Cost to compute prime

[LaurV]

Same here, with small exceptions, a bit higher power and different (but very close) electricity price:

System 1
Price per day: ~$4.00
Price per week: ~$20.00 (not 24/7, only 24, but sometimes not 7, or sometimes 7, but not 24 :P)
Price per year: ~$1040.00

Aircond, fridge, iron, water pump (the one for showers, not the one for computer), water heaters, etc: price per year: about $2000, so the price of the "systems" is lower for each system, therefore negligible...

[ATH]

Originally Posted by PhoebeAnn

I'm running a 6-year-old Intel Xeon quad-core machine (Windows 7, 4GB, Radeon HD6570) that I've got about $200 into. Idling power consumption is 114W, running prime95 alone it's 181W. About $69/year for me to leave it running. Thankfully, I don't itemize, so I don't worry about things like that.

181W for a year 24/7 = 1585.56 kWh and you only pay $69 for that? That would cost me roughly $600.

I wish I had cheaper electricity :(

[TheMawn]

Originally Posted by ATH

181W for a year 24/7 = 1585.56 kWh and you only pay $69 for that? That would cost me roughly $600.

I wish I had cheaper electricity :(

He's probably thinking only of the cost for the extra power at load vs idle.

[PhoebeAnn]

I made the mistake of trying to understand exactly how my TECO electric bill was developed. My goal was to develop a model into which I could enter the kWh consumed, and out would pop the electric bill so far.

Being an engineer, I wanted everything to be correct to the penny. Turns out, even TECO's bills aren't. For example, one line in my November bill read:

Above 1,000 kWh.... 580kWh @ $.06686/kWh.... 38.79 (lack of formatting courtesy of the forum editor)

which is a penny more than it should be, even rounded conventionally. A week-long discussion, first with TECO Customer "Support", and eventually with someone who knew what she was talking about, revealed a complex calculation protocol with rounding scattered about with little regard for the significance of significant digits. I think I'm beginning to see a possible method to their madness, but I don't have enough time on my hands to pursue it much further.

And, ATH, TheMawn was right -- I was just considering the load above idle attributed to prime 95. To be fair, I should have only used the marginal cost of the extra load, but that's a figure I have yet to figure out in the model. Total bill/kWH for Nov was $0.1180/kWh.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by PhoebeAnn

I think I'm beginning to see a possible method to their madness, but I don't have enough time on my hands to pursue it much further.

IMO, that's what they're counting on...

I can't remember exactly which government official said it, but it was on the US of A's PBS: "A few billion here, a few billion there... Soon it adds up to serious money!"

[kladner]

Originally Posted by chalsall

IMO, that's what they're counting on...

I can't remember exactly which government official said it, but it was on the US of A's PBS: "A few billion here, a few billion there... Soon it adds up to serious money!"

I believe that quote may be of the late Illinois Senator, Everett Dirksen.

EDIT: On the other hand, the Dirksen Center considers that attribution unfounded.
http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_emd_billionhere.htm

[cheesehead]

[OT]

Originally Posted by chalsall

I can't remember exactly which government official said it, but it was on the US of A's PBS: "A few billion here, a few billion there... Soon it adds up to serious money!"

Attributed to Everett Dirksen, U.S. Senate Minority Leader in the 1960s

According to The Dirksen Congressional Center:

No one has yet found written or recorded evidence that he said that entire phrase (or something close), while including the crucial last part about "serious money".

Someome who'd sat beside Dirksen on a plane trip claimed that Dirksen said that he never said the phrase, but the newspaper misquote sounded so good that he never bothered to deny it.

=> However, enough people have reliably testified that they personally heard Dirksen say it on the Johnny Carson "Tonight " show to convince The Dirksen Congressional Center to acknowledge that in 2009 and 2012 updates (see bottom of page at above link).

This, however, may be a case of Dirksen's repeating the famous phrase on the show, without having created it originally or ever having claimed to be the originator.

- -

Oops, I see that Kieren has preceded me.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by LaurV

Same here, with small exceptions, a bit higher power and different (but very close) electricity price:
....
Aircond, fridge, iron, water pump (the one for showers, not the one for computer), water heaters,

You don't use the waste heat from the computers to heat your water and iron? Also have you thought about using a sterling cycle generator to recoup some power?

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

This, however, may be a case of Dirksen's repeating the famous phrase on the show, without having created it originally or ever having claimed to be the originator.

Interesting...

I remember seeing and hearing someone say this on TV in the mid 90's. At that time I took almost no TV, and if I did it was usually PBS (either the "News Hour" or "Charlie Rose").

I'm guessing then that what I (mis-)remember was someone (mis-)quoting Dirksen.

[cheesehead]

[OT]

Originally Posted by chalsall

I'm guessing then that what I (mis-)remember was someone (mis-)quoting Dirksen.

I'm sure your memory is correct.

That phrase has been famous for decades, and repeated by millions of people in this country, including TVfolks (both with and without attribution to Dirksen).

[kladner]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

[OT]

[SNIP]
- -

Oops, I see that Kieren has preceded me.

But you dug deeper, and covered more angles.

I should think that anything said on The Tonight Show would be recorded somewhere, no speculation needed.