Mhash/Watt for Complete Systems

[JWU42]

PC Power Cooler 950w 87% efficiency

2515mh/s 970w
2.59mh/w

Am I missing something here?  950W PSU pulling 970W?  I understand the output (which is how PSU's are measured) isn't 970 (probably 850) but man that is pushing it, no?

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[DeathAndTaxes]

Anyone know where to buy 250 VOLT NEMA 6-20R POWER STRIP?

The word you are looking for is Power Distribution Unit (PDU).  Searching for "PDU" will help.  Also most units are "officially" 208V (single phase, don't buy 3 phase ) because that is what data centers are wired for.    They work fine at 230V/240V/250V used in residences.  Sometimes they are advertised 208V/240V sometimes just 208V.

Shortcut?  

APC model AP9571.  There are a lot of them on ebay for ~$50.  Very solidly built.  It is 30A so it uses NEMA L6-30P plug.  You likely want 30A unit anyways because PDUs are derated 20% to comply with electrical code. 30A unit has 2x12A breakers = 24A usable.  20A unit has 2x8A breakers = 16A usable.   Seems there are more used 30A units then 20A units likely because that is what most datacenters use.

Best part.  The cable is very thick and 12 feet long.  No worries about overheating, or damaging the insulation.

specs & manual:
http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/ASTE-6Z6JWV_R0_EN.pdf




To add to my "you might be a serious miner" series.
If your first thought when seeing the pics above is "I wish I had that" you might be a serious miner.

[DeathAndTaxes]

Am I missing something here?  950W PSU pulling 970W?  I understand the output (which is how PSU's are measured) isn't 970 (probably 850) but man that is pushing it, no?

Real world efficiency is likely closer to 85% on that unit so that is more like 820W or 85% of rated DC power.  It is running a little heavy but modern (as in built in last 3-4 years after huge wattage GPU and 80Plus specs) have pretty flat curve.  They tend to run just as well at 75%-80% load as 50% load.  Higher efficiency, flatter curves, beefier heat sinks, direct DC switching, and giant 140mm fans means the "age old standard of keep it at 50% of peak" is kinda outdated.

Now older units (say 5-6 years ago) had very spikey curve so even if peak efficiency was 80% at 80% load it is more like <60% which means a lot of heat.  Combine that with tiny heat sinks, inferior switching designs, and wimpy 80mm fans pushing a heavy load was not a good idea.  

Very good units like Seasonic 80Plus-Gold tend to be >88% efficient at 100% load which is better than peak efficiency (at half load) over the best units not so long ago.  I wouldn't try pushing so no-name junk that hard though.

[jjiimm_64]

direct wire seasonic into 240

(what's a surge protector?)

[JWU42]

Am I missing something here?  950W PSU pulling 970W?  I understand the output (which is how PSU's are measured) isn't 970 (probably 850) but man that is pushing it, no?

Real world efficiency is likely closer to 85% on that unit so that is more like 820W or 85% of rated DC power.  It is running a little heavy but modern (as in built in last 3-4 years after huge wattage GPU and 80Plus specs) have pretty flat curve.  They tend to run just as well at 75%-80% load as 50% load.  Higher efficiency, flatter curves, beefier heat sinks, direct DC switching, and giant 140mm fans means the "age old standard of keep it at 50% of peak" is kinda outdated.

Now older units (say 5-6 years ago) had very spikey curve so even if peak efficiency was 80% at 80% load it is more like <60% which means a lot of heat.  Combine that with tiny heat sinks, inferior switching designs, and wimpy 80mm fans pushing a heavy load was not a good idea.  

Very good units like Seasonic 80Plus-Gold tend to be >88% efficient at 100% load which is better than peak efficiency (at half load) over the best units not so long ago.  I wouldn't try pushing so no-name junk that hard though.

D&T - Thanks.  It seems we always revert to the 80/20 rule.  Don't put more than 80% load on the circuit (especially since it is constant) and then not more than 80% load on the PSU.  The breakthrough for my simple non-electrician mind was realizing a PSU wattage is output and not draw (i.e., your Kill-a-Watt can run closer to 90% of rated watts when using a good PSU).

I have 4 Seasonic x-1250's en-route 

Hoping that will solve my dual PSU woes with 2x750 Seasonic gold (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=63147.msg738546#msg738546 ).

[jjiimm_64]

D&T - Thanks.  It seems we always revert to the 80/20 rule.  Don't put more than 80% load on the circuit (especially since it is constant) and then not more than 80% load on the PSU.  The breakthrough for my simple non-electrician mind was realizing a PSU wattage is output and not draw (i.e., your Kill-a-Watt can run closer to 90% of rated watts when using a good PSU).

