Then it seems like there are many assumptions going around and clearly we need the OP to come back and clarify.
That was my first thought, I didn't want to say anything since I wasn't totally sure & wanted the OP to come back and clarify if that was the case, but we could be wrong of course Still, no need for anyone to apologies for what has been said as we have all learned something from this whole discussion IMO, at least I have. Please continue
Yes!!!!! My terminology was lacking! My wife is the culprit who runs..... our kitchen. Gigabyte H97-D3H -- i5-4460 Quad-Core Processor -- 8 GB. G.SKILL Ripjaws X (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 -- 2 WD Black hard drives -- Corsair 550RM PSU -- Win7 Home premiumx64 -- Presonus Studio One Pro -- AudioBox 44 interface.
Well, then best not to call her an idiot! Again, and as noted by the California Energy Commission (and folks should know that California has some of the strictest energy efficiency standards in the world), "On average, a refrigerator uses 13.7 percent of a home's energy, the largest energy-user behind an air conditioner, which uses 16 percent." Depending on the age and type of refrigerator, number of people (especially kids) in the household, ambient (room) temps, and amount of cooking done and more all affect how efficient the refrigerator will be. For example, side-by-side refrigerators with ice/water through the door are the least efficient. Freezers on top without any ice maker and no through the door dispenser option are the most efficient. Energy Star certified must be 20% more efficient than non Energy Star rated. Also note that Energy Star rated refrigerators built after Sept 15, 2014 MUST be 10% more efficient than those built before that date. If your stove/oven is electric, it uses a lot of energy. If you have an electric clothes dryer, it does too. And of course, if your home is air conditioned (especially with window units), that is where most of your energy costs are going. Electric hot water heaters use a lot too - especially if you or your better half like deep hot baths or long showers and/or you have lots of kids. Your wife's hair dryer is probably rated at 1500W!!!! Streaming music or video through the house consumes very little power. Amplifiers to power the speakers might, however. Older TVs and monitors use more power than newer ones. Tell us more about this computer. In particular, the specific power supply, graphics solution, amount of RAM, monitors, and how long each day the computer is awake and running power hungry tasks (surfing the Internet is not a power hungry task). If you don't have an efficient PSU, you should consider a quality 80-PLUS supply. Note that power supplies are inherently inefficient electronic devices and typically have a steep sloped, bell shaped efficiency curve with just one or two peaks at around 70%. Not good. 80-PLUS supplies must have a "flat" efficiency response of at least 80%. 80 PLUS "Gold" rated supplies must be at least 87% efficient across a full range of loads. I generally recommend "investing" in Gold supplies. They do typically cost more upfront, but over the life of the supply, more than make up for it. I note this highly rated EVGA 650W 80 PLUS Gold supply is currently on sale for an amazing $60 and has an even more amazing 10 year warranty . I've been using EVGA Golds in several recent builds and am very happy with them. At that price, I'm thinking of getting a couple just to have on hand!
@razorboy From those specs the system should comsume maximum 5-8W during sleep, 70-75W when idle and 140-145W on full load. (Add another 20-50watts for the monitor) Panagiotis
Geesh! I did not even see them. Thanks for pointing that out and yeah - power consumption would not be a lot.
