Computer power supply calculator online msi. Power supply calculator

Today we will consider the issue of calculating the power supply for a computer and its choice, we will find out which components consume the most.

The first aspect that must be evaluated when calculating the power of a PC power supply relates to the load with which the power supply will be effectively used. For example, when using a 500 watt power supply as a reference, if the consumption of the internal components of this PC is only 500 watts, then the load will be 100%; Likewise, if the consumption of the internal components of this PC is 250W, then the load in this case will be 50%.

Efficiency, expressed as a percentage, is a very important factor to consider when choosing a good power supply, because the higher the efficiency of the power supply, the lower the required consumption and heat produced. However, considering that efficiency, unfortunately, tends to decrease depending on the amount of energy that is required from time to time. The PSU is at its best at about 70% load, that is, at about 60% and 80% load. Thus, if you are buying an oversized power supply, the efficiency may not be perfect.

For ideal efficiency, select the power supply capacity according to the maximum system consumption. Therefore, in order to select the correct power supply, you need to find a power supply that, according to the consumption of internal components, will achieve maximum efficiency.

WHAT POWER SUPPLY TO CHOOSE FOR A COMPUTER?

Let's say there is no magic formula that lets you know exactly what is the ideal power source for a particular PC. However, there are several calculator tools on the Internet that allow you to calculate the wattage of a power supply by selecting the components you choose to install one at a time. But these tools are not 100% accurate, so they are just good starting points to get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe maximum power consumption of a PC. How do you calculate the power of your PC? The best way is to first use these tools, but then do the calculation yourself to understand what the consumption of individual components is.

WHICH COMPONENTS CONSUME THE MOST?

Usually, the main sources of power consumption for any computer are only two: the processor and the video card (there are cases when one video card consumes as much as the sum of all other system components). Then comes the motherboard, hard drive, SSD, RAM, optical drive, and fans, which only consume a few watts each.

Here is a sample consumption list:

1. for RAM modules, a consumption of about 3 W per module can be taken into account;
2. for SSD, we can consider consumption of about 3 W
3. for a traditional hard drive, it can be considered a consumption of about 8/10 W;
4. for an optical drive such as a DVD recorder, a consumption of about 25W can be taken into account;
5. for fans, a consumption of about 3/4 W per fan can be taken into account;
6. for the motherboard, it starts at 70/80 W for the entry-level model, but you can also get around 120/130 W for a high-quality motherboard;
7. for a processor, we can consider consumption less than 50 W if it is a low-performance processor, from 80 to 100 W for a mid-range processor and from 160 to 180 W for a high-performance processor;
8. Finally, for a video card, you can consider the consumption from 100 W to 300 W, depending on the model used.

This is the maximum consumption of each component, i.e. consumption when the computer is under heavy load. For example, especially complex software or very heavy games. In fact, during normal PC use, the total consumption of individual components is much lower. To get a more accurate estimate, it is best to rely on those sites or those experts who give reviews about the products you are interested in.

To calculate the wattage of a PC's power supply, simply compare the maximum consumption of the processor and graphics card first, and then the maximum consumption of all other PC components. Remember that the power supply must be able to support the PC when it is at its highest load and therefore only takes the maximum power consumption as a reference level for the individual components. Once you've done this calculation, adding another 20% will finally find the correct wattage for your power supply. However, if you intend to overclock your PC, then in order to find the correct power supply capacity, in this case, in addition to consuming various components, you will need to add another 30% of the power consumption.

In the video: Choosing a power supply unit by power.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE

Suppose, for example, a computer assembled with the following components:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-8600;
• video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070;
• motherboard: ASUS PRIME Z370-A;
• hard drive: any;
• SSD: any;
• optical drive: any;
• RAM: any two DDR4 modules;

Average CPU consumes 75/80 W, graphics card 180/200 W, motherboard 110/120 W, 7-watt hard drive, 3-watt SSD, 25-watt optical drive, two 5-watt DDR4 memory modules and three other 10 -watt fan. Thus, we consume approximately 420-450 watts of consumption. We've added another 20% of the power consumption and so we get a 550W PSU, which is more than enough for this configuration, reaching 600W (i.e. 30% more) if you wanted to overclock.

Good day, dear readers of the blog site. This time, I would like to talk to you about how to calculate the wattage of a power supply for a computer, and without any special effort on your part. Next, I will tell you about two methods that will help you calculate the power supply power for a computer of any configuration with the required accuracy.

