GPU vs. CPU Upgrade: Extensive Tests

Overall Energy Consumption and Energy Saving

These power consumption levels are calculated using all of the results and combinations in the test; the individual values have been added together. These values only show the tendency of the relevant component: the actual power consumption of the graphics card varies according to CPU, and in turn, the power consumption of the CPU varies depending on the graphics card.

If you wish to save power, you can switch from the Geforce 7 to the Geforce 9600 GT—this provides much more performance and only puts minimal extra load on the power supply. The Geforce 8800 GTS 512 OC is a little more efficient in 2D mode than the new Geforce 9800 GTX, but they are almost identical in 3D mode.

The overclocking of the Q6600 can be seen clearly from the power consumption figures. The consumption of the E2160 barely increases, although the clocking has been raised by 33%.