PSU Energy Saving ( Help )

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crispykiller96

crispykiller96

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Apr 14, 2009
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I have the Power cool 1050 watt power supply in my machine now and it eats at my electric bill like anything gaming is no fun and i'm limited to how long i can play :-(

Now i have several things inside my machine i don't use including spare components and few cumbersome leds and a capture card now if i remove the stuff i don't necessarily use will i save home energy in the long run by toning the computer down or would downgrading my PSU be a better option

Thanks in advance

Joe

( EDIT ) here is my PSU details

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00647ENWO/ref=asc_df_B00647ENWO14124071/?tag=shopzil_ret317-21&ascsubtag=13747765669310505699811020400008005&creative=22118&creativeASIN=B00647ENWO&linkCode=asn
 
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InvalidError
The PSU only draws as much power as it needs to power your components.

If you have 400W real power load (that would be a fairly high-end single-GPU setup) on your ~80% efficient PSU, you end up drawing ~500W from the wall. If you upgrade to a 90% efficient PSU, you will draw ~444W from the wall with the same components installed.

Removing a capture card likely won't reduce your power by much since it likely draws almost no power while idle where it likely is mostly powered down. Same goes for most "spare" hardware. Superfluous LED strips and fans also only add a few watts each. I'm guessing if you removed all your unnecessary stuff (no idea how much of it you have), you still wouldn't save more than maybe 30W.

The biggest power...
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Onus

Onus

Titan
Jan 27, 2006
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I do see a couple of 1050W Powercool units at 80plus.org, but I don't think that model is among them, as the product numbers are slightly different. It might be a variant of a unit listed for 800W that is 80+ Silver though. If that one just says 80+ (vanilla), the label may be bogus.
In any case, a PSU only provides the power needed by attached components. Buying a smaller unit will not reduce that, and buying a more efficient PSU to replace it is usually penny wise and pound foolish, because you'll spend a lot more on the new PSU than you'll save in power costs.
Removing unneeded expansion cards and disconnected extra LEDs and drives you aren't using will save power though.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
May 18, 2007
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The PSU only draws as much power as it needs to power your components.

If you have 400W real power load (that would be a fairly high-end single-GPU setup) on your ~80% efficient PSU, you end up drawing ~500W from the wall. If you upgrade to a 90% efficient PSU, you will draw ~444W from the wall with the same components installed.

Removing a capture card likely won't reduce your power by much since it likely draws almost no power while idle where it likely is mostly powered down. Same goes for most "spare" hardware. Superfluous LED strips and fans also only add a few watts each. I'm guessing if you removed all your unnecessary stuff (no idea how much of it you have), you still wouldn't save more than maybe 30W.

The biggest power guzzlers in any PC are the CPU (50-250W), GPU (50-270W) and motherboard (VRM + chipset, 10-30W), the rest are relatively minor loads... fans are 1-5W, HDDs are 3-10W, CD/DVD/BD drives are 3-10W, LED strips are 1-5W, same for SSDs and most other stuff.

So if you really want to reduce your power bill, you need to both get a more efficient PSU and remove completely unnecessary things like LED strips. If you manage to shave 50W total measured at the wall, you might be able to save about $15/year on power if you are usually running it at full-power 10h/day. If you buy a $150 PSU, it will take you 10 years to earn back the difference - not counting potential savings on AC costs.
 
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