Ive measured my 2GHz desktop recently. Idles at about 65watts and
peaks at about 75watts under running conditions.  I think it's fitted
with a "300 watt" power supply.

RP

On 20/02/2008, M. Adam Davis <stienman@gmail.com> wrote:
> Even today most consumer's computers emit under 100W average (not
> counting monitor and peripherals - CPU, graphics, chipset), due to
> power saving technologies that allow for CPU throttling, etc.
>
> You'd have to purposefully run your machine very hard 100% of the time
> in order to get anywhere near 400W of heating from it, and most
> consumer machines still only ship with 400W power supplies that really
> only manage about 300W constant and 400W peak.
>
> In other words, your back of the napkin calculations are
> overestimating heat output.  If your particular rig is high end, then
> you may have more heat output.
>
> Most water heating elements are rated in kW, though.  I would be
> surprised if hooking it up as a preheater noticably reduced your water
> heating bill.
>
> You'd probably have a much greater effect by hooking up the heat
> exchanger to the sewage line and recovering waste heat from showers,
> washers, etc to preheat your water.
>
> -Adam
>
> On 2/19/08, Tobias Gogolin <usertogo@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've been shopping for new computers: CPU, Grapics  and motherboards
> > I noticed that lots of motherboards and heatsinks now use copper heat pipes,
> > I assume those are made from solid copper!
> > CPUs range from 60-120 Watts; Graphics Processors can consume even more, I'm
> > not sure about the motherboard power consumption,
> > Anyhow 400 Watts is probably a reasonable sum, and I figure if those copper
> > pipes where hollow and connected in series water could be piped through them
> > and help to heat water for residential applications!
> > I suspect that the actual change of information entropy is a minute effect
> > in comparison to the power consumed due to resistance  of conductors and
> > switches!
> >
> > So it may be interesting to by design harvest the energy the computer
> > converts and preheat water!
> > Just wonder what y'all think!?
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