Hello everyone, friends! Today we continue the topic of saving energy and in today’s article we will try to find out how much electricity a typical home computer consumes.
To determine the consumption of the computer as a whole, you need to add up all the separately connected devices, for example, as a rule, this is the system unit - the heart of the computer, or as some mistakenly call the processor, and it is worth taking into account the consumption of the computer monitor.
To determine consumption, they usually look at the power of the power supply; in computers it is from 350 watts, most often from 450 watts in modern computers. Out of ignorance, to determine the power consumption of a computer, they take and consider the consumption equal to the power of the power supply system unit, but this is not correct. Electricity consumption depends directly on the load on the processor by applications.
During work
If you are just working on a computer, for example browsing the Internet, or typing or viewing photos, then the approximate electricity consumption will be from 120 to 160 watts on average, or from 0.14 kilowatts (kW).
During games
If you use energy-intensive applications that require powerful, coordinated operation of all parts of the computer, for example, video games, or working with graphics, power consumption in this case can reach values from 300 to 340 watts per hour, or 0.3 kW.
Old computers
Old computers with an age of 7-10 years consume much less electricity than modern ones; these are computers usually with installed Windows system Xp, electricity consumption will average 70 W/hour.
Content
Today we will look at the issue of calculating the power of a power supply for a computer and choosing it, we will find out which components consume the most.
The first aspect that must be evaluated when calculating the power of a PC power supply relates to the load with which the power supply will be effectively used. For example, using a 500 watt power supply as a reference, if that PC's internal component consumption is only 500 watts, then the load will be 100%; similarly, if the internal component consumption of this PC is 250 W, then the load in this case will be 50%.
Efficiency expressed as a percentage is a very important factor to consider when choosing a good power supply because the higher the efficiency of the power supply, the lower the required consumption and the heat produced. However, given that the efficiency unfortunately tends to decrease depending on the amount of energy required from time to time. The power supply performs best at around 70% load, which is between around 60% and 80% load. So, if you buy an oversized power supply, the efficiency may not be ideal.
To obtain ideal efficiency, select the power supply wattage according to the maximum system consumption. Therefore, to choose the right power supply, you need to find a power supply that, according to the consumption of the internal components, will achieve maximum efficiency.
WHAT POWER SUPPLY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE FOR YOUR COMPUTER?
Let's assume that there is no magic formula that allows you to figure out exactly what is the ideal power supply for a particular PC. However, there are several tools online - calculators - that allow you to calculate the wattage of your power supply by selecting one by one the components you decide to install. But these tools aren't 100% accurate, so they're just good starting points to get an idea of your PC's maximum consumption. How to calculate the power supply power of a PC? The best way- use these tools first, but then do the calculations yourself to understand what the consumption of individual components is.
In the photo: Power calculation calculator “KSA Power Supply Calculator” WHAT COMPONENTS CONSUME THE MOST?
Typically, the main sources of power consumption for any computer are only two: the processor and the video card (there are cases when one video card consumes as much as the sum of all other system components). Then comes the motherboard, hard drive, SSD, RAM, optical drive and fans that only consume a few watts each.
Here sample list consumption:
- For RAM memory modules, a consumption of about 3 W per module can be taken into account;
- for SSD, you can consider a consumption of about 3 W;
- for traditional hard drive it can be considered to consume about 8/10 W;
- for an optical drive such as a DVD recorder, a consumption of about 25 W can be considered;
- for fans, a consumption of about 3/4 W per fan can be taken into account;
- for the motherboard it starts from 70/80W for the model entry level, but you can also get around 120/130W for a high-end motherboard;
- for a processor we can consider the consumption to be less than 50 Watts if it is a low-end processor, 80 to 100 Watts for a mid-range processor and 160 to 180 Watts for a high-end processor;
- Finally, for a video card you can consider consumption from 100 W to 300 W depending on the model used.
This is the maximum consumption of each component, i.e. consumption when the computer is under heavy load. For example, especially difficult software or very difficult games. In fact, when normal use PC overall consumption of individual components is significantly lower. To get a more accurate estimate, it is best to rely on those sites or those experts who review the products you are interested in.
To calculate the power of a PC's power supply, simply compare first the maximum consumption of the processor and graphics card, and then the maximum consumption of all other components of the PC. Remember that the power supply must be able to support the PC when it is under its highest load and therefore only takes the maximum consumption as the reference level for individual components. Once you have done this calculation, adding another 20% you will finally find the correct wattage of your power supply. However, if you intend to overclock your PC, then to find the right power supply, in this case, in addition to the consumption of various components, you will need to add another 30% of the energy consumption.
