When choosing the computer’s components, we look at how performance will be affected, comparing the processor, graphics card, or even RAM. However, is it possible that other components such as the power supply can affect the computer’s performance? Let’s analyze it.
We have commented on various occasions that the power supply unit (PSU) is a very important component of the computer, since it is responsible for providing power to the other parts. In the event that it fails, some other component may break, which is why it is important to always choose a high quality power supply.
Power supply: don’t overdo the wattage
A tendency when building a PC by pieces is to choose a power supply with too high a wattage, such as any power supply of more than 600 watts. In my analysis of the Xiaomi Smart Socket I was able to check how much my PC was consuming at rest and in high performance mode, and the results surprised me, because I realized that I had bought a power supply with too high a wattage, and I could have taken advantage of that money to improve other components.
By having the computer connected to the intelligent socket by Xiaomi, I get to know how my computer’s consumption varies. At rest,with the peripherals connected, the tower consumes 75 watts, with an Intel Core i7-4770K, a GTX 970, two SSDs, two hard drives and 16 GB of RAM. Playing, with the graphics card at maximum, it’s a total of 260 watts, with the CPU at 50% use. Therefore, there is a lot of margin before reaching the more or less 750 watts that my Gold power supply gives, which I bought in case at some point I decide to do SLI. Even by doing so, total PC consumption would not reach 500 watts.
Buying a power supply with a lot of wattage will not negatively affect performance, although we will not be optimizing its consumption, since a supply reaches its most efficient point when half of the wattage it offers is being consumed.
However, buying a power supply with few watts can affect the computer’s performance. If the power supply is not capable of supplying all of the energy that the system demands, the components cannot function at full capacity, and the power supply will even be carrying more load and is more likely to break. That is if we don’t take into account that the computer can even turn off directly if it doesn’t get enough power.
Therefore, we should buy a power supply with a certain margin so that the components can function with ease, but without being excessive. The power supply will only consume the energy that the computer demands. The watts of said supply are the maximum that it can give, not the actual consumption at all times. The key is to buy a power supply with the highest possible efficiency, as discussed in the guide to buying power supplies, previously linked. Buying a higher wattage supply will not improve the computer’s performance either, since the consumption of the components is the same.
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