DiscountMaineSoftware.Com wrote:
Another consideration....with the laptop is the built in battery. If power
goes out, or hiccups, the laptop's power management automatically kicks over
the battery. That feature alone will keep your software happy, since you
could loose data and cause data corruption.

I've heard of boaters using fullsize PCs on inverter setups, but also having
a battery backup just in case the inverter fails. I've seen battery backups
as low as $59 at the local Staples/BestBuy, etc that will give you 9-10
minutes of power...long enough to sort out the inverter issues or shutdown
safely if its a more serious issue.

Think worse case...and redundancy!

-Paul



I think the problem with a desk top PC on a boat is that they are
power hogs. If a desk top PC uses 240 W, that is 20 Amps at 12 V. That
is a lot of power. If you use an inverter then you also have the
losses of the inverter. I think people use a Laptop because they use
much less power. I personally would love to use a desktop PC because
they are much cheaper and componenets are much easier to replace, but
the power consumptions is preventing me from going that route.
Does somebody have an solution to this problem, ie a desk top PC that
uses the power of a Laptop?




The PC power is sucked mainly by the CRT monitor. A modern
alternative would do wonders. Check the power consumption.

There are 12v adapters that will provide 16 or whatever your laptop
demands. Most will slurp up 13 or so happily. Won't really hurt to
try. IF it boots, hay, go for it. Make backups first. 50 watts means
5 amp hours per hour, about.

YMMV

Terry K