Power Supply Calculator [Archive]

Kougar

06-03-2006, 04:35 AM

I've seen a few to date, but this one is simply impressive in the breadth and level of details covered. Besides overclocking, you can factor in Peak Utilization, Capacitor Aging (Explained at the end of the page), and Surge Compensation which deals with the power surge required when you first power on the system from a cold start. From my experience trying to calculate what my main rig draws, the number given was very accurate.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp)

werty316

06-03-2006, 05:22 AM

Great find but this was posted a long time ago here:

http://www.bjorn3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5675

Kougar

06-03-2006, 07:01 AM

Bah, your going to start making me run searches now before I post :p Thanks for the linky!

zachig

06-03-2006, 06:57 PM

Yea, this PSU Calculator has already been posted a long time ago...but I wanna say that I personally think this is the BEST online PSU calculator.

I'm using this one ALL the time...and the good thing is that it's being updated ALL THE TIME with the latest hardware!!!

So...let's put it that way...VERY RECOMMENDED!!! :mrgreen:

Gray

06-04-2006, 10:23 PM

I think we should have an area in the site for keeping decent links like this just incase you forget them.

A handy "Links" section for overcloacking tools, small programs, and other tools like the PSU calculator.

Thanks Couger for the repost, I may be buying a new one soon. It never hurts to plug in the #'s.

Das Capitolin

07-03-2006, 07:51 AM

Scott

07-03-2006, 11:19 AM

Or me being the god of fun around here could just make it a stickly like I did.

vfrex

07-03-2006, 02:33 PM

Can someone explain surge compensation? Do components need more power when the computer first turns on or something? And what PSU Utilization has to do with anything?

Kougar

07-03-2006, 03:11 PM

Can someone explain surge compensation? Do components need more power when the computer first turns on or something? And what PSU Utilization has to do with anything?

When you first start your computer up after it's been off for awhile, there will be a strong surge of power drawn from the PSU to get everything started, in particular the hard drives are one big source as the motors must start the platters turning, then quickly rev them up to full speed. Also pretty much everything is powered on, if just briefly, so the BIOS can check it's there or get info from it.

PSU Utilization is simply how much of a load you are running on your computer. Like if you were only web surfing it would be considered a light load... but if you were playing Oblivion you'd pretty much be maxing out your hardware, and using 100% utilization since everything would be running full out.

mousiness

07-03-2006, 03:12 PM

thats the reason PSU wattages are important to gamers

vfrex

07-03-2006, 03:23 PM

werty316

07-03-2006, 05:30 PM

I think PSU Utilization is the amount of load that is put on a PSU and Surge Compensation is the power surge required from a cold boot to start up but I am not 100% sure.

Kougar

07-04-2006, 01:45 AM

So what's the difference between PSU Utilization and Surge Compensation? Shouldn't 100% PSU utilization be the equivalent of the startup surge?

I mean, everything makes sense to some degree. But I just get the feeling that you can easily overshoot a reasonable wattage for your computer by a longshot by playing it safe on this thing.

Did you catch my previous post to this?

For PSU Utilization, think of it this way. Your CPU and GPU draw hardly any power from the PSU when your system is doing nothing, or even if you are checking your email and websurfing. If you load a game and play on the highest settings your system can handle, both your CPU and GPU are going to drastically increase their power consumption, usually by half-again their current power draw. If you are playing a game on high settings, maybe listening to an audio CD at the same time too, your system will be drawing the most power that it can possibly draw, therefore it would be at 100% utilization. Idling is almost no utilization, a full system load would be 100% utilization. It's a setting to see how much your system would draw as a "worst-case scenario" if you ran everything at once to it's highest potential.

