Most of you know that powering a computer is not free. When a computer is on, it generates heat. What some people might not know is that the amount of energy a computer, laptop, tablet uses varies by usage.
For example, your phone drains battery more when you use energy intensive functions like filming video, using GPS navigation, playing games. The same is true for a plugged in desktop computer. Running intense computational programs will use more energy and the system would need to expel that heat.
A powerful computer with a high-end CPU and video card could easily pull 500W. An enthusiast might have a system that goes well above 1000W. 3D gaming can use quite a bit, and people who mine crypto-currency will know it can produce a lot of heat.
In terms of how much heat is generated, many might not know that every joule of energy going into a computer all comes out as heat.
Why plug in an electric heater when running a computer is just as efficient? Light bulbs, TV, audio systems, charging your phone, every bit of power being used all comes out as heat. 1400W going into a hairdryer makes 1400W of heat. Likewise, a computer that draws 1400W of power makes exactly the same amount of heat. That’s just physics.
Why not harness this power for something useful. Crank your bitcoin mining to the max during the winter and put away that electric heater. Better yet, use it to help science with programs like Folding@Home for example.
However, I don’t want excess heat during the summer, but I can still use the heat for other purposes. I have this setup to capture some of the heat expelled from my computer. I’ve been encoding a lot of video so I run that as needed when I want to speed up defrosting food.
