finding cheap hardware for Linux?

[E Frank Ball]

} Wattage is what matters.  (P=I*E or Watts=Amps*Volts)
} 
}  975mA @ 5V   = 4.875 W
} 1060mA @ 3.3V = 3.498 W (less, not more than the first)
} 2360mA @ 5V   = 11.8  W (a lot)

Wattage is what matter for power dissapation in the microprocessor (how
big a heatsink you need), but if it runs off a 5Volt power supply
current is what matters if you are worried how fast that little wheel in
your power meter will be spinning.  The processor plus the voltage
regulator on the motherboard draw 5V from the power supply.

1A at 5V=5watts.  720hours/month*5watts=3600watthours or 3.6kW hours.
PG&E is charging 13.3 cents/1kW hour above baseline usage.
Add in a 10% rate hike, and figure 70% power supply efficiency
and you get less than a buck a month for the 486, $2/month for the P60.

} Still not as bad as a light bulb.

True, the lights on my fish tanks as much or more to my PG&E bill than
my computers.

If the machine has a 250watt power supply and you run it to the max that
would be $26/month.  I had a P60 with 3 hard drives running off a 235
watt power supply running 24/7 for years without failure.

   E Frank Ball                efball at efball.com