How much will my computer use in watts?

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nicolego123

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Dec 13, 2014
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I'm thinking of making a computer but i'm wondering how many watts it needs. Here are the specs:
CPU: AMD A8-5600K apu
Motherboard: ASUS A88XM-A
Hard drive: WD Blue 1 TB
GPU: PowerColor TurboDuo AXR9 270
RAM: 8gb g.skill
DVD Drive/Optical Drive: Samsung SATA 1.5 gb-s


Thanks for your help!

 
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Dark Lord of Tech

Dark Lord of Tech

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Aug 18, 2009
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Component Estimated Wattage
AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor 12W - 100W
Asus A88XM-A Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard 15W - 60W
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 10W - 10W
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive 4W - 20W
PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card 37W - 150W
Total: 78W - 340W
 
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nicolego123

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Dec 13, 2014
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Why should i consider a 380W if you said the peak will be about 260-280 watts? Is the extra watts for possible upgrades in the future?

 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

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I would strongly recommend against that CPU - you're essentially paying extra on a budget CPU to get an integrated GPU that you're not going to use because you have a discrete GPU.

You'd be fine with a 400W. But don't cheap out on the manufacturer - a quality PSU is important.
 
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synphul

synphul

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Mar 11, 2011
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A couple of things in play with power supplies. It's not just as easy as adding up the numbers and getting something that barely covers them. Many list their 'max' or 'peak' power output. That's not their average/continuous output which is usually lower. A good rule of thumb is to factor power requirements, then those should only be about 80% of the 'max' power output of the psu.

You also need to know what kind of amps that video card draws. For instance I just plucked a random psu out of the lineup at newegg, a thermaltake 430w. That's peak watts, not continuous - and it has 2 12v rails, one supplying 17a, the other 18a. If your video card pulls 20a? You're sol. It won't be strong enough and you'll wonder why you're getting black screens and system reboots and crashes the minute the graphics card has to work under load.

A faq from the msi forums has a listing of various cards (of course doesn't list the plain 270) - for r9 260x 19a. For r9 270x 24a. Keeping in mind these are the lower power consumption ranges for the ati cards. The more power hungry ones require 30+ amps for a single card. It's not really that much difference in price, maybe $10 or $20 for a larger psu? I wouldn't split hairs and just get a decent, capable psu to give you a solid foundation for your system or you're liable to have all sorts of future headaches chasing down issues. Just my .02.
 
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