I have my desktop computer on all day long running win7. I have it set so that the display turns off after 10 minutes on no activity. With the computer on but the display off, does anyone know about how much current would it be using compared to a 100 watt light bulb? Thanks ~Frank~
It depends on the hardware and power supply in the computer. The easiest thing to do is get a kill-a-watt, plug your computer into it, and record how much power is being used. Plug in the monitor and record that. You'll have your answer.
kegobeer is spot on. The PSU will consume a bit more power than it will supply to the PC, the excess is given off as heat. A higher quality PSU will be more efficient.
On average, a wild guess would be it would use 150W-300W at idle.
Here is what you need to answer that question;
Amazon.com: P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor: Home Improvement
Look in my system specs.
The amount of power used by my system is as stated: 68 watts at idle and 144 watts under a heavy load.
Adjust yours accordingly or buy a kill-a-watt.
Ignoring the video card, most modern systems don't use 100 watts at idle. The trend in electricity usage is down over time as the technology improves--excluding video cards.
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