wattage vs efficiency ?

Bigyin109

Bigyin109

Bigyin109

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Hi guys/gals, I'm starting to look into some parts for a new build and was just wondering what the consensus is about wattage vs efficiency?

say my GPU and CPU manufacturer's recommend a 850W PSU, and lets say pricing is the same across the board, do i get a platinum/+ 850? or go something like a gold/+ 1200W and leave headroom for later if I need it?

does the better efficiency really make that much of a difference? or is it just marketing fluff to try and trap you?

Thanks!
 
Bigyin109 said:
does the better efficiency really make that much of a difference? or is it just marketing fluff to try and trap you?
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If you have a PSU with Titanium efficiency, say 94% (Prime TX-1600 @ 40% load: 640 DC, 680 AC)

and

A PSU with Gold efficiency, say 88.5% (EVGA 850 G6 @ 75% load: 637.5 DC, 720 AC)

Then to generate similar power for the system (640 DC), the Gold is 'wasting' 40 watts.

40 watts over an hour, will cost you about 1 pence at current prices, so if you game for an average of 4+ hours per day, maybe 5 pence per day *, or < £20 a year.

If electricity prices double after the price cap is lifted, then you're looking at £40.

A gold-rated PSU like the EVGA G6 will cost in the region of £100, a titanium rated PSU like the Prime TX around £270.

p.s. I is bad at numbers, so trust at your own risk :p

* ((40 x 4) / 1000) x 0.34
 
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pastymuncher said:
Personally I don't think that the price premium over a Gold rated PSU is worth it. It would take several years to make up the savings in electricity, if ever even. Just buy a good quality gold rated PSU unless you see a Platinum one that is on offer and within £20-30 of the equivalent gold rated model.
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I agree with this, the only time I’m very pro titanium over gold is when you have a rig like mine where the SF750 PSU is excellent and it’s going into a small rig where the PSU needs to deal with heat and less airflow with a big GPU and I need the psu to last.

I paid £99 for my SF750 instead of the normal price so it was a no brainer.

My TX650 gold rated PSU ran my current rig fine but it wasn’t ideal (it ran hot and the fan did ramp up).
 
I think that in some situations there would be an additional factor in favour of a 1200W gold PSU over an 850W platinum PSU. In some situations, the 1200W PSU would be quieter due to being under a lower load while proving the same amount of power. That would vary a lot depending on which 1200W PSU and which 850W PSU and how much power you'd be using, but it would be true in some situations.
 
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Angilion said:
I think that in some situations there would be an additional factor in favour of a 1200W gold PSU over an 850W platinum PSU. In some situations, the 1200W PSU would be quieter due to being under a lower load while proving the same amount of power. That would vary a lot depending on which 1200W PSU and which 850W PSU and how much power you'd be using, but it would be true in some situations.
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You also have to bear in mind your usage patterns, some PSUs are not that efficient at ultra low loads, 80+ efficiency ratings are measured at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated capacity.

so a 1200w PSU when your just surfing the net/watching youtube etc, say your PC is only consuming 120w total, the PSU will only be running at 10% load.

And what 'tier' PSU it is, e.g. a TX*** is more a mid tier PSU than an RM*** so would probably run louder/hotter if they are both rated for the same wattage.
 
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