Quote from: Plumpkatt1 on August 29, 2014, 09:30:27 PM

Quote from: finlof on August 29, 2014, 08:06:52 PM

Quote from: Plumpkatt1 on August 29, 2014, 03:37:04 PM

I have originally wondered about the server PSU possibility. I got a good deal on my rosewill lighning 1300 watt($139) and my Corsair's($49 for the 750 watt 80plus bronze) ($29 for 600 watt 80plus Bronze). The reason I didnt do the Server PSUs was I couldnt find the breakout board option for sale at the time and I couldnt find info on efficiency.

How is the efficiency of the Server PSUs as compared to the 80+ Bronze, Gold or Platinum ATX PSUs?

Also, is it any easier on electric and/or heat to run on 220/230 volts AC as opposed to 110/115?

Server PSU's are generally at least 80% efficient, and this 2000w one is 90+% at 50+% load.

not sure i fully understand your question about "easier on electric and/or heat" but things run more efficiently (ie lower overall watt usage) on higher voltage because they require lower amperage which means less of your electricity is converted to heat (due to resistance). if you want to better understand this link may help (or may just confuse your more) - http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=608751.

V (volts) x A (amps) = W (watts)

I was wondering about the 220/230 vs. 110/115. I ask my father n law about this and he always refers to that same formula. Why are appliances(dryers for example) always 220/230 rather than 110/115? Whats the advantage? It seems like a disadvantage as you would have to run a 220/230 circuit? Some have told be in the past that appliances run on the higher volts as this makes them more efficient. We just wired my trailer/mobile home with new circuits to avoid me burning the place down. We ran 110/115 runs. Does this mean there is no advantage to running 220/230? Sorry if this seems dumb. I just dont get it.

What I mean by easier on electric is Use less, and what I mean by easier on heat is produce less heat/

Your father-in-law told you that formula because it's a very important one. Your home has a main panel with some level of electrical service (100A, 150A, 200A, etc) that you get from the power company. You can't go over that amount. Your dryer and your electric stove convert electricity into heat to dry your clothes, and to cook your food. Now, take a look at that formula again. Let's assume you have a 5000W dryer. On 240V, to get that 5000W you would need to use just about 21A. That same dryer on 120V would require 42A. Remember, you've got a limit to your service.

I've simplified it and left a lot out, but in a nutshell, your typical home has the high-power appliances like central air, clothes dryers, electric stoves all running on 240V. The rest of the stuff, like your lamps, televisions and computers run on 120V.

If we're going to consider bitcoin mining hardware, then you can see the difference with this example. A typical household wall plug is connected to a 120V/15A circuit. The 80% rule means that with a constant load, you can expect 80% of that 120V/15A to be available power. In other words, 1440W (0.8 * 120 * 15). An Antminer S3 needs 340W to give you 440GH/s. That means, on this circuit I can run 4 miners.

Now let's take a look at that outlet the dryer is plugged into. Chances are good it's a 240V/30A circuit. Using the same formula, (0.8 * 240 * 30) we get 5760W. You can run 16 Antminer S3s on that one circuit.

Make sense?