I have 4 Seasonic x-1250's en-route 

Hoping that will solve my dual PSU woes with 2x750 Seasonic gold (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=63147.msg738546#msg738546 ).

The seasonics are rated at 100% constant.....  also they will peak at much higher then advertised constant.

most psu's advertise they're peak amount

[DeathAndTaxes]

I have 4 Seasonic x-1250's en-route 

They are awesome.  I love all the attention to detail.  It is IMHO the best PSU I have ever used. 

I have some CoolerMaster 80Plus-Gold units I got cheap and my workstation has an Enermax 1350W unit.  Both are solid workers but the Seasonic is just so much nicer to work with.

1) Oversized power switch
2) 99% of output available as 12V (107 Amps )
3) fully modular (even 24pin connector).  makes swapping and moving rigs so much easier.
4) Very high quality fan.  Whisper quiet & cool even at 80% load.
5) High quality, thick power connectors.

[SlaveInDebt]

Thank you DAT you settled my search/indecision.

As for my extreme load on my psu that's me just wanting to see how OCZ holds up to PCPC's 7 year warranty.

[JWU42]

Sadly the only PSU to die on me in the last 10 years was my PC P&C 610 Silencer...

[SlaveInDebt]

Sadly the only PSU to die on me in the last 10 years was my PC P&C 610 Silencer...

Good I might finally get/submit my first warranty. Got 2 crippled 5850's with a 1 of 3 vrm's blown that force me to be energy efficient. Ones on the rig I posted.

[check_status]

I would rather see more complete stats, some have done more than the OP requirements, which is appreciated. 

MB model: GA 890FXA-UD7
Psu 1:OCZ ZT-750w (not here yet)
Psu 2:

Card 1: Sapphire 5850 Extreme 1GB
BIOS Flashed/Stock:
Slot x1/x4/x8/x16: x16
Extender/Powered: none
Clock: 725MHz
Memory: Stock
Voltage: Stock
Temp: 0
Watercooled: No
MHash/s: 0 MH/s


Total Hash Rate: 0
Watts @ Wall: 0
MHash/W: 0
Ambient Temp: 21.6C
OS: Linux
Miner:
Miner Options:
SDK:
Cat:

[check_status]

I do have that tool,  how else can I keep from burning the house down

but the reading is not exact..  jumps around and what you write down is..  well an educated guess.

If you have a model w/ true RMS it shoudn't be jumping around.  Cheaper units measure mean current and then calculate "guestimate" RMS.  This is fine is power is perfectly a sine wave but some loads disrupt the sine wave.  Loads like computer power supplies. 

If you are sure your model is True RMS you also need to make sure that the conductor is in the center of the clamp and doesn't move.  If you move the conductor around you will change the induced current and thus the reading.   A kill-a-watt works the same way so done right readings shouldn't be any less accurate than a Kill-a-watt.

I have picked up one of these for $7.99, will it suffice?

[DeathAndTaxes]

I have picked up one of these for $7.99, will it suffice?

$7.99?  Likely not.  Even $79.99 is unlikely.  Of course if it normally is $200 and you found a 90% off sale then maybe.
I couldn't see the model otherwise I could tell you.

Generally clamp meters fall into one of four categories:
AC only averaging - $ (nearly worthless for mining work).
AC/DC averaging only - $$  (DC is will be accurate but AC averaging meters are nearly worthless for measuring PSU loads).
AC/DC True RMS - $$$ (Will give accurate amps reading on AC side also but doesn't account for power factor).
Power Meter - $$$$ (Measures current & voltage simultaneously for accurate wattage including power factor).

[malevolent]

Are you (or anyone else here) familiar with multimeters? If so could you recommend any? Best if it could be used for AC and DC but currently the most important for me is to measure my 12V lanes' voltages. I found one at home that can be purchased for as little as $1-3 so I bet the actual voltage may vary by 5-10% (or more).

[DeathAndTaxes]

Are you (or anyone else here) familiar with multimeters? If so could you recommend any? Best if it could be used for AC and DC but currently the most important for me is to measure my 12V lanes' voltages. I found one at home that can be purchased for as little as $1-3 so I bet the actual voltage may vary by 5-10% (or more).

Depends on your budget.  Voltage is much easier to measure accurately than current and DC is always easier than AC.

I have always had good luck with KleinTools:
http://www.amazon.com/Klein-MM100-Manual-Ranging-Multimeter/dp/B003JJCGF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329152604&sr=8-1

Klein says measurements are +/- 0.5% and I don't have any reason to doubt them.

[check_status]

Buy the $3 one for general purpose around the house jobs or auto. Buy the $100-200 one for serious tolerant requirement testing.
When someone asks to borrow your DMM, instead of just saying no, you lend them the $3 one. Your accurate expensive tool stays safe.