Computer Power Supplies VS. Power Consumption
Many people don’t realize that just like your automobile, computers have unique power requirements. Several years ago I had to help a relative with her car – a 1975 Ford Mustang. She recently had a new stereo system, sub woofer, the whole kit n’ caboodle installed in her Mustang. She complained that her car constantly died and was a bit of an ordeal to start in the mornings. The battery seemed fine, the alternator checked out, but after her new stereo system was installed, she constantly had problems with her car dying. What the problem boiled down to was this: after she upgraded the stereo system in her car, the car’s power requirements went up two fold. The car’s old, factory stock battery could not keep up. With my help she changed out her old car battery for a new, bigger and better battery and the problem was resolved.
Computers are very similar. If you upgrade components in your computer, you also should consider what sort of strain this will place on your computer’s power supply.
Your standard, “bare bones” computer does not require much power. With only one 400 gigabyte hard drive, a dual core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, one optical drive… At a minimum you need a 300 watt power supply. With a mid level computer, that is a computer consisting of one, one terabyte hard drive, a Quad core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, a high end video card – you definitely need a 500 Watt (or greater) power supply. Anything above that and a 600 – 700 Watt power supply is a must.
For example:
Central Processing Units
Under an extreme level of process tasking, from your computer’s CPU – for example Intel’s Q8400 – you should expect to see around 200 Watts of power consumption.
Hard drives
For hard drives, most manufacturers post their power supply requirement / information online. As a general rule of thumb, though, each hard drive uses about 10 Watts.
Video cards
For Most of the newer video cards – for example the GeForce 9500 GT – the manufacturer’s minimum power requirement is a 500 Watt power supply (or greater). The power consumption, of course, varies per application. Under a heavy processing load, though, you should expect to see about 212 Watts of power consumption.
CD / DVD drives
At the CD / DVD drive’s maximum burst output, you should expect to see about a 25 Watt power consumption.
RAM
Under a heavy load, you should expect to see a 1.5-2 Watt power consumption. This value is based upon Kingston KVR667D2N5 – 1 Gigabyte – DDR2 RAM.
Furthermore, all USB devices (unless powered through an AC/DC adapter) also draw power through the Universal Serial Bus. If you are trying to make a precise estimate of how much your minimum power requirements are, you might also want to take this into consideration.
If you add these values together :
(200 Watts (CPU) + 10 Watts (HDD) + 212 Watts (Video card) + 25 Watts (CD / DVD Drive) + 2 Watts (RAM)) = 450 Watts.
These values were calculated in reference to a basic “mid-level” computer system, as mentioned above.
Just remember: If you upgrade the components of your computer, but neglect to also upgrade your computer’s power supply – the more inevitable it is that you will have problems somewhere down the line.
If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know! Thanks for reading.
Computer or PC-Based Security DVR Running Slow? – Try these Tips First
Many times, whenever our computers break down, software is considered the culprit. Have you ever considered that your neglect of your computer’s hardware and internal file organization could also be the cause of the headaches, though? It’s true. Most of the time, our computers work perfectly. You zip through checking your email or slap together that spreadsheet your boss has been hounding you about, but you don’t give the computer a second thought.
There are times, though, when your computer is moving at a snail’s pace and you want to bang your keyboard on the desk or throw your monitor out the window… anything to make the thing work faster! Many of these issues with your computer slowing down can be eased or solved with simple “house cleaning” that should be performed every couple of months or so. Give the below tips a try and let us know if you have any luck! If these don’t help, your computer might be infected with spyware, malware or even a computer virus. See the bottom of this article for a few tips to try against these more serious issues.
Protecting your computer against dust
Dust is a major culprit in bogging down your computer. From a technician’s standpoint, I cannot recall how many times I have opened a customer’s computer and BAM! Dust bunny Central! Try to imagine a computer as you would your lungs. If your lungs are clogged, you cannot breathe. The same can be said for a PC. The inside of a computer is designed specifically to channel air through the case; to replace the hot air generated by all the components with cool air from outside. Try running a marathon with dust and cobwebs stuffed deep within your throat or lungs. You would rapidly expire from fatigue, head exhaustion, or a heart attack. Without fresh air to compensate for the heat generated by the computer’s components, the computer will slow down, more and more, as time goes on. Eventually, things will go very wrong and operation will grind to a halt.
I suggest doing the following, once a month.
