Knuspar.dk

Switch from home built server to QNAP TS-419+

september 2nd, 2011. Published under Consumer, Hardware, Pictures, Software. No Comments.

After having had a custom server running in my office for almost 6 years, I decided to plug-in a Watt meter the other night to measure exactly how much power it was drawing. I was shocked ..

Before I reveal what happend afterwards let me first explain that I always used my “old” gaming rig as base for a server. So when my main computer was upgraded, the old parts were usually moved into the server, except for graphics card card. I always had a low profile, passive cooled, low-end in the server, as it would be accesed using remote desktop anyways. The server was also always set the server op for power saving mode, so when it wasent used it ould almost go into sleep mode. Rough server specs were:

CPU: q6600, RAM: 4 GB DDR2, SSD: 1x 40 GB, HDD: 5x 500 GB, 1x 750 GB, 3x 1000 GB, PSU: 650 Watt ,FANs: 5x120mm (Including the one for CPU cooling)

Back to the Watt meter, it showed 153 Watt when IDLE! At boot up it would consume 330 Watt!
So, how much is that a day? Or per year?

153 Watt * 24 Hours = 3672/1000 3,672 KWH a day
Current pricing where I live is 1,69 kroner per KWH, so
3,672*1,69 = 6,20 kroner per day or 6,20*365 = 2263 kroner per year!

2263 kroner a year, just in power!

I had for some time been looking at the “Nas World” and never found any good reason because I would be limited in what i could do with my server then. If i had a Server running on a “2nd generation high-end PC” i would always have extra power for hosting a game server. Now i was a t a point where i had to reconsider if i needed that freedom at all.

I made a quick calculation on what a NAS would cost pr. year running. I found a QNAP TS-419P+ Nas that looked to be able to offer what i really needed, or more correctly, i had everything i knew i would want, and then some. Two main things were posibility to have lots of space and low power consumption. It can handle 4 disk of up to 3 TB a piece, so a total of 12 TB and according to its specs it peaks at 31 Watt ( although thats with 4 x 500 GB disks ). Running cost per year with 31 Watt constantly would be:

31 * 24 = 744/1000 = 0,744 KWH a day
The price of a KWH is still 1,69 kroner per KWH, so
0,744*1,69 = 1,25 kroner per day or 1,25*365 = 456,25 kroner per year!

Thats a yearly saving of 2263 – 456,25 = 1806,75 kroner per year! Do note that i calculated the NAS running cost as if its working all the time, and the Sever calculation was made while the system was idle.

Since i got the NAS, i discovered that i actually dont need all the things I used to convince my self i should have a powerfull server for. Also, i have found numerous cool small things to install on it, like iStat, CrashPlan, TwonkyMedia just to mention a few.

On top of this Im starting to love this whole SSH Console thing, so trying to move away from the, otherwise, pretty webGUI the Qnap comes with.

HP mener ikke 10×15 er 10×15, og det mener printerpatronen.dk heller ikke!

august 1st, 2011. Published under Consumer. No Comments.

Keeping this one in danish as it involves at danish reseller of prinet accesories, and 10×15 paper among others.

Nå, man skal altså åbenbart forvente det uventede kan ske når man handler hos http://www.printerpatroner.dk/.

Jeg skulle, i forbindelse med at lave en opstarts bog til knægten som skal i vuggestue, bruge noget 10×15 cm papir. Jeg kigger lidt på nettet og finder http://www.printerpatroner.dk/ som jeg syntes ser troværdig ud. Jeg finder det her papir, som der står er 10×15 cm. Og bestiller det gladeligt. Modtager det og smider det i printeren som gladeligt printer på det, jeg bemærker dog der er lige riugeligt med hvidt til i den ene enden af papiret. Og måler så papiret som er 10×16,5 cm. Jeg kigger på pakken, den siger 10x15cm. Jeg skriver så en høflig mail til http://www.printerpatroner.dk/ hvor jeg skriver som følger:

Jeg modtager her til morgen følgende svar:

Jeg er målløs.

Som forbruger syntes jeg faktisk det er noget pis. Nu blev jeg tvunget til at sidde med en saks og klippe ~1,5 cm af 100 ark. Altså hvis jeg godt gad klippe havde jeg nok bare printe 3 af gangen på de A4 ark jeg har liggende, men jeg bestilte netop 10x15cm papir for at få nogle som var perfekte og rektangulære som man kan forvente det.

Men det skal man åbenbart ikke!

Se selv her

Edit: Og så fik man den lige smidt på Failblog også, der hører den trods alt til :) http://t.co/bpH8z7n

Update: Sørme om ikke det sommetider betaler sig at være ude med riven! I hvertfald har jeg fået, efter jeg har skrevet dette blog indlæg samt postet en tråd om emnet på dailyrush.dk, en mail:

om at de er lidt kede af omtalen. Jeg kan se de også har rettet deres hjemmeside, så +1 til http://www.printerpatroner.dk/ for det.