Which is the best generator to power 5 computers and 5 monitors?

Question

I am making a Lan club and we don't have access to mains so we have to power it by a generator so what would be the best generator to power 5 computers and 5 monitors and how many should I get because I need to power 10 computers and 10 monitors including mine and is there any that are cheap because generators are a lot of money.

Answer 1

You should figure out how much wattage all the computers are drawing.

I would recommend two generators because if one fails all the computers don't go down.  You may want to consider battery backup in case of power failure, unless you're using laptops, then a battery is already included with the laptop.  I don't know how 'clean' the power is from a generator so surge suppression is recommended

Answer 2

Computer at running state draws around 180 Watts (avg) and a monitor, assuming CRT style pulls about 100. Thus you need just under 300 watts per machine. 10 machines would need a 3Kw generator minimum. I will mention tho that at power up machines will draw almost double the current so you will have to power them up one by one to avoid an overload.

Home Depot usually has 5Kw gennies for under $1000. Or you can look for a used one. Might save some money, but older gennies dont have power regulators and could fry your computers.