I have a 550 Watt CoolerMaster PSU. If my computer only requires 400 Watts to run... will my power supply still use 550 Watts from my outlet or 400? I'm asking this for energy consumption reasons...
No it will not consume 550Watt of power, thats just telling you the recommended maximum usage/output. But anyways you will consume 400 watts of power not 550watts. Also 550 watts is not the maximum output of your PSU If you find out what is the peak wattage probably something like 580watts that is the absolute limit of output your PSU can produce. That is like a guideline to how much you should use for example my PSU is a hiper 580 watt but i know that this can be pushed to 630watt but obviously at a risk.
Thanks for the info! I really didn't know that i can peak it to about 580. I wanted to add another VGA card to make it SLI. I hope my PSU will have enough wattage without risking it!
That was just an example i don't know what the peak of your PSU is i suggest you check it out with your manufacturer
don;t worry you will not consume 550Watt of power, you will consume only 400 watts of power not 550watts.........
This all depends on the PC you have, and how much stuff you have running. Power supply's come in many different wattage and different flavors. If you have a custom case with 4 fans running, then you will be using more power.
If you're total draw is 400W, that's all it will take. As for upgrades, 550W might work, it might not. The key is which voltage your upgrade draws from and what's available. More things draw off the +12V rail these days, and with the 8800 series, nVidia makes the assumption that you have 25-30A on the +12V rail or via combination when using multiple +12V rails.
And its the opposite with cheap brand power supplies, they are rated at their peak level instead of constant power output.