On video: Selecting a power supply by power.
PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Suppose, for example, a computer assembled with the following components:
- CPU: Intel Core i5-8600;
- video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070;
- motherboard: ASUS PRIME Z370-A;
- hard drive: any;
- SSD: any;
- optical drive: any;
- RAM: any two DDR4 modules;
On average, the processor consumes 75/80 W, video card 180/200 W, motherboard 110/120 W, 7 W hard drive, 3 W SSD, 25 W optical drive, two 5 W DDR4 memory modules and three other 10 - watt fan. Thus, we consume approximately 420-450 Watts of consumption. We added another 20% consumption and so we get a 550 watt power supply, which is already more than enough for this configuration, reaching 600 watts (i.e. 30% more) if you wanted to overclock.
One of the most important components of a computer. It provides power to all other components and the stability of the entire computer depends on it. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right power supply for your computer. In this article we will talk about how to choose a power supply for your computer.
Power supply power.
The first thing you need to decide is how much power you need. depends on the components installed on the computer. The easiest way to find out the required power supply power is to use a special calculator. The most popular calculators are:
These calculators are very easy to use. All you need to do is fill out a form in which you need to select the components that are installed on your computer from the drop-down lists. After this, the calculator will show the maximum sum of the peak powers of all the components you have selected. You can already use this figure as a guide when selecting a power supply.
But, you should not select a power supply whose power is just enough. It must be taken into account that the actual power of the power supply may be lower than what the manufacturer claims. In addition, you need to take into account that the configuration may change over time. Therefore, it is better to take a power supply with a small margin. For example, you can add 25% to the power that the power calculator will show.
Power supply cooling system.
Another important point when selecting a power supply, this is the cooling system. Pay attention to the number of fans and their diameter. Most modern power supplies are equipped with only one fan with a diameter of 120, 135 or 140 millimeters. It must be taken into account that the larger the fan, the. Therefore, it is best to choose a model with the largest possible fan.
There are also models on sale with one or two 80 mm fans. As a rule, these are very cheap models. Such power supplies make a lot of noise, so you should not buy such models.
Another option for a cooling system is power supplies with passive cooling. Such power supplies do not make any noise at all, since they are not equipped with fans. But, if you purchase such a power supply, you need to take care of additional cooling for the system unit.
Cables and connectors.
Also, when selecting a power supply, you need to pay attention to the cables and connectors with which it is equipped. Power supplies come with fixed or plug-in cables.
In the first case, the cables are rigidly fixed in the power supply. In this case, all unused cables will dangle aimlessly inside the system unit, blocking the air flow and impairing its cooling. If the power supply allows you to connect and disconnect cables, then the user can connect only those cables that he really needs. This approach reduces the number of cables inside the system unit and improves its cooling. Therefore, when selecting a power supply, it is best to choose a model with plug-in cables.
Power supply price.
Price is also an important point when choosing a power supply for a computer. You shouldn’t save too much on the power supply by buying the cheapest model that matches the power. As a rule, such models produce much less power than their manufacturer claims.
It is best to choose a power supply from a well-known manufacturer that has long established itself in the market. Now such manufacturers are FSP, Enermax, Hipro, HEC, Seasonic, Delta, Silverstone, PC Power & Cooling, Antec, Zalman, Chiftec, Gigabyte, Corsair, Thermaltake, OCZ, Cooler Master.
In this article, we will help you choose a Power Supply for your computer in order to manage your funds correctly and not overpay for “unnecessary Watts”.
Many people, when buying a computer, pay little attention to choosing a power supply. They believe that any one installed in the purchased case will do.
But in vain. The power supply is one of the most important components of your work, home or gaming computer.
Because of a cheap (bad, low-quality) power supply costing a couple of tens of dollars, equipment worth several hundred or even thousands of dollars can “go to their forefathers.”
So you shouldn’t skimp on your computer’s power supply. This is a well-known fact, confirmed by regular failures of expensive components.
So, where should you start when choosing a power supply?
First of all
you need to roughly calculate the power consumption of all system components.
That is, we will find out what power supply unit we need.
This can be done using the so-called “power supply calculator”.
In each section you need to select the components of your computer: type of processor (CPU), motherboard, RAM, video card, hard drive and optical drive, and also indicate the number of installed components. Then click the "Calculate" button.
