How does PSU efficiency affect me and do I really need an 80 Plus Gold Power Supply?

W1zzard · Aug 25, 2010

good writeup

Will there ever be 100% efficient Power Supplies?

second law of thermodynamics says no. but you can get arbitrarily close to it.

HossHuge · Aug 25, 2010

I use this website for two reasons. To learn and to help others.

And anyone who helps teach me, I appreciate.

Edit: I also use this website for laughs. Some of you guys are really funny.

a_ump · Aug 25, 2010

yep, TPU be the bomb compared to when i'm on guru3d. Just more of a community lol.

I've personally always wondered when computers wouldn't need PSU's, just be connected directly to the socket with like voltage chips to handle the different voltages. course dunno if that is possible lol

Mussels · Aug 25, 2010

a_ump said:
yep, TPU be the bomb compared to when i'm on guru3d. Just more of a community lol.

I've personally always wondered when computers wouldn't need PSU's, just be connected directly to the socket with like voltage chips to handle the different voltages. course dunno if that is possible lol

not with current technology, its not.

then again, in the future they wont bother with this crap - it'll be an internal PSU + battery, powered via wireless transmission (they already have cordless rechargers for various things, its just working on how much power can be transmitted safely, and how far)

a_ump · Aug 25, 2010

never did understand how they transmitted power through the air lol. Speaking of what could become, i feel like its taking forever lol. Yea we now have NB's integrated to the CPU or the SB/NB combined, but still Computers havent really changed in the past 15yrs. I wonder what the next revolutionary change to Computers will be.

Mussels · Aug 25, 2010

a_ump said:
never did understand how they transmitted power through the air lol. Speaking of what could become, i feel like its taking forever lol. Yea we now have NB's integrated to the CPU or the SB/NB combined, but still Computers havent really changed in the past 15yrs. I wonder what the next revolutionary change to Computers will be.

same way they transfer TV signals, cell phone signals, 802.11b/g/n and cordless doorbells - with magic.

a_ump · Aug 25, 2010

haha i suppose. Idk radio frequencies are one thing but the whole wireless charging thing, like the that ipod/pad/phone charger pad that you just set your devices on it, just cant' comprehend how the electricity would get through the air to its designation

Mussels · Aug 25, 2010

a_ump said:
haha i suppose. Idk radio frequencies are one thing but the whole wireless charging thing, like the that ipod/pad/phone charger pad that you just set your devices on it, just cant' comprehend how the electricity would get through the air to its designation

it doesnt. conversion process. electricity -> radio waves (or magnetic waves) -> electricity

a_ump · Aug 25, 2010

haha i understand it, it just baffles me. we humans are amazing mofo's

Munki · Aug 25, 2010

Nice write up, very informative.

As for wireless electricity, if it does in fact use magnetic waves, I don't feel comfortable having any of my hdds within the vicinity.

a_ump · Aug 25, 2010

psh HDD, u know that it'll cause cancer XD

zithe · Aug 25, 2010

Mussels said:
not with current technology, its not.

then again, in the future they wont bother with this crap - it'll be an internal PSU + battery, powered via wireless transmission (they already have cordless rechargers for various things, its just working on how much power can be transmitted safely, and how far)

It's actually surprising how much we could do safely. Even over a hundred years ago tesla did something like it with what he called wireless resonant inductive coupling.

newtekie1 · Aug 25, 2010

I changed up the charts a little, making them bar graphs.

Are they too confusing?

W1zzard said:
good writeup

second law of thermodynamics says no. but you can get arbitrarily close to it.

I'm still one that says nothing is impossible, or rather nothing is impossible until we believe it is impossible. :laugh:

Munki · Aug 26, 2010

a_ump said:
psh HDD, u know that it'll cause cancer XD

Id rather have my hdd. Cancer just falls under everything else that exists in today's world.

LAN_deRf_HA · Aug 26, 2010

zithe said:
It's actually surprising how much we could do safely. Even over a hundred years ago tesla did something like it with what he called wireless resonant inductive coupling.

I'm not sure what kind of effects tesla's method would have on other electronics at this point. There weren't really any complex electrical devices at the time. As for transmitted power in general it's a pretty terrible idea in radial form. We'd need a fusion reactor on every block to make the power waste feasible and extensive testing to prove we aren't frying ourselves and interfering with other technologies. Centralization is always the wrong approach for this type of thing. Redundancy and independence is the way to go.

genta3d · Oct 22, 2010

Since I need some power, I pick any good brand PSU as long it says 80+. Right now Im still using silverstone 750, which some times ago this is the best PSU I can get with my budget. But still its very lovely since in my area the electricity unstable, even its drop, my system never fail. So I guess 80+ mark doesnt only mean the efficiency, but a "high end" mark to. What I mean is the PSU has some safety for the system. (Sorry cannt speak english much).

newtekie1 · Oct 22, 2010

Generally, yes. PSUs with 80+ ratings tend to have better build quality than those that don't. However, you also have to consider that the 80+ rating is somewhat new to the PSU market, so if you bought a PSU before they were used, you could still have a very well build unit. A silverstone 750w should be very well built.

claylomax · Oct 26, 2010

Remember that if you use a 240v grid, efficiency goes up around 2%; many Silver units would qualify for Gold on a 240v grid. This is because the 80plus tests are done on a 120v grid. Most of the world uses 220-240v.

hv43082 · Oct 31, 2010

Very nice write up. Simple and to the point. Unfortunately my Corsair HX1000 is DEAD. Literally would not power up my computer even at stock setting. Hope Corsair RMA is quick.

