System-Level Power Consumption - 470 Watts
Compared to the X38 desktop chipset, which itself is not exactly a very modest part, the 5400 workstation Northbridge draws even more power.
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| Power Consumption of the 5400 Northbridge | ||
|---|---|---|
| Memory Slots | FSB1333 | FSB1600 |
| 1 active | 32.3 W | 35.3 W |
| 2 active | 33.2 W | 36.2 W |
| 4 active | 35.0 W | 38.0 W |
In addition, we need to consider the increased power consumption of the FB-DIMM modules and the two additional Nvidia SLI-Port switch controllers.
In the end, the power meter measured a power consumption of 470 Watts for the entire system. This includes two hard drives, a Creative X-Fi and an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX.
Overclockers should budget for a very brawny power supply, as the system will consume an unbelievable 623 Watts.
Since the Speed Step power-saving feature is not yet working on the Skulltrail board, its power consumption is a full 128 Watts higher than that of a single-socket system.
