Computer power usage help...

Hey,

Well I have an Alienware M15x and I noticed that my electricity bill increased by two times it's normal amount. I wanna know how bad my computer is to electricity. These are my computer specs:
1) Intel Core i7 740Q
2) NVIDIA GTX 260M
3) Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (By the way, what does the dual layer bit mean?)
4) HDD 500GB 7,200RPM
5) Internal Wifi 5300
6) 6GB RAM 1066MHz
7) Primary 6-cell (65 watt) Lithium Ion battery

And yea, I guess that's all. All help is appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

 

Well, it depends how much it is run and what kind of usage as well. I seriously doubt you laptop has the ability to put a dent in your power bill unless it is running full blast 24/7, and even then it will probably be $20 a month.

 

Not sure about your model but my Samsung R40P(T2350 Core Duo which is in general idle for about 8 hours and used normally for 8 hours) would at most add 0.5KWh / day.

 

Notebook computers in general account for very little of a typical home's power usage. I doubt your M15x is the culprit, instead, check your refrigerator, light bulbs, A/C, etc and try to remember whether you used any other large appliances more often than usual.

 

Plus double check the math and against a previous month's rates. I know this is far from topic, but you don't happen to have electric heat perchance?

 

Doesn't M15x have a 120 watt AC adapter? Then that should be the absolute max power it can draw...there are more things that draw significantly more power, your microwave, oven, blender, etc the list goes on

 

It can draw more due to it not being 100% efficient. 120W is the output. The input can be more than that. Around here 1 watt over the course of a month costs $.07. Let's say 140W x .07 = $9.80. So, even under the extremely unlikely worst possible scenario, he is still adding under only $10 to his electric bill.

 

Grab yourself a Kill-a-watt for about $25 and measure all your appliances. It can calculate the monthly cost for you. Its a good tool to have around the house.

You can even get a power board one.

 

Yeah, I second the Kill-A-Watt. Only thing I don't like is that it doesn't have a "peak" or "max" wattage feature. You have to monitor it real-time to see what peak is.