Why is it so important not to be mistaken with the power supply? Because in the case of a choice in terms of power upward (if the power supply turns out to be more powerful than is necessary for your configuration), nothing may happen (well, unless more electricity will be consumed + overpay an extra amount for the unit itself), but if it's the other way around - i.e. when the power of the unit is not enough, the performance of the computer will drop, it may also periodically glitch, freeze, or it may simply not turn on. When upgrading computer hardware, it is also necessary to re-calculate the power, it may be necessary to change the power supply to a more powerful one.

If you buy a ready-made computer from a store, most likely, the power supply is already installed there. However, personally, I am categorically against such decisions, due to the general incompetence of assemblers in matters of the correct choice of components. For the same reason, power supplies in such computers are often installed "don't understand which company", or not at all of the power that needs to be installed. Therefore, it is best to choose a power supply yourself, and the first thing to do here is to figure out which minimum power must have a power supply for the computer being assembled.

And this can be done in two ways, using the online power supply calculator, as well as manually... Naturally, the result obtained by hand will be much inferior to the first in accuracy, so I propose to start with the first option.

To do this, you need to go to outervision.com/power-supply-calculator, which will open the "advanced power calculator" service for calculating the power supply from the notorious company Coolermaster. You can also go to standard calculator, which offers fewer possibilities for calculation, simply by clicking on the "Standart" link in the upper right corner. In most cases, the default should be sufficient, so let's start with that.

1. So in the field System Type in the vast majority of cases the value will be "1physical CPU". It means - the number of processors in the system, almost all personal computers are equipped with one central processor.
2. In field Motherboard the type of motherboard is indicated. If you don't have a server at home, which is most likely the case, we indicate here Regular-Desktop, or High End-Desktop - if a fancy gaming or overclocking motherboard with a large number of slots is installed.
3. Concerning CPU (central processing unit), its model and the type of socket into which it is installed can be found, for example, through a utility called CPU-Z, by downloading it from the official website
4. Video Card - video card model. You can find it out with the help of the same "CPU-Z" utility by going to the Graphics tab. Unfortunately, in the simplified version of the calculator there is no way to specify several video cards at once, if you have them, for example, in SLI mode.
5. In field Optical Drives it is necessary to indicate the number of installed optical drives, please note that a separate item is a Blu-ray drive.
6. Well, the last item here is the number of hard drives. After all the steps taken, press the Calculate button and voila, the value of the minimum power supply recommended by the calculator will be written below. This is exactly the minimum value, i.e. it is better not to take a block below this value, it may simply not be enough.

As you can see, a simplified version of the calculator has several disadvantages, for example: it is impossible to specify several video cards at the same time if they are installed in the computer; it is impossible to specify the rotation speed of the hard disk (for some reason, only one option is available - IDE 7200 rpm); Plus, the power consumption of overclocked components is not taken into account here, and the difference, I must say, is not that insignificant. Advanced mode allows you to bypass these problems, although you will have to explain something, since not all points in it can be understood.

"Advance" mode of the power calculator

In the field CPU Utilization (TDP) of the extended mode, I recommend setting 100%, which means the power consumption of the processor at its 100% load. If you overclocked the processor, then check the box and specify the frequency and voltage values \u200b\u200bafter overclocking. By pressing the Overclock button, the value of the power consumed by the processor after overclocking will appear in the field on the right. Naturally, this value should be slightly higher compared to the drain.

As you can see, where in the standard version there was only one field for a video card, there are already four of them. In addition, it is possible to specify the very type of connection between video cards - SLI / CrossFire. There have also been some changes in the section for selecting hard disks, in particular - now you can specify the hard disk interface and its class (approximate number of revolutions): Regular SATA - 7200 rpm; High rpm SATA - over 10,000 rpm; Green SATA - 5200 rpm You can specify the number of SSD drives, if any.

In the PCI Cards section, you can specify devices (expansion cards) that provide extended functionality - for example, a TV tuner or a sound card. In the Additional PCI Express Cards item, specify the expansion cards that are connected respectively via the PCI Express interface (the slot where the video card is installed and others below), excluding the video card itself.

The External Devices section lists all devices currently connected to the computer that are powered exclusively through the USB port. This can be a fan, a Wi-Fi module (which is usually always connected to the system unit), etc. All kinds of printers and scanners are not included in this category, since they have their own power supplies.

The next broad category is Fans (fans, coolers). As you can see, in the simplified mode there was not even a mention of this, although they consume a lot, especially the larger their diameter and quantity. Also, just below is the Water Cooling item - here you can specify the parameters of the water cooling of your system, if you have one.

