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power consumption in watts

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emericanchaos

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2002
Location
Williamsport, PA
how do i find how much power i'm consuming in watts. i have an antec 550 PSU which i know isn't being used completely. i'm just curious because i catch alot of flack for having this monster PSU.
 
First- you're not consuming 550watts, not even close. So tell the tree huggers to back off :D

There's a LOT to think about when trying to get an accurate power consumption number- it's not at all cut and dried. There is no way to look at your components, your PSU, and how long it's on and arrive at a real number for power used.

Luckily, in a nutshell, your PC is sucking much less juice than you think it is. The rating of the PSU is a MAX rating, not how much it pumps out at all times. You'll be lucky to pull 250watts, and that's when every device in the PC is cranking away at full blast. Less than 200 if your monitor's off.

These articles will tell you all you need to know, explained waaay better than I could ever do it:

http://www.dansdata.com/power.htm

http://www.dansdata.com/power2.htm

If you read thru those you'll know all you need to about PCS and electrical consumption.
 
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