Charly · Oct 31, 2010

nice sticky

Steevo · Nov 8, 2010

Awesome. Few people truly understand the power use to efficiency factors.

And a dollar is a dollar.

nesco1801 · Nov 16, 2010

Its all about who has the biggest...

I mean LESSER carbon footprint.

God damn hippies. And every one of them is using 850W PSU to power his single 5770 rig. :nutkick:

RejZoR · Nov 16, 2010

Well, realistically i'd only need a 400W PSU for my system. But have decided for a 750W one and i'll probably not gonna replace it till it dies. Plus, since i've made it more silent with less air flow it's good that it's rated higher so you have some reserve as far as heat goes. Bigger and more powerful PSU's tend to have better heatsinks...

UseNow · Nov 16, 2010

Good read, thanks.

Mussels · Nov 16, 2010

nesco1801 said:
Its all about who has the biggest...

I mean LESSER carbon footprint.

God damn hippies. And every one of them is using 850W PSU to power his single 5770 rig.

overkill yes, but PSU's are more efficient when they arent at max load

Processor	Ryzen 7 5700X
Memory	48 GB
Video Card(s)	RTX 4080
Storage	2x HDD RAID 1, 3x M.2 NVMe
Display(s)	30" 2560x1600 + 19" 1280x1024
Software	Windows 10 64-bit

Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Plus
Memory	GSkill 8GB Dual Channel DDR4-2800
Video Card(s)	MSI GamingX RX580 4GB
Storage	Kingston V300 240GB SSD + WD Green 2TB
Display(s)	ACER K212HL 27" + Haier 55" + Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality Headset
Case	Enermax Ostrog (Red)
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA B2 750W
Software	Win10 64bit

System Name	Felix777
Processor	Core i5-3570k@stock
Motherboard	Biostar H61
Memory	8gb
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 470
Storage	WD 500GB BLK
Display(s)	Acer p236h bd
Case	Haf 912
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Rosewill CAPSTONE 450watt
Software	Win 10 x64

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	Felix777
Processor	Core i5-3570k@stock
Motherboard	Biostar H61
Memory	8gb
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 470
Storage	WD 500GB BLK
Display(s)	Acer p236h bd
Case	Haf 912
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Rosewill CAPSTONE 450watt
Software	Win 10 x64

How does PSU efficiency affect me and do I really need an 80 Plus Gold Power Supply?

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Processor	AMD Ryzen 1700
Motherboard	Gigabyte AB350 GAMING 3
Memory	16GB (2x8) 3200MHz
Display(s)	Acer 24" LCD
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Is rly gud
Processor	Intel Core i5 11600kf
Motherboard	Asus Prime Z590-V ATX
Memory	(48GB total) 16GB (2x8GB) Crucial Ballistix Sport 3000MHZ and G. Skill Ripjaws 32GB 3200MHZ (2x16GB)
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3060 12GB
Storage	1TB MSI Spatium M370 NVMe M.2 SSD
Display(s)	32" Viewsonic 4k, 34" Samsung 3440x1440, XP Pen Creative Pro 13.3
Power Supply	EVGA 600 80+ Gold
VR HMD	Meta Quest Pro, Tundra Trackers
Software	Windows 10

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	Obelisc
Processor	i7 3770k @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V
Cooling	H110
Memory	16GB(4x4) @ 2400 MHz 9-11-11-31
Video Card(s)	GTX 780 Ti
Storage	850 EVO 1TB, 2x 5TB Toshiba
Case	T81
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply	EVGA 850 T2 80+ TITANIUM
Software	Win10 64bit

System Name	The Old Friend
Processor	E8500 @3.8Ghz
Motherboard	Abit IP-35 Pro XE
Cooling	Xigmatek
Memory	Team Extreme Dark, PC 8500, 4x2GB
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte HD4870X2
Storage	Western Digital 250GB and 640GB
Display(s)	HP w2448hc
Case	Antec 900
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Silverstone Olympia 700

System Name	Jaspe
Processor	Ryzen 1500X
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming
Cooling	Stock
Memory	16Gb Corsair 3000mhz
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTS 450
Storage	Crucial M500
Display(s)	Philips 1080 24'
Case	NZXT
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Enermax 425W
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Battle Station
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5900x
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix x570-I
Cooling	Lian Li Galahad 240
Memory	Crucial DDR4-3200 32 GB
Video Card(s)	1 x Gigabyte RTX 4090
Storage	Adata 1Tb NVME
Display(s)	Samsung G9 Odyssey
Case	Hyte Y60
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar DX + Ultrasone Pro 900 + JBL SLR 308 speakers and SLR 310 subwoofer
Power Supply	Corsair SFX 750W
Mouse	Logitech G903
Keyboard	The rabbit hole of custom mechanical keyboards
Software	Window 10 Ultimate x64

System Name	Compy 386
Processor	7800X3D
Motherboard	Asus
Cooling	Air for now.....
Memory	64 GB DDR5 6400Mhz
Video Card(s)	7900XTX 310 Merc
Storage	Samsung 990 2TB, 2 SP 2TB SSDs and over 10TB spinning
Display(s)	56" Samsung 4K HDR
Audio Device(s)	ATI HDMI
Mouse	Logitech MX518
Keyboard	Razer
Software	A lot.
Benchmark Scores	Its fast. Enough.