Surge compensation is different an just deals mostly with when the machine is cold booted and the +12v line is heavily stressed by all the system components and drives spinning up at once, while the CPU is loaded down booting the system. I suppose you could say it's like adding a little extra headroom, since hard drives alone need a small surge in power to get the physical disks spinning, before they can operate at their normal power levels.

vfrex

07-04-2006, 06:29 AM

I understand that. Now I'm asking, what is the difference? Why not just include startup power necessity in the 100% utilization figure. The note on the calculator is confusing.
Recommended to add an additional 15-25% if you are not sure about you PSU peak load reliability.

PSU peak load reliability? Like, whether the PSU can actually put out what it claims it can? Shouldn't the surge compensation be based on the other components in the system? Also, isn't it murky to determine the current a PSU is capable of putting out based entirely on the voltage?

ToXic_WaSTe

07-16-2006, 02:16 PM

Even though already posted, i wanna say thx from the new members... Just decided to go with a 700W instead of a 600W, great calc.

zachig

07-16-2006, 05:04 PM

You're welcome!!! CONGRATS on your new PSU, ToXic_WaSTe!!! :wink:

werty316

07-16-2006, 06:29 PM

Even though already posted, i wanna say thx from the new members... Just decided to go with a 700W instead of a 600W, great calc.

Decided on what brand you are gonna buy?

zachig

07-16-2006, 08:02 PM

Decided on what brand you are gonna buy?

Oops...I thought he already bought one :roll: , but after reading his post again, I've noticed that he "only" decided to go with a 700W PSU. :wink:

I'd personally go with the OCZ GameXtreme 700W or maybe the FSP Epsilon 700W PSU...:roll:

Anyway, GOOD LUCK with your purchase...:mrgreen:

werty316

07-16-2006, 08:53 PM

I also would go with a OCZ GameXtreme or a CM iGreen PSU.

ToXic_WaSTe

07-16-2006, 08:55 PM

I also would go with a OCZ GameXtreme or a CM iGreen PSU.

Well i decided to go with the OCZ gamexstream like you guessed, looks very good and stable. And i can actually get it in Denmark, Which is a big bonus:P

zachig

07-17-2006, 05:46 AM

Well i decided to go with the OCZ gamexstream like you guessed, looks very good and stable. And i can actually get it in Denmark, Which is a big bonus:P

That's a very GOOD choise you made!!! So...CONGRATS again!!! Let us know when you actually get it...and don't forget pics of course...:wink:

ToXic_WaSTe

07-17-2006, 11:06 AM

That's a very GOOD choise you made!!! So...CONGRATS again!!! Let us know when you actually get it...and don't forget pics of course...:wink:

Thats actually a very good idea, I'll post when i get my new rig and take pics. all thru the assembly. :P

when running crossfire and several harddrives you really need the extra power:P and the OCZ seems the one with the best reviews even though i would like it if was modular. :P

zachig

07-17-2006, 11:09 AM

Thats actually a very good idea, I'll post when i get my new rig and take pics. all thru the assembly. :P

when running crossfire and several harddrives you really need the extra power:P and the OCZ seems the one with the best reviews even though i would like it if was modular. :P

THANKS...waiting for the pics...:roll:

GOOD LUCK!!! :wink:

newsk-1

08-03-2006, 06:34 AM

I cant believe my Neo Power 480 will do Crossfire for me!
Everyone told me I would need as least 500 watts.
With my specs.,,it said 460 will do.

werty316

08-03-2006, 06:36 AM

Total watts is one thing but the amount of amps is another especially for all the highend GPUs.

darkorb

08-03-2006, 06:49 AM

some psu's are like 800 watts and like 80 amps. will that ever be needed? arnt every1 trying to conserve energy?

werty316

08-03-2006, 06:52 AM

some psu's are like 800 watts and like 80 amps. will that ever be needed? arnt every1 trying to conserve energy?
For Quad-SLi yes. Also they will be needed once the G80 and R600 are out since they are suppose to suck up 200W.

darkorb

08-03-2006, 07:03 AM

i used to have 430watts for my 6800gt, 3500+ 3 fans, and hd. but i upgraded to 480watt with more amps, alot more stable. and psu has blue lights :)

Vaerilis

08-05-2006, 11:10 AM

zachig

08-05-2006, 11:26 AM

That's more accurate than most wattage calculators out there, but not at all flawless. Accoring to them, the 5900XT consumes more juice than the 5900 and that an E6300 Core 2 Duo consumes almost as much as a 2.8C Northwood...
Despite its inaccuracy, it gives you a pretty good idea what kind of PSU you need.

