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Does the wattage of each component need to be lower than the PSU wattage?

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  • Gaming
  • Graphics Cards
  • Build
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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May 8, 2013 2:51:24 PM

Hey everyone. I am in the stage of planning a PC build for gaming (I have made quite a few threads with various questions the last few days... I feel bad haha), and I am wondering that if the wattage of each single component in my build (Graphics card, mobo, dvd drive, CPU etc.) were to add to the sum of 461.19 watts and I were to use a PSU with 430 watts - would the system work?

or does the wattage of each component not add up collectively, and is only relevant while in use?

I have confused my self quite a bit... Which isn't very good haha.

Thank you for your time.

More about : wattage component lower psu wattage

a b 4 Gaming
a b U Graphics card
May 8, 2013 3:31:10 PM

The system would probably boot and might run for browsing, etc. but if you started gaming or some other intensive task, it would most likely get a bsod.

Remember that a psu that says it is 460w may in reality only be 350w. What you need to look at is the amperage available on the 12v rail(s) of the psu. 461w would require a minimum of 41 amps. (Power in watts = voltage x current). Take a look at the specs of the psu you are looking at and I bet the total of the 12v rail(s) is more like 30-35 amps.

The 461 watts you want assumes 100% efficiency of the psu. A bronze level psu operates at about 80%, therefore you would need at least 575 watt psu (575 x 80% = 460) to be even. In reality, you will never operate at full power and most components will draw less that what the calculators estimate.

IMO, you would need a good, solid 550-600w psu. You need to have a little headroom so you don't push the psu to max output and heat.

Mark
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May 8, 2013 3:39:37 PM

Thank you for your input, Mark. So if the wattage of each component surpasses the wattage the PSU has, the system will not function correctly?

Here is the build I am looking at: LINK

I was looking at http://www.logicalincrements.com/ and some of the PSUs have lower watts than the total amount of watts that each component uses... I am confused.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b U Graphics card
May 8, 2013 3:58:30 PM

It's much more complicated that just the total of the watts. You must consider the quality of the power supply, the intended use, etc.

The power supply you picked out is a good brand, but the 12v rail is 32a which would supply about 350w, well below your "sum" of 461w.

In truth, the rig you have designed should be fine on the corsair. The gpu will pull a max of about 90w, and the rest of your system won't pull more than about 120-150w, so your total of ~240 still leaves you headroom. Your gaming will be somewhat limited by both the cpu and the gpu, but overall the system should be fine if you are not demanding high fps and high resolution.

As a last thought, if you are going to stick to 4 gb of ram, get 2x2gb sticks instead of a single 4 gb. This will allow you to use dual channel mode for the ram.

Question: Do you have a specific budget?

Mark
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May 8, 2013 4:07:21 PM

Okay. Thank you. My budget is £400, and this will be my first build of any kind of PC... I am not demanding high FPS at 1080p resolutions, as I will be playing on a 1280 by 768 resolution and playing on medium settings if I can.

Noted on the RAM, however I have designed the rig as it is so that I can later expand upon it.
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a b 4 Gaming
a b U Graphics card
May 8, 2013 5:05:01 PM

Understand. But do yourself a favor and stretch your budget just a tad and get 2x4gb memory - the dual channel will help your gaming.

Mark
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May 9, 2013 12:31:12 AM

I'll definitely consider doing that. If I can't right away, I'll be buying another 4GB stick later anyway.

Thank you for your help, Mark!
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a b 4 Gaming
a b U Graphics card
May 9, 2013 6:26:00 AM

No problem. If you questions have been answered, please mark the thread as solved.

Good luck with your build!

Mark
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May 9, 2013 1:09:25 PM

Thank you!
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