The resulting number will be the required power for your system (and with a small margin); accordingly, we need to choose a power supply with a power as close as possible to our calculated value.
Power Supply Calculator
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Our calculator takes into account a small power reserve when calculating. Why this is needed can be found in the article.
The second step there will be a choice of power supply type.
Power supplies are distinguished by the type of connection of outgoing lines: modular And standard.
Toward modular You can connect cables as needed, depending on your needs. A very practical property - it allows you to get rid of unused bundles of wires inside the system unit. Used mainly by enthusiasts.
In standard BP all bundles of wires are made non-removable. This is a cheaper and simpler model.
Power supplies are also distinguished by type of Power Factor Correction (PFC): active And passive.
Passive PFC implemented in the form of a conventional choke, smoothing out voltage ripple. But the efficiency of such PFC is very low.
The simplest power supplies are produced with a passive power correction system and are installed in inexpensive budget cases.
A active PFC It is implemented in the form of an additional board and is another switching power supply, which increases the voltage. In addition to the fact that active PFC provides a power factor close to ideal, it also, unlike passive, improves the operation of the power supply - it additionally stabilizes the input voltage, and the unit becomes noticeably less sensitive to low voltage, and also “swallows” short-term (shares seconds) voltage dips.
WITH active system Later models of high-quality power supplies from well-known manufacturers are produced: Seasonic, Chieftec, HighPower, FSP, ASUS, CoolerMaster, Zalman.
Note: Conflicts have sometimes been noted between a PSU with an active PFC and some UPS (uninterruptible power supplies).
In addition, you need to pay attention to the power supply cable connectors that will be used to connect your components.
There is a so-called ATX standard power supplies. This standard determines the availability of the necessary connectors for connecting all equipment.
We recommend standard PSU at least ATX 2.3 for all modern gaming systems(where additional power supply for video cards is used), and not lower than ATX 2.2 for office multimedia systems. There should be enough connectors to connect your devices: 6+6 pin video cards or 6+8 pin, motherboard 24+4+4, SATA devices etc.
The third point There will be an overview of the specifications specified by the manufacturer on the label of the Power Supply.
Important! When purchasing, always pay attention to nominal power supply unit, not peak(PEAK) (the peak is always greater).
Rated power of PSU is the power that the unit can produce long time, constantly.
Peak power- this is the power that the power supply can only provide for a short time.
The most popular parameter today is the power of the power supply through +12V channels.
The more channels the better. It can range from one +12V channel to several: +12V1, +12V2, ..., +12V4, +12V5, etc.
In modern systems, the main load falls on these channels: processor, video cards, coolers, hard drives, etc.
Therefore, when choosing between several power supplies that suit your power, The decisive factor is the total power along the +12V lines.
The greater this total power, the better the PSU components are implemented.
In other words, for example, if you have chosen three power supplies, say, with a total power of 500W, then among them you need to choose the one that has a greater total current (and therefore power) along the lines +12V1..+12V2, etc.
Let's look at examples of where to look for the information we need on a sticker.
The first will be the power supply from ZALMAN.
There is one +12V line, only 18A and only 216 W.
But it contains active PFC, which is an undeniable advantage.
This block is quite enough for an average budget system.
The second one will be BP FSP.
In it we already see two +12V lines (15A and 16A). Despite the fact that the marking indicates a power of 500 watts, in the “nominal” it is 460 watts.
This is a high-quality, but inexpensive power supply in the budget sector. It is quite capable of providing a lightweight gaming system.
Unfortunately, there is no information about PFC on the label, you can get it on the website FSP.
Well, the third will be a power supply also from ZALMAN.
It has 6 (!) +12V lines with a total power of 960 Watts. The table shows a diagram of connecting devices by branches.
This power supply is suitable for the most demanding and “charged” gaming overclocking system.
Another very important parameter for the power supply is the Coefficient Useful Action(efficiency).
Power supplies are distinguished mainly by their threshold value Efficiency, which is 80%. All power supplies that have an efficiency below 80% are classified as simple-budget ones, which are used mainly in office systems.
And those power supplies whose efficiency is above 80% are classified as productivity-gaming ones. Such power supplies have an international certificate 80PLUS.
In turn, the standard 80PLUS has categories BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM:
Latest feature
The thing you should pay attention to when choosing a power supply is the cooler or fan.
Everything is simple here: the larger the cooler, the less noise it makes.
