Solved Power Supply Question

[obidon]

I'm going to be purchasing a new HDD and some extra RAM.

I currently have a PSU with a MAX Output Power of 550w. I just want to make sure that adding these components won't effect my PSU output power since I don't plan on buying a new one anytime soon.

Also is there a way to see how much power your PSU is currently using? There doesn't seem to be any info on it in CPU-Z.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

RAM and an HDD will add very little to your power consumption. An HDD typically uses under 10 watts when spinning; less than 5 at rest.

You can measure the power consumption of your PC with a Killawatt device--available online from many vendors for maybe $20. You plug the Killawatt into the wall socket and then plug your stuff into it. It will measure the actual wattage draw of any appliance---radios, TV, lights, whatever, as long as it takes 110 volts.

Take a look at my specs and look at the measured power consumption in the "other info" section. I used a Killawatt to get those numbers.

 

[obidon]

Thanks I didn't know they used that little. Good to know.

What about SSD's? Do they usually use around the same amount of watts as an HDD?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Thanks I didn't know they used that little. Good to know.

What about SSD's? Do they usually use around the same amount of watts as an HDD?

I have not researched that, but my guess would be that they use less than an HDD because they have no moving parts.

 

[obidon]

I have not researched that, but my guess would be that they use less than an HDD because they have no moving parts.

Awesome. Looks like I'll be pretty much worry free when I decide to upgrade to an SSD hopefully sometimes soon.

What about a Video/Graphics card upgrade? Do those usually require more wattage than the latter mentioned components?

 

[seavixen32]

It depends which graphics card you go for.

For example, the NVIDIA Geforce GTX560 needs around 180 watts at full power.

Providing you go to a reputable vendor they should be able to give you good advice on whether you need to update your power supply.

I would have thought that 550 watts gives you a bit to play with.

 

[pparks1]

SSD's use less power than hard drives, which use very little power as it is. The 2 devices that consume the most power are your GPU and then your CPU. Most other items are almost trivial.

 

[M1GU31]

For a high end video card I heard the recommendation was about 500watts for a single card alone. For two cards in say sli or crossfirex(depending whether you have a AMD or nVDIA video card) needs around 600w i believe. Anyways i took a look at your specs and i made as if you two sticks of ram,1hdd,1ssd,2 gtx 560ti's,a dvd drive,2 case fans and the cpu you have with a regular mobo and 8sub ports and came as recommend as 531watts. You can play around with the power calculator tool on that site and it gives you a idea of how much power you would need. Also may i reminded you that you need a quality built psu because a stock psu that came with a machine is not very likely to draw that much power and possibly blow out if it runs and cant handle it. This is the site,you can try it your self and see how much wattage different configurations would draw>>>> eXtreme Outer Vision - eXtreme tools for computer enthusiasts

Other then that no I dont think you will need more power to have another HDD and SSD. I've had 2 HDDs on my old 500w psu before and they ran fine.My brother is running to HDDs on his pc with only 300w power and 2 sticks of ram

 

[Colonel Travis]

Second the Power Supply Calculator link M1GU31 gave. It's come in handy for me.