP.
(How do I align text as tables in this post?)

 

[AidenShaw]

(How do I align text as tables in this post?)

Use the "code" tag - the "#" in the toolbar. It will put whatever you type in a fixed-width font so that you can align columns.

 

[goMac]

Some math: [work/idle]    [average day]   [Kw/h per year]    [$/year]
nMP:          205/44          2344 w           586           146.5
MP(2008):     318/155         5024 w           1256          314

Savings: 314 - 146.5 = $167.5 / year

This is assuming work 8h/day, idle 16h/day and working 250 days per year. (cost of electricity $0.25/Kwh).
Hardly $500/year

You have to add the external raid setup for the nMP.
(How do I align text as tables in this post?)

My gut feeling is your 2008 estimate is a little low. I'd put it probably at 400-500 at load. A default lower end config would probably be 318. Throw a better GPU in there and more cores, along with some more hard drives, and that's going to climb pretty quick.

 

[AidenShaw]

This is assuming work 8h/day, idle 16h/day and working 250 days per year.

My gut feeling is your 2008 estimate is a little low. I'd put it probably at 400-500 at load.

To be blunt, it's absurd to estimate that the system is idle 16 hrs/day and at full load 8 hrs/day.

Unless you have a workload where you render on all cores from 09:00 to 17:00, and then shut everything down at 17:00 until 09:00....

For most people, even during that "work day" the system is mostly idle. There are small bursts of activity, but most of the time the computer is waiting for you -- not vice versa.

Considering that my Dell Precision single core Xeon with Quadro workstation is in the 38-45 watt range most of the time (recorded by a Watts Up? Pro ES logging wattmeter), this only means that the older cheese graters are energy pigs -- not that the new Mini Pro is wonderfully green.

Anyone who's tried to do serious work on a laptop that's "off-grid" will know what's happening. For some tasks, the battery may last 6 hours. For others, the "low battery" warning might come on after 40 minutes. The power draw varies drastically based on the tasks.

But I look at this whole issue from a different perspective -- since electricity is free.

 

[goMac]

To be blunt, it's absurd to estimate that the system is idle 16 hrs/day and at full load 8 hrs/day.

Yeah, it certainly depends. I'm finding information that the 2008 stock configs would hit 550 watts at load. If you're talking about average use, 318 watts seems realistic. But you'd have to bring down the nMP average work at load as well.

 

[AidenShaw]

Yeah, it certainly depends. I'm finding information that the 2008 stock configs would hit 550 watts at load. If you're talking about average use, 318 watts seems realistic. But you'd have to bring down the nMP average work at load as well.

But Anandtech measured the new Mini Pro at 463 watts. How do you fit that into your equations?

Or do you just ignore it, because it doesn't lead to the conclusion that you want?

I don't mean to offend, but power consumption is extremely depend on the load mix -- it can't be reduced to a simple "one size fits all" formula.

 

[goMac]

But Anandtech measured the new Mini Pro at 463 watts. How do you fit that into your equations?

Or do you just ignore it, because it doesn't lead to the conclusion that you want?

Does it change anything? The new Mac Pro maxes out completely around the 463w mark. The older Mac Pro? 980w.

On average, as you pointed out, neither are going to hit that. But if you fully load both, there are your numbers.

 

[AidenShaw]

Does it change anything? The new Mac Pro maxes out completely around the 463w mark. The older Mac Pro? 980w.

On average, as you pointed out, neither are going to hit that. But if you fully load both, there are your numbers.

Does it change anything? Yes, it points out the absurdity of using any particular instantaneous statistic and applying an "8 hours out of 24" load factor to it.

It points out the absurdity of this "the new Mini Pro will pay for itself in electric bills saved" tangent to the main thread.

And it pointed out that a Dell Precision workstation with a current Xeon uses the same or less power than a new Mini Pro, so that the new Mini Pro is nothing special in the "green category".

 

[brentsg]

Over a five year lifetime of a Mac Pro, it's $2500-$4000. That's potentially the price of the Mac Pro itself in electricity. It's business tax deductible and might not be much in the grand scheme of things, but every dollar counts, especially when that could be spent on other things. Like a new Mac Pro.

That's why people are saying the new Mac Pro could pay for itself in power costs over an old Mac Pro.

I understand the premise, but the same logic can have you buy a new Mac Pro by drinking 1 less soda per day. Or you know, let the machine sleep when you aren't using it.

These are tools that should be used to earn hundreds of dollars per day on the very low end. Drop meet bucket..

 

[monkeybagel]

Since we are talking about uptimes - this one isn't too bad.

 

[ActionableMango]

That’s ~$500 more than the Mini+drives, for my use case (which includes 25¢/KWh).

WOW.

Power here is 7.8¢/KWh.

Well, it used to be. Then we were annexed by the local city, and now with city tax it's 13.9¢/KWh. Still, that's almost half.

Even so, I still sleep the MP whenever possible.

I have a Mini to do server duty, and the electricity it uses actually replaces a year-round space heater, so running the Mini hasn't changed my power bill at all.

 

[Ezlivin]

Hello members,

Would like to ask if there is any problem if i keep my nMP ON all the time without shutting it down?


Thank you

Yes, there may be a serious problem. It's best if you drop off the computer at my place and let me really check it out for you.

You know, just to be safe.

I. Am. Jealous.