The last item in the extended calculator is the System Load item - here you can set system load percentage generally. By default, this field is set to 90%, but I still recommend setting 100%, since there should be even a slight power reserve. Capacitor Aging - as I understand it, means aging percentage of capacitors in the power supply, please correct me if that. This percentage is taken from the initial state (a completely new power supply) and changes in direct proportion to the number of hours worked.

And although this parameter is very conditional, I still recommend taking it into account, you need to calculate it like this: 5 years of operation (in nominal mode - that is, not under 100% load and not 24 hours a day) - 20-30 %, i.e. it is like a loss of power due to aging. It turns out, having roughly estimated how much the unit will work for you, you can thus buy a unit with a power reserve, in general, this is exactly how you need to choose a power supply - with a margin, try not to take what is called "end-to-end".

That's it, after all the fields are filled in, click Calculate and see the recommended power value. The difference in the result was about 18 watts.

Manual power calculation method

And although the considered method of calculation allows you to get the most accurate result, however, such a calculator may not always be at hand, sometimes it is necessary to at least approximately "estimate" the recommended power of the power supply manually. I think you already guessed how to do this, just adding values power consumption of all computer components. However, the result obtained from the manual method will be even more inaccurate in comparison with the very first option (simplified mode of the "Standart" online calculator).

Below is a list approximate values power consumption of various components:

• The power consumption of the motherboard ranges from 50 to 100 W, in most cases - 50 W, on inexpensive gaming motherboards up to 75 W.
• One DDR2 RAM strip consumes 1 W of power, 1 DDR3 memory strip - 3 W.
• A regular hard drive (not Green-series) 7200 rpm - consumes up to 25 W, Green series hard drives (eco-friendly) - about 7 W. The SSD consumes 2 watts.
• The optical drive's appetite is 23W on average. As a rule, this is a drive that can read / write DVD / CD discs, the so-called Combo drive.
• Fans. When it comes to case coolers, the most common option among them is 120 mm - 5 W, 140 mm-200 mm - 10 W. The LED illumination on the coolers takes an additional 1W of power. CPU coolers (80-90 mm) - 8 W.
• Expansion boards (TV tuners, sound cards) - 30 W. USB powered devices - 7W.
• It is not possible to indicate the power consumption of your specific video card and processor here, even approximately, there are too many models of various video cards, so the power spread is simply cosmic. However, you can see their power consumption in the characteristics, the maximum power consumption of the processor can be viewed in the CPU-Z program in the Max TDP field.

Adding all the above values, we get the required power. As a result, the power of the power supply unit for my system when calculated manually was about 325 W, which is quite close to the result obtained when calculating with a standard calculator. Thus, I have to admit that manual calculation may take place. If you plan to do overclocking components, then add another 15-25% to the resulting value.

To avoid freezes, reboots, sudden shutdowns and other problems associated with the power supply, you need to correctly calculate its power. Below is a calculator for calculating the power supply.
Enter sequentially the information about the components installed in the computer and as a result you will get the figure for the minimum system power consumption and the required minimum value of the power supply unit.
Please note that before choosing the type of video card and processor, you must first specify the manufacturer of the component. When choosing a processor, multi-cores are counted as one. Do not forget to indicate the number of components installed.

To calculate the power select
system configuration

Motherboard

RAM

Video card

Graphics card type

CPU

Processor type

Hard disks

Select SSD 5400RPM 3.5 "HDD 7200RPM 3.5" HDD 10,000RPM 2.5 "HDD 10,000RPM 3.5" HDD 15,000RPM 2.5 "HDD 15,000RPM 3.5" HDD x 0 1 2 3 4

Optical drives

Select Blu-Ray Drive DVD-RW COMBO CD-RW DVD-ROM CD-ROM x 0 1 2 3 4

PCI

Select device Modem Network (LAN) Sound card SCSI / IDE / SATA x 0 1 2 3 4

Fan

Type 80mm 92mm 120mm 140mm 250mm Normal Indicated High RPM x 0 1 2 3

Minimum system power - 0 watts
Power supply required -0 Watt

Software

Most computers are bought for multimedia and games, and this, in turn, requires high system performance. And if a few years ago in the characteristics of a PC before buying a power supply was provided along with the case, now the power supply is calculated, and the buyer can only choose a brand. This article will assist the consumer in making the correct calculations of the power supply for the fully functional computer.

The bigger, the better?

