Wait for the system to settle down (ie, the wattmeter converges to a reading).Close all programs including those in the background using any cpu cycles.If the components are asking for max power (300 watts), the Kill A Watt should be reading 337-344 before shutdownįirst we’ll measure idle for completeness:.Thus components are asking between 174-180 watts (else the PSU would be rated silver or platinum).Since the PSU is gold certified, while between 20-100% load, it’s able to to convert 87%-90% of inbound power to the components with the rest dispersed as heat.
#Gpu z power consumption plus#
The PSU ( SSP-300-SUG) is 300W 80 Plus Gold certified.? PSU and power draw exampleīefore we dive too deep into undervolting, let’s break down what it really means when we’re measuring the number of watts flowing through the wattmeter: For instance, we want to achieve temperatures below thermal throttling and power usage below the budget for the GPU. The reason why we’re interested in max values instead of something like averages, is due to undervolting wanting to achieve values below a threshold. I’ve highlighted all the sensors in HWiNFO that we’ll be using during our benchmarkingĪfter a benchmark has concluded, we’ll record the two numbers in the max column and then click the highlighted reset button to have a clean slate for our next benchmark run. This is also not a requirement, but saves troubleshooting time for those sticking 300w of components in with a 200w PSU. But I understand the drive for those who want ultimate stability, so for that audience, I’d suggest after we work our way down the voltage ladder to start climbing up if stress tests fail.ĭue note that it is easiest to perform undervolting with a PSU that is in good working condition with enough power to supply components at stock and then transfer to a smaller PSU if desired. Benchmarks should be stressful enough, else what are they benchmarking? I’ve used this method of undervolting for several months and have not experienced any crashes in game or other intensive workloads. It is my opinion that drawing obscene amounts of power to run these stress tests is just too unrealistic.
#Gpu z power consumption free#
P4460 Kill a Watt for monitoring electricity usage from the wallįeel free to swap components out for alternatives, but I do want to stress the importance of benchmarks, as it’s desirable for any potential performance loss to become apparent when running benchmarks at each stage of the undervolt.Īttentive readers will note the absence of any stress tests (eg: Prime95 With AVX & Small FFTs + MSI Kombustor). I bought one from my local hardware store. A wattmeter is not critical, but it’ll give us a sense of total component draw that the PSU has to supply. This is the only thing that costs money on the list – you may be able to rent it from a local library or utility company.