Current power supplies are equipped with fans measuring 120 mm or larger. Moreover, in good, branded power supplies, the fan changes the number of revolutions depending on the load. This helps reduce noise.
I would not recommend purchasing a PSU with one 80mm fan.
Now let's summarize the material learned.
To buy the best power supply you need:
- buy a high-quality power supply from a trusted/verified manufacturer with “honest watts”;
- select a power supply with active PFC (APFC);
- determine the power supply with the maximum total current along the +12V lines;
- ATX 2.3 standard (ATX 2.2 as a last resort) with the maximum set of connectors for our devices, and also where the main power is transferred to the +12V branches;
- necessarily with an efficiency of at least 80%, one that has an 80PLUS certificate;
- the fan (cooler) must be at least 120 mm.
So I think we've given you enough information to the right choice power supply.
Power supply power- this characteristic is individual for each PC. The power supply is one of the most important elements of a computer. It supplies power to every element of the computer and the stability of all processes depends on it. This is the reason why it is very important to choose the right power supply for your computer.
This is the first thing you need to do in the process of buying/assembling a new power supply. To calculate the power of a computer's power supply, you need to add up the amount of energy consumed by each element of the computer. Naturally, this task is too difficult for the average user, especially taking into account the fact that some computer components simply do not indicate power or the values are obviously overestimated. Therefore, there are special calculators for calculating the power of the power supply, which, using standard parameters, calculate the required power of the power supply.
After you have received the required power supply power, you need to add “spare watts” to this figure - approximately 10-25% of the total power. This is done to ensure that the power supply does not work to the limit of its capabilities at maximum power. If this is not done, it can cause a number of problems: freezing, self-rebooting, clicking of the hard drive head, and also shutting down the computer.
Options for correct calculating the power of the power supply:
- Processor model and its thermal package (power consumption).
- Video card model and its thermal package (power consumption).
- Number, type and frequency of RAM.
- Quantity, type (SATA, IDE) spindle operating speeds - Hard drives.
- SSD drives from quantity.
- Coolers, their size, quantity, type (with backlight / without backlight).
- CPU coolers, their size, quantity, type (with backlight / without backlight).
- Motherboard, what class it belongs to (simple, medium, high-end).
- Also, it is necessary to take into account the number of expansion cards that are installed in the computer (sound cards, TV tuners, etc.).
- Are you planning to overclock your video card, processor, or RAM?
- DVD-RW drive, their number and type.
What power is the power supply?
What power is the power supply?- this concept will make it possible to choose the right components and characteristics. The first thing you need to know is how much power you need. The power of the power supply directly depends on the components installed on the PC.
Again, we repeat, you don’t need to take a power supply that will only have enough power. It must be taken into account that the actual power of the power supply may be less than that declared by the manufacturer. It is also important to understand that configurations may change over time.
And this is a very simple question, since manufacturers usually indicate the power in large font on the sticker. Power supply wattage is a measure of the amount of power the power supply can transfer to other components.
As we said above, you can find it out using online calculators calculate the power of the power supply and add 10-25% of “spare power” to it. But in reality, everything is a little more complicated, since the power supply produces different voltages: 12V, 5V, -12V, 3.3V, i.e., each of the voltage lines receives only its required power. But there is 1 transformer installed in the power supply itself, which generates all these voltages for transmission to the computer components. Naturally, there are power supplies with 2 transformers, but they are mainly used for servers. Therefore, it is acceptable that in conventional PCs the power of each voltage line can change - increase if the load on the other lines is weak or decrease if other lines are overloaded. And on the power supplies they write exactly the maximum power for each of the lines, and if you add them up, the resulting power will be higher than the power of the power supply.
It turns out that the manufacturer deliberately increases the rated power of the power supply, which it cannot provide. And all power-hungry computer components (video card and processor) receive power directly from +12 V, so it is very important to pay attention to the current values indicated for it. If the power supply is made of high quality, then this data will be indicated on the side sticker in the form of a table or list.
PC power supply power.
PC power supply power- this information is necessary since the power supply is the most important component of the computer. It powers all other components and the correct operation of the entire computer directly depends on it.
Again, we repeat, you don’t need to take a power supply that will only have enough power. It must be taken into account that the actual power of the power supply may be less than that declared by the manufacturer. It is also important to understand that configurations may change over time. This is done to ensure that the power supply does not work to the limit of its capabilities at maximum power. If this is not done, it can cause a number of problems: freezing, self-rebooting, clicking of the hard drive head, and also shutting down the computer.