Insufficient power supply in the first place leads to unstable system operation. This is expressed by banal freezes and reboots. If an overload occurs during the game, a "blue window of death" Windows BSOD appears. Naturally, the user will scold the developers of the operating system, games, drivers, but never think about the power supply. The owner of the PC will find out about the insufficient power of the power supply at the service center when he tries to repair the burned-out motherboard and video adapter under warranty. It is clear that most users, in order not to calculate the power of the power supply, will prefer to purchase a device with the highest possible characteristics. Why not, if the funds allow. You just need to take into account that the power consumption of the computer can be much less than that which will load the household power grid, forcing the counter to rotate very quickly. Everything should be calculated within reason.

Easy way

What is the power of the computer's power supply, a calculator specially designed for these purposes will tell you. At the moment, almost all manufacturers of computer components have such a tool in their arsenal. Programs from the famous brands Asus and Cooler Master are very popular. The calculator can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website or use the online service. The user is asked to fill in all the fields in the program, specifying the processor, motherboard, video adapter and other components. The program will calculate and give out the recommended power at which the power supply can work with 100% load. Some manufacturers of software calculators throw in a few tens of watts in reserve, but the user is not notified of this.

Difficulties with power calculators

Calculating the power of a power supply using a calculator is subjective. After all, only basic devices are taken into account in it, and the issue of peripherals is not at all paid. The calculation does not include the cooling system, connected multimedia devices and office equipment, keyboard, mouse, external drive. All these devices are powered by the computer's power supply and, in their totality, consume a lot of current. On the periphery, experts recommend to reserve about 100 watts of calculated power, which must be added to the maximum calculated in the calculator. For those who like to increase system performance by overclocking the processor and video card, the calculator is not an assistant at all. This requires manual calculation using knowledge from the school physics course.

Simple math

A typical power supply calculation can be done mathematically by adding the power consumption of all components together. The method is not easy, but it is the only objective one. If you look closely at the inscriptions on computer components, any user will pay attention to the sticker indicating the operating voltage and current consumption. By multiplying this data, you can calculate the required power consumed by this device. A bit more complicated with processors. Information on their capacity can be found on the official website of the company. Fans of CPU overclocking need to know one more calculation formula. Increasing the processor frequency increases the power consumption by 25% for every 10% overclocking. Such math is also suitable for calculating the increase in the performance of video cards.

Power supply effective power

Having calculated the required power, it's too early to go to the store to buy a new power supply. Calculations of the effective power of the device are ahead. After all, the transformer built into the power supply unit tends to heat up, and the cooling system tries to reduce the temperature of the device. And the higher the temperature of the transformer, the worse it works. All this is combined by the seller into one indicator, which is called the "power factor of the power supply". On average, it is 80-85%. That is, if it is written on the device that the rated power is 500 watts, in fact it will be 20% less - 400 watts. Naturally, there are devices on the market with an efficiency of about 90-95%, but their price is much higher than their competitors - these are power supplies from FSP, Seasonic, Enermax, Hipro, HEC.

About voltage channels

In most cases, buying an inexpensive Chinese device with a high power rating can still cause the system to malfunction. The fact is that the maximum power of the power supply is not an indicator for the device itself. Any user will notice that a large number of different cables leave the power supply unit, the task of which is to connect the power of the devices. The system can be connected to components that consume 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. Accordingly, the cables for them are specialized. The power supply system distributes the load between these three voltage channels, delivering a large 12 volts.

Sometimes this power is not enough. Therefore, the buyer's task is, first of all, to determine the power consumption of devices along the 12 volt line, and this is a processor, video card, hard drives and a cooling system.

Performance analysis of installed equipment

It is worth noting that there is an instruction on how to find out the power of the power supply on the computer. To do this, you need to remove the cover of the system unit and look at the sticker of the power supply. Its obligatory attribute will be information on the distributed power of the PSU between channels 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. The indicator in the "max output" field under all columns is the maximum theoretical power of the PSU. This is without taking into account the efficiency ratio. It remains to understand how to determine the actual power of the power supply. To do this, subtract 20% from the specified value. Naturally, all voltage lines are subject to power calculations, primarily with a preference for the 12 volt line. In addition, it is recommended to calculate the required power of all devices operating on the 12 volt line, and then compare the resulting amount with the data indicated on the sticker of the power supply with a difference of 20%. There are also special testers that can measure the actual voltage and current delivered by the power supply, but there are many questions to them regarding the calculation of peak power.

