Question 535 watt ac unit and 850 watt gaming pc on same outlet

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P0tluck94

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Hey tall I did see a party about this already posted but how do I tell how many Watts my pc pulls under load? It has a 850 watt thermaltake gf3 gold, my window ac is 535 watts cooling power at 4.9 amps.

My house is really old 102 years to be exact I'm disabled so I dont have the money to have the electrical redone that stuffs crazy expensive (had an estimate and it was $7500) this is the first year with my new pc and the ac as it gets like 100 degrees upstairs, this pc is much stronger than the other one that ran fine with the ac and pc on the same socket but again it wasn't as strong even though it too had a 850 watt psu.

I upgraded from a ryzen 3600 and a 3060ti w a 850 w gold seasonic psu to a 5800x3d and a 4070ti super With a 850w gold thermaltake gf3.
i just don't want to short my pc or burn my house down so I'm inquiring, ty
 
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P0tluck94

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COLGeek said:
Then I recommend you only run one at a time. You might add an UPS to the PC setup and that may protect the PC enough to run both off the same outlet.

Do you have access to the breaker box for the eventual resetting of the breaker?

Can you run an extension cord to another room?
Click to expand...
Cant run an extension cord for either unit, 15 ft max distance is what everything recommends.

Yes I have access to a breaker and my ac unit also has a built in breaker in the plug
 
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COLGeek

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P0tluck94 said:
That'll save the pc if the breaker pops? If so can you recommend one I have no idea what to look for
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What is your budget? In the meantime, this should fit your needs fairly well.


I have several of these to protect my PCs and network devices. They have never let me down.

Your issue is going to be the surge that hits when the AC kicks in. An UPS will protect your PC from a power outage.
 
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P0tluck94

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COLGeek said:
What is your budget? In the meantime, this should fit your needs fairly well.


I have several of these to protect my PCs and network devices. They have never let me down.

Your issue is going to be the surge that hits when the AC kicks in. An UPS will protect your PC from a power outage.
Click to expand...
I have a really good surge protector I bought that's for a home theater it's a Panama brand I think it was almost $200 dollars, so the issue is when the condenser kicks in could draw power away from the pc, haven't noticed any lights dimming in the room but that Dont mean it's not doing it.


I had a ups a very very long time ago that burnt up the same day I dont know if i hooked it up wrong, or if I didn't get one that was compatible for the pc
 
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P0tluck94

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COLGeek said:
A surge protector will not protect from a power outage (like when a breaker trips).

Sounds like your electrical challenges are, well, challenging. Good luck.
Click to expand...

COLGeek said:
A surge protector will not protect from a power outage (like when a breaker trips).

Sounds like your electrical challenges are, well, challenging. Good luck.
Click to expand...
I'll Look into the UPS I just don't know what I did wrong 25 years ago, I hooked it up went to bed woke up with the alarm going off and the smell of a fried battery backup.
would i just plug it in and plug my whole surge protector as i have it right now into it or do I have to plug different things into different spots, like how hard are they to hook up
 
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COLGeek

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P0tluck94 said:
I'll Look into the UPS I just don't know what I did wrong 25 years ago, I hooked it up went to bed woke up with the alarm going off and the smell of a fried battery backup.
would i just plug it in and plug my whole surge protector as i have it right now into it or do I have to plug different things into different spots, like how hard are they to hook up
Click to expand...
Tech has changed a lot since then.
 
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beyondlogic

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P0tluck94 said:
Confused on what you mean, a UPS dont help with power spikes/draws?
Click to expand...

ups will only keep the power on due to a blackout and on modern wiring it it might prevent a spike but theres no ground wire in knob and tube wiring i assume thats how old the wires are. its same reason a surge protector isnt going to do jack squat cause theres no earth wire in your home.

heres what i can find on what you can do to improve your wiring instead of total replacement,

https://diy.stackexchange.com/quest...fci-circuit-breaker-with-knob-and-tube-wiring
 
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P0tluck94

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beyondlogic said:
ups will only keep the power on due to a blackout and on modern wiring it it might prevent a spike but theres no ground wire in knob and tube wiring i assume thats how old the wires are. its same reason a surge protector isnt going to do jack squat cause theres no earth wire in your home.

heres what i can find on what you can do to improve your wiring instead of total replacement,

https://diy.stackexchange.com/quest...fci-circuit-breaker-with-knob-and-tube-wiring
Click to expand...
There's an earth wire to that one outlet, I ran it directly off my grounded radiant heat copper piping but only one has it. Yes the wiring is old, I just talked to an electrician, he stated it's not that the circuit cant handle it as it can, it's the draws that happen when the ac condenser kicks in that could damage the pc as it sucks alot of power and that a UPS will not help with it, the only way to fix it is to get a stand alone circuit ran and i cannot afford that
 
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beyondlogic

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P0tluck94 said:
There's an earth wire to that one outlet, I ran it directly off my grounded radiant heat copper piping but only one has it. Yes the wiring is old asf
Click to expand...

if that one socket is grounded thats good a ups should be fine. until then i would get a surge protector.