After removing all cables from the computer, take a synthetic fiber brush and gently brush away the dust from the outside ports of the computer; the USB ports, back vent ports, power supply vents, etc. Anywhere that you see fleeing dust bunnies, brush these vermin elsewhere. Then, you need to remove the side panel from the PC by unscrewing any screws and sliding it off. Use a vacuum hose to GENTLY vacuum up all the dust inside of the computer. As a note of caution, jamming the vacuum hose into all the tight and hard to reach corners of the case might get more dust out, but you might also damage the internal components. Be careful when doing so. If you like, you can use compressed air to clean out the corners and internal components of the case a bit more. After vacuuming all the loose, rampant dust bunnies up, replace the computer’s cover and plug all your cables back in.
Disk Defragmenter
With the coming of age of Windows 95 came a new and extremely useful tool – the Disk Defragmenter. What this tool does is take all of the files and pieces of files, that Windows has haphazardly strewn all over your hard drive, and organizes them. Just as you would tell your son or daughter to clean their room, you’re telling Windows to clean its file system. This can free up space and bring back some of the old speedy days you saw before your computer became sluggish.
In Windows XP, you can access the Disk Defragmenter by clicking on:
Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk Defragmenter
Disk Cleanup
Windows 95 also brought us another useful tool – Disk Cleanup. This is a simple utility that scans your computer’s hard drive for redundant and duplicate files, useless files, items in your recycling bin, etc. Once these files are located, Disk Cleanup gives you the option to delete or remove said files. It can also compress old or unused files, saving even more space. Disk Cleanup is another tool you should use once every month or so that can help speed up your computer and get rid of useless garbage.
In Windows XP, you can access Disk Cleanup by clicking on:
Start->All Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Disk Cleanup
Free Resources for spyware, malware, and virus infections.
If you are experiencing weird popups, spam, or other malicious activities, I suggest trying the following three utilities along with the above procedures.
- AVG – Free Anti-Virus Software
- Spybot Search and Destroy
- Adaware
AVG is a free virus scanner & protection program that can help detect and prevent a lot of the malicious software out there. It does have a better, paid version, too… and I wouldn’t count on it as a be all and end all solution to your problems. It’s definitely worth grabbing and checking out, though.
This piece of software is very powerful and is used quite a bit to detect and eliminate spyware and other malicious software. There is an option to scan your registry before Windows load, which catches any software that may block other scanners, etc. Highly recommended.
Free and paid versions are available, with the free version claiming “comprehensive malware protection.” This is another highly recommended piece of freeware that is used across the tech world to battle malware and malicious software.
These are only general suggestions and should be taken as such. We do not guarantee that these actions or programs will fix your computer, nor do we directly indorse any of the programs mentioned in this article. We have, however, found every suggestion here useful in the past, and want to pass them on to you as just that, suggestions. Best of luck, everyone!
GeoVision vs. AVerMedia Surveillance Software Overview
Filed under: AVerMedia, Comparisons, GeoVision, Reviews, Software
There are several clear differences between the GeoVision and AVerMedia central monitoring software suites. Here are a few key points that will hopefully help you decide which system you would like to utilize for your next surveillance installation.
GeoVision Central Monitoring Station
From the standpoint of an experienced technician, it feels like more thought has been put into designing GeoVision’s Products. The graphical user interface (GUI) is much more attractive and clean, and you have a different login for each user. If an administrator logs in, he or she has admin rights and does not have to enter a username and password time and again.
There are also many more advanced options for fully utilizing the GeoVision software. The average user should have no difficulty using it for simple monitoring purposes, though. For more advanced applications, such as projecting different security cameras onto separate monitors, repairing archived video footage, having more control over your GeoVision DVR Cards, or integrating IP cameras into your existing system, the possibilities are numerous.
When it comes to tying in different manufacturers’ products, however, GeoVision is not quite “user friendly.” Unless you are using one of GeoVision’s products with your GeoVision DVR Software, you will have to pony up a significant amount of money to integrate non-GeoVision security cameras and other equipment.
AVerMedia Central Monitoring Software
The AVerMedia digital surveillance software is built with a larger focus on the average user. Once setup, software is relatively self explanatory and somewhat painless to work with. Both software suites are menu-driven, but accessing options within the AVerMedia CMS is a cinch.
Like GeoVision, though, AVerMedia does have its drawbacks. You have to type in a password several times when you are accessing setup menus, minimizing or closing the software, etc. Also, some of the tweaks and tricks readily available in GeoVision’s software are not easily accessible in AVerMedia’s.
I will give kudos to the engineers at AVerMedia, though, because their system is not nearly as proprietary-minded as GeoVision’s. Without buying a special device to incorporate non-AVerMedia products, you can easily augment the software with various other security cameras and equipment. From IP cameras to POS devices, adding non-proprietary products to AVerMedia’s software can be easily and cost-effectively accomplished.
Depending on your level of technical sophistication, either of these products is perfect for the average user. However, if you are a “techie” or like to tinker, Geovision may be the better choice for you!
Keep Up With Us