Boost power supply performance

The actual problem for users is the question of how to increase the power of the power supply, because in fact, any components of a personal computer lend themselves to improvement. Professionals recommend owners of inexpensive Chinese devices not to waste time on increasing the power, but to buy the best device. But the owners of decent power supplies from a well-known brand can help themselves, which consists in reducing the power consumption of devices using the 12 volt channel. First of all, the entire cooling system needs this alteration, which can be converted to 7 volts without loss of quality.

1. All coolers have a three-pin connector. Black - ground, red - 12 volts, yellow - RPM sensor.
2. Taking a 12 volt cable coming from the power supply, you need to insert the black wire from the cooler into the red connector, and the red cable of the cooler into the yellow connector. This will supply the fan with 7 volts.

Power supply check

When wondering how to check the power of the power supply, many users do not suspect how dangerous a gamble lies in wait for them. It is not for nothing that software developers warn of the likelihood of failure of low-quality power supplies before conducting stress tests on computer equipment. Indeed, even a theoretically correctly calculated power supply unit does not guarantee the voltage surges that will be required to operate the basic devices at the limit of their capabilities. The stress test is designed to check the stability of operation, but it is only suitable for owners of branded power supplies. The result will be information on all power lines with the output of voltage dip graphs, if any. The test will ensure that the power supply is stable when the load changes. There are situations when the power of the branded power supply unit is not enough to complete the test. In such cases, the scan is interrupted by the Windows BSOD "window of death". There is nothing wrong with that. The result is one - the power supply unit is not enough for the system to work.

Portable devices and laptops

In unforeseen situations, when the power supply unit of a laptop or tablet has failed, it becomes necessary to purchase a new device. The choice on the market is great, as is the price difference. However, the power supply of a laptop or tablet will have to be calculated. To do this, just turn the device upside down and examine the sticker, which indicates the recommended voltage and current for the operation of the device. Simple manipulations of the multiplication of values \u200b\u200bwill give the minimum power that the power supply should have. Naturally, the power factor must also be considered. However, most experts in the field of computer technology recommend not doing math, but trusting the device specifications, which can be found on the manufacturer's website. There is also a list and marking of all power supplies that are suitable for the operation of a mobile device.

Finally

So, we figured out, on a computer, calculate the required voltage consumption by the components of the system unit and increase the performance of the power supply unit. It remains to add that any actions that require physical intervention in the operation of the power supply can lead not only to serious damage to the device. In most cases, the combustion of a power supply unit is accompanied by a failure of the motherboard, video adapter and RAM. And if it is enough to rewire the capacitors on the motherboard to restore operability, then the rest of the components cannot be returned.

After the successful opening of the international technical support forum, Enermax offers its customers a useful new “service advisor”: The new online power supply calculator allows users to quickly and easily calculate the power consumption of the system. On the occasion of the launch of the new service, users can win three popular power supplies from Enermax.

Before purchasing a power supply, most buyers wonder what level of power consumption is needed to power their system. The indications of individual manufacturers are not always accurate enough to calculate the total energy consumption of the entire system. Many users follow the motto “more is better than less” in this case. Result: choosing a power supply that is too powerful and more expensive, which will only load 20-30 percent at full system capacity. It should be borne in mind that modern power supplies such as Enermax achieve efficiency above 90 percent only when the power supply is loaded about 50 percent.

Count and Win
Enermax presents an exclusive competition for the opening of the power supply calculator. Participation requirements: Enermax offers three different system configurations. Participants must use the Power Supply Power Calculator to calculate the power consumption of the system. Between all the correct answers, Enermax is playing three popular power supplies:

More information about the competition is located.

PSU calculator saves time and money
Enermax's new "Power Supply Calculator" is designed to help users reliably and accurately calculate the consumption of their system. The calculator is based on an extensive and constantly updated database with all sorts of system components, from the processor, video card to small things like a case fan. This will save users not only from long-term searches for energy consumption data of individual components, but also in many cases will save costs. Since for most simple office and gaming systems, a 300 - 500 W power supply is more than enough.

Enermax professional support
Over a month ago Enermax announced the opening of an international support forum. At the Enermax forum, participants have the opportunity to receive qualified assistance in solving technical problems and answers to all questions regarding Enermax products. In addition, the new forum provides a platform for enthusiasts from all over the world to share experiences and tips on tuning and optimizing their computers. Product managers and engineers of Enermax are responsible for professional assistance at the forum - that is, employees of the company who are primarily responsible for the development of Enermax products.