https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Protector-Right-Angle-INSURANCE/dp/B0000510Z9/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1IOJTNT8OJD96&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.m_knV2njiKId9fXpwYM3RmRjjwJF45eUmxfpsvKnPkAwOXHqR_VHiGAwdRjdyt9yhUQ0AzkNs8nz9Uj6zanhC2jw8ZvkOv8S86fbdRwf_R5kTHozEfHeDkBxiXOkENwCIF8GFWsCglvvjFmoEtZZ1wZJ6nbGMKr8hd-Sm_L5XnYiw2ESmmAEm2h_DtNW-oK7ctIPIrhsusiawI7WE1qNJyGHHQPcXBiCyhYQ4zW9FYQ-Ktlx3KhPuSvDQbIbrRlygVU5d-G1_HzJ-J3ZKk12h9qgCgIKFOK_B-SjLg8ydlo.cwaMA6btNYmtaBLXhKKCklLeINaSUMk6EuYJJ-MJsaA&dib_tag=se&keywords=surge+protector&qid=1714272640&refinements=p_n_feature_ten_browse-bin:17854129011&rnid=17854128011&s=electronics&sprefix=surge+protector+,aps,145&sr=1-4&th=1

that one is rated for 1410 joule or 1400w

info below

https://tripplite.eaton.com/isobar-2-outlet-surge-protector-6-ft-cord-1410-joules~ISOBAR26

at most what i could find is knob and tube wiring can handle around 60 amps max. the minimum i could find was a max of 15 amps which is round 1800 watts if you tie in the above surge protector i think it would be safe to run. as even with your ac and pc i dont think your gonna pull more then 1200 watts max
 
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P0tluck94

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beyondlogic said:
if that one socket is grounded thats good a ups should be fine. until then i would get a surge protector.

https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Protector-Right-Angle-INSURANCE/dp/B0000510Z9/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1IOJTNT8OJD96&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.m_knV2njiKId9fXpwYM3RmRjjwJF45eUmxfpsvKnPkAwOXHqR_VHiGAwdRjdyt9yhUQ0AzkNs8nz9Uj6zanhC2jw8ZvkOv8S86fbdRwf_R5kTHozEfHeDkBxiXOkENwCIF8GFWsCglvvjFmoEtZZ1wZJ6nbGMKr8hd-Sm_L5XnYiw2ESmmAEm2h_DtNW-oK7ctIPIrhsusiawI7WE1qNJyGHHQPcXBiCyhYQ4zW9FYQ-Ktlx3KhPuSvDQbIbrRlygVU5d-G1_HzJ-J3ZKk12h9qgCgIKFOK_B-SjLg8ydlo.cwaMA6btNYmtaBLXhKKCklLeINaSUMk6EuYJJ-MJsaA&dib_tag=se&keywords=surge+protector&qid=1714272640&refinements=p_n_feature_ten_browse-bin:17854129011&rnid=17854128011&s=electronics&sprefix=surge+protector+,aps,145&sr=1-4&th=1

that one is rated for 1410 joule or 1400w

https://tripplite.eaton.com/isobar-2-outlet-surge-protector-6-ft-cord-1410-joules~ISOBAR26
Click to expand...
I have a Panamax one , this one

https://www.amazon.com/Panamax-PM8-...fD8aQ8jyQk91bWK9z92QelHWsyq-i1yhoCtxMQAvD_BwE

Dont know if its good or not, I got it a few years ago was almost $200 then, it's this even what i need or the same thing you linked?
 
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beyondlogic

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P0tluck94

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beyondlogic said:
from what i can tell it can just stop a over surge of just over 1000 watts so that to me is better then nothing i still would have that plugged in unsure if all the plugs are tied as a set or group though.
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All this stuff is very stressful and confusing, if I could run the ac off a long extension cord I would but the manual says no longer than 15' if I could handle the heat wouldn't even use it but I'm a stroke survivor and the heat destroys me, I just want to play games without worry 😭
 
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beyondlogic

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P0tluck94 said:
All this stuff is very stressful, if I could run the ac off a long extension cord I would but the manual says no longer than 15' if I could handle the heat wouldn't even use it but I'm a stroke survivor and the heat destroys me, I just want to play games without worry 😭
Click to expand...

thats really odd i imagine it would be more to do with the wiring then anything if the wire is up to snuff a cheap extention cord will cause a fire if its not the right gauge of wire what is the ac unit model number. ?
 
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stonecarver

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P0tluck94 said:
it's the draws that happen when the ac condenser kicks in that could damage the pc as it sucks alot of power
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Exactly


I would look for a yellow construction rated extension cord not the orange one everyone has. The Yellow has lower gage wire to run higher amps and can run it in a longer run more than 15 feet.

If your not sure what is what as far as is this socket tied to the A/C wall socket flip off the breaker to the A/C than go around the house until you find a live socket. Take a lamp or a small fan just something to use to test the wall socket to find one not tied to the A/C. Run computer off that other breaker.

Yes I know from my side that would be my answer as I'm not sure if your house or layout would let you make this work but.

Also if you do this run the computer off the extension cord NOT the A/C.
 
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beyondlogic

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P0tluck94 said:
All this stuff is very stressful and confusing, if I could run the ac off a long extension cord I would but the manual says no longer than 15' if I could handle the heat wouldn't even use it but I'm a stroke survivor and the heat destroys me, I just want to play games without worry 😭
Click to expand...

other option have you considered like a battery powered ac ?


other option would be a power strip with built in surge protection what is the distance between your ac and the socket
 
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P0tluck94

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stonecarver said:
Exactly


I would look for a yellow construction rated extension cord not the orange one everyone has. The Yellow has lower gage wire to run higher amps and can run it in a longer run more than 15 feet.

If your not sure what is what as far as is this socket tied to the A/C wall socket flip off the breaker to the A/C than go around the house until you find a live socket. Take a lamp or a small fan just something to use to test the wall socket to find one not tied to the A/C. Run computer off that other breaker.

Yes I know from my side that would be my answer as I'm not sure if your house or layout would let you make this work but.

Also if you do this run the computer off the extension cord NOT the A/C.
Click to expand...
I know the ac draws power which is why they say not to use an extension cord, not questioning you but I would rather not risk hooking my pc up to an extension cord , I'm looking at $3000 compared to $250 for the ac, I have 2 plugs in my room both get turned off when I flip the breaker, if I ran the ac to the second plug it would be the same as plugging it into the same outlet right as its on the same circuit or no?
 
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