That's why I like it. I still think that a "Wattage Calculator" device (yeah, there is such thing, if some of you don't know...) is much more accurate than this PSU Calculator site/software...:roll:

But...in order to use the Wattage Calculator device, you have to operate all your devices in paraellel, and actually, you can't really do it unless you have a powefull PSU...

So...I think that the PSU calculator is much better BEFORE you buy a new PSU, while a "Wattage Calculator" device is much more accurate and better AFTER you already have a PSU and you want to know where it "stands" and what percentage of it overall wattage you're actually using. :)

Kougar

08-06-2006, 02:15 AM

That's more accurate than most wattage calculators out there, but not at all flawless. Accoring to them, the 5900XT consumes more juice than the 5900..

This is true, from a brief googling I did. The XT looks to be comparable to a 5900Ultra, so it should definitely be way more power hungry.

...and that an E6300 Core 2 Duo consumes almost as much as a 2.8C Northwood...

Oh?? I thought it'd be really funny if this was the case, I'm going to have to find some hard CPU only numbers... But I think this one is either true or pretty close to being true. This Northwood has almost no power saving tech, and speedstep doesn't work on this model because Speedstep back then would only drop the clock rate to 2.8ghz at it's lowest. Factor in that it's a Netburst, that it is a 130nm die size CPU, that the E6300 is two cores fused into one on a 65nm die size with some very advanced power saving features, with half of the 4mb L2 cache disabled then I can believe it is true. ;)

Vaerilis

08-06-2006, 08:22 AM

[QUOTE=Kougar]This is true, from a brief googling I did. The XT looks to be comparable to a 5900Ultra, so it should definitely be way more power hungry.

:shock: The 5900XT is a downclocked 5900 (400/700 vs. 400/850), so it consumes less power. In the nVidia world, XT means inferior edition (I have a 5900XT).

Regarding the CPUs: I meant that the Northwoods need a lot of juice and the Core 2 Duos consume a lot less than the P4s. http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&number=7&artpage=1935&articID=470

Kougar

08-06-2006, 03:30 PM

Okay, I found another review this time from Firing Squad and read through it, yer right. Maybe I saw 5700 Ultra listed and read it wrong, I'm not sure ;)

The 5900 XT’s memory operates at 350MHz (700MHz effective), 75MHz below the 5900 Ultra and 125MHz slower than the 5950 Ultra. This provides the 5900 XT graphics core with up to 22.4GB/sec of peak memory bandwidth, the same figure as ATI’s RADEON 9800 PRO 256MB and 8GB/sec more than GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, which was the previous leader in this category in the mainstream segment.

Despite the slower memory frequency (700MHz effective versus 850MHz), the 5900 XT is able to keep up with the GeForce FX 5900 128MB in many benchmarks thanks to the lower memory timings its 2.8ns BGA memory boasts.

Due to the reduced frequencies of the graphics core and memory, 5900 XT board manufacturers are able to utilize a simpler board design with reduced power and heat requirements. An external power source is still needed, but the board requires significantly less power circuitry and smaller coolers. Video input and hardware monitoring functionality are also sometimes left out in order to further reduce production costs. Souce (http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_fx_5900_xt/page2.asp)

interpim

08-07-2006, 11:21 AM

Great site... Everything you can think of is covered me thinks :)

nam-ng

09-03-2006, 07:36 AM

I understand that. Now I'm asking, what is the difference? Why not just include startup power necessity in the 100% utilization figure. The note on the calculator is confusing.

