On Fri, Mar 04, 2022 at 06:47:14PM +0100, Emanuel Berg wrote: > Alexis Grigoriou wrote: > > >> I've heard that for gaming you would want a 600~800W PSU > >> [1] but how do I know how many W I need for my computer > >> use? I think the most resource-intense I do would be > >> compiling and watching multimedia on mpv. [2] > > > > Cooler Master has a PSU calculator. > > https://www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator/ > > > > You have to enter CPU, GPU (make and model), HDD, SDD and so > > on, and it calculates how much wattage is required. > > Add another 25% as stated above and you're good to go. > > Thanks! > > I did compute it manually from [1] and the CPU, fans, > motherboard, RAM and SSD are at most 232W. > > CPU AMD mid end (4 cores) 125 > fans 80 mm (3K RPM) 9 (3*3W = 9W) > 120 mm (2K RPM) 12 (2*6W = 12W) > motherboard high end 80 > RAM ~DDR3 (1.5V) 3 (actually it is a DDR4) > SSD 2.8 > > (+ 125 (* 3 3) (* 2 6) 80 3 2.8) ; 231.8W > > The only thing left is the GPU, I take it even in that PSU > calculator if you input the msi Nvidia Geforce GT 710 it is > the maximum use (gaming) you get as output. > > [1] https://www.buildcomputers.net/power-consumption-of-pc-components.html > > -- > underground experts united > https://dataswamp.org/~incal >
If your draw is a max of 230W and you use a 300W power supply, you've still got to account for inrush current to capacitors as the machine is switched on. A larger PSU in wattage terms may have better capacitors, more capacity to withstand dips and spikes in mains voltage and may have a better power factor so be more effective overall. the cost differential between 300 and 600W should be relatively small. Easier to overspecify: the other thing is that larger PSU wattages may have quieter / better quality fans. I love almost silent PCs. All the very best, as ever, Andy Cater