how much power can a 400W power supply draw safely from the wall?

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cmei

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Mar 30, 2014
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Hello,
i have a 400W 80plus gold power supply and i am wodering how much power it can draw from the wall.

Currently I us a GTX 970 and want to replace this with a GTX 980 ti.
I know that nvidia recommends a 600W power supply for this card but i thin my 400W should be fine as long as i don't overclock this card and maybe reduce the power target a bit.

This is more an experiment and since the next generation of cpus and graphics cards wil draw considerably less power there should be no need for power supply's with more than 500W unless u use SLI.

I'm just not sure how much is safe for a good power supply these days.

Thanks for any advice on this topic.

- Christian
 
Solution
Sakkura
Assuming 87% efficiency, a 400W power supply will draw 460W from the wall when it's delivering its full, rated power. You can usually go 10-15% above that before the unit shuts down, but obviously that's not recommended.
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Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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Sep 7, 2013
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In the UK, the ring main which the sockets are connected to is protected by a 15 amp fuse or MCB (on newer distribution boards, upstairs and downstairs sockets have a separate 15 amp fuse or MCB.

15 amps x 240 volts = 3600 watts.

You would need a mighty powerful PSU to exceed that limit!
 
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makkem

makkem

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Jan 22, 2012
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Hi
With all due respect you may want to check your consumer unit.
A ring main is protected by a 30A fuse or a 32A MCB.
Each individual socket is rated at 13A which would be 3120W and would be the maximum size of fuse in the plug.
 
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barto

barto

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You don't want to make the PSU draw more than it's rated maximum. That's how you shorten the lifespan of a PSU and damage stuff. Remember, you really don't want to draw more than 80% of what a PSU is rated to supply. If you have the money to buy the 980ti, you have the money to buy a PSU that supports it.
 
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toyftw

toyftw

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Jul 29, 2012
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Hi - What brand/model of PSU is it? There is a big disparity in the quality and actual +12v output
with PSU's rated the same wattage wise. What are your other sys specs?
Altho I doubt your 400w PSU can safely power a sys with a 980ti, the brand/model would let us
know for sure.

 
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