PSU peak load reliability? Like, whether the PSU can actually put out what it claims it can? Shouldn't the surge compensation be based on the other components in the system? Also, isn't it murky to determine the current a PSU is capable of putting out based entirely on the voltage?
Outstanding questions...

You asked the kind of questions good engineers would have asked. I noticed your profile said you're a student, please try for engineering or science as most real engineers and real scientists nowaday are imported from overseas or first/second generation Americans, and there aren't enough engineers and scientists right now.

Santa

12-12-2006, 01:56 AM

Thanks, great calulator, I need something like this to help me with my new computer build. Helps to look at all the needs not just one aspect.

elkmanwsu

04-10-2007, 08:12 AM

This really is an awesome tool....I'm not surprised they included a pay version.

zachig

04-11-2007, 06:04 AM

Thanks, great calulator, I need something like this to help me with my new computer build. Helps to look at all the needs not just one aspect.
Yeah, it's a really GREAT PSU Calulator and I've used it many times and found it very useful. :grin:

This really is an awesome tool....I'm not surprised they included a pay version.
It's not surprising at all, but I find the FREE version enough for my needs. ;-)

Sadasius

09-14-2007, 10:31 PM

You can also use the Antec one online here

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/powercalc.jsp

I like this one very much and use it all the time. Plus no worries about having to buy something.

goldenchessboard

01-28-2008, 05:41 AM

A while back, I was worried 600 watts wouldnt be enough for my rig.. but the calculator showed I needed no more than 300. Of course, it turned out that 600 was way more than enough. great calculator! tons of options.. but obviously better than some of the other PSU calc's i've run into :ahhhhh:

Miker

01-28-2008, 05:43 AM

It tells me I need a 300W PSU, but how many 300W PSU have a 20AMP+ 12v rail?

icksol

02-15-2008, 04:48 AM

it says i only need like 130 something LAWL but i have a 500w so no worries

grantosu

04-19-2009, 06:50 PM

I wasn't sure if I had a big enough power supply but I found out that I should be good, just no more upgrades

typh4u

04-19-2009, 07:18 PM

My new core i7 GTX 295 says I need 607 watt. If I don't use the GTX 295 and use the GTX 260 it says I need 484watts. Either way I am good to go with my PC P&C 750.

Pablo 54

04-20-2009, 12:11 AM

Beats the heck out of putting your tounge on the rail.

pokute

04-20-2009, 08:52 AM

damn looks like my 650tx won't cut it for my i7 upgrade :lol:

Autumnlullaby

10-11-2009, 02:54 AM

I was thinking of buying a 850W PSU but seems like I will only need 400W :lol:.

Goliath182

10-11-2009, 03:38 AM

I was thinking of buying a 850W PSU but seems like I will only need 400W :lol:.
I would double whatever they tell you. Not only for efficiency, but if you dont have a top of the line PSU then running it near capacity will end up blowing it up.

CLoN

10-11-2009, 09:50 AM

Soon I'll build my little brother´s first computer :icon_tiphat: It says that I need 204W but Newegg calculator says 374W :jawdrop: I think I'll get a Corsair 550VX :redface:

eden999

10-13-2009, 07:32 PM

This calculator is amazing, helped me pick a psu with the right number of wattages !! =D thank you so much

butkick

10-22-2009, 03:10 AM

Cool tool
It rhymes

Zenn

04-14-2010, 01:53 AM

Wow this is the same psu calculator that I used last year to decide if my 650W psu could handle two gpus. I found it to be very helpful and I seen that I had a lot of room to work with.

I couldn't find a GTX 470, GTX 480, i7 930, or i7 980X on their list, I guess they haven't updated it with the most recent stuff yet.

Blacksmith1

05-27-2011, 06:34 AM

curent update is March 9, 2011 The following changes were made:

CPUs

- added Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i7-2600S Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i5-2390T Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge
- added Intel Core i3-2100T Sandy Bridge

so it seems they are keeping up.

has anyone bought the paid version?