How many watts do we really need for a gaming pc

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DiceAir

New member
please read the following topics

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1222482

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/truth-pc-power-consumption,1707-7.html

my UPS is a 2000va/1200w so here is the readings

idle: 8%(96w)
full load furmark + prime95:16%(192W)

PC used:

Corsair tx650w psu
4 x 7200rpm Hard drives
3 x externals
MSI gtx280 oc edition even overclocked a bit more
Q9450 stock 2.66 overclocked to 3.2hz
MSI p45-platinum
logitech g15 keybaord
steelsieries ikari lazer mouse
Cooler master storm Sniper case

so why do we need 750w - 1000w+. I think 550w will be enough for the average modern gaming PC as long as you getting a top quality brand like Corsair, Thermaltake, etc.
 
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I pay R1200 a month on elektricity,even though this has nothing to do with this thread,it has to come out :(
 
according to corsair if I cange to a 5970 I will have enough power and even a vx450w will be enough
 
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DiceAir said:
please read the following topics

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1222482

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/truth-pc-power-consumption,1707-7.html

my UPS is a 2000va/1200w so here is the readings

idle: 8%(96w)
full load furmark + prime95:16%(192W)

PC used:

Corsair tx650w psu
4 x 7200rpm Hard drives
3 x externals
MSI gtx280 oc edition even overclocked a bit more
Q9450 stock 2.66 overclocked to 3.2hz
MSI p45-platinum
logitech g15 keybaord
steelsieries ikari lazer mouse
Cooler master storm Sniper case

so why do we need 750w - 1000w+. I think 550w will be enough for the average modern gaming PC as long as you getting a top quality brand like Corsair, Thermaltake, etc.
Click to expand...

i7 860 @ 4ghz.
6gb Corsair Dominators @ 1600, CL8
2 X MSI 5870s, OCed by 50mhz core.
2 X 750gb Hdds
1 X 1tb Hdd
1 X SSD
1 X Creative X-fi
1 X DVD-writer
Watercooling pump
2 X 120mm High CFM fans (for the rad)
3 Case fans (120/140mm)

It makes a lot of sense for me to have a 1000W PSU. Even if I only use 750W or so, the extra wattage gives me headroom to add more hard-drives, or even more power hungry graphics cards. Also, should I add a second watercooling loop, I'll have no problems adding another pump into my case...

*edit*

And if your components don't receive enough voltage, you stand a good chance of actually damaging them.
 
well if your pc is using 1000W then you will have a way bigger bill in electricity. corsair telling me that if I change to 2x 5870s I will need a 650w psu so I'm still fine.


Voltages have nothing to do with wattage of psu. just as long as your getting a good brand like corsair. they always underrate there Power supplys
 
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DiceAir said:
well if your pc is using 1000W then you will have a way bigger bill in electricity. corsair telling me that if I change to 2x 5870s I will need a 650w psu so I'm still fine.

Voltages have nothing to do with wattage of psu. just as long as your getting a good brand like corsair. they always underrate there Power supplys
Click to expand...

Well, the power consumption for the household - 4 people, 2 geysers, pool pump, fridges, etc. - comes to about R2200 p/m, before this latest increase. It's not cheap.

I'd be interested to see what specs Corsair is actually basing that 650W number on. Take a look at this article to see how overclocking my cpu affects my power consumption:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/power-consumption-overclocking_10.html#sect0

By OCing my CPU to 4Ghz, I essentially add 120w to my power consumption. Figure 100W for OCing both my graphics cards. If we take Corsair's figure, I'm probably needing at LEAST a 750W PSU to just run my PC, let alone have a margin of safety. As to the last part of your post, I think it's pretty clear what impact voltage on internal components can have on the choice of PSU. As for the margin of error, I'm glad you place enough faith in that to wager your high-end components on the outcome. If your PSU does not have enough wattage to run your components, at the very least you will have to replace the psu. At the worst, you'll damage you components, owing to the inconsistent power supply to them (your PC may boot with the lower wattage PSU, but thats because all components are essentially at idle. When you get into a situation when you're putting load on the components, the PSU will be unable to supply enough consistent power to the components. This is a very bad thing...).
 
so you say I should go with 1000+ before getting the 5970?

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/29...870_graphics_card_in_crossfire_x/index14.html

2x5870 and system sing 500w

system they used

Processor(s): Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.8GHz (190MHz x 20)
Cooling: Noctua NH-U12P (Supplied by Noctua)
Motherboard(s): GIGABYTE EX58-UD5 (Supplied by GIGABYTE)
Memory: 3 X 2GB OCZ Technology PC-12800 DDR-3 8-8-8-24 (OCZ3G1600LV6GK)
Hard Disk(s): Western Digital 300GB Velicorapter (Supplied by Western Digital)
Operating System: Windows Vista SP1 64-bit
Drivers: ATI Catalyst Cypress Driver, ForceWare 190.62

so I still think the 650w will be enough.

average gamer will never conect more than 1 high end cards
 
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