The Cost of Distributed Client Computing?

ialbert asks: "I only recently decided to install SETI@home on my mostly idle home computer. It got me thinking though, are those free processor cycles truly free? Has anyone had experience with processors dying prematurely due to a constant, heavy load, or is usage pretty inconsequential? What about other components, like harddrives? And how much does a 100% processor load increase your power bill versus a 1-2% idle load over the course of a year? It's easy to think of idle computers as an untapped computational resource, but what are the costs to the computer owners?"

Comments

Re:50 Watts increase at 100% CPU Load

[Cuthalion]

It's the most expensive option possible, even compared to an electric heating system.

It's only more expensive than an electric heating system if you weren't planning on buying the computer anyway. All of your electrical appliances turn the power they use ultimately into heat. The question is how much of that energy escapes the house? For a light near a window, it's some. For a radio transmitter it's a bunch. For a computer, it's almost none.