Jump to content

How accurate are PSU calculators?

IndioBravo
By IndioBravo
in Power Supplies
 Share
Posted

Hi everyone, I currently have a Sapphire Pulse 5700xt shipping my way, but I have this concern:

 

MOBO: Gaming Plus B450

CPU: Ryzen 5 2600x

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212

GPU: Zotac GTX 1060 6GB - being replaced by 5700xt

Case: Cooles Master MasterBox Lite 5 (3 intake 1 exhuast)

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x8 @3000Mhz

SSD1 (OS): Samsung EVO 500GB

SSD2: Kingstone SSDnow 120GB

HDD1: WD 3TB green

PSU: Thermaltake TR2 500W

 

Used a PSU calculator and it calculated this:

 

image.thumb.png.f656cb84e64238ec718b912a3045faa7.png

 

My current 500W PSU has worked very well with my current specs. Should I listen to the calculator? Or what will happen if I not?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Calculators overestimate by a lot

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

The general opinion here seems to be they suck.  It’s better to have too much power than not enough so One therefore needs to assume they’re inaccurate down rather than up.  I’ve never seen that one so perhaps it’s pre inflated.

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Most PSU calculators try to sell you (their) PSU's, so I think they almost always have a conflict of interest.. And usually overestimate quite generously.

PCPartPicker's power usage is somewhat alright. But it's still best to just check reviews for GPU and CPU power usage and add some more for the rest of your system and get a good unit from that.

 

For example, a quality 550W unit will be plenty for your system.

You could consider a Corsair TX550M, Corsair RM550, Be Quiet Straight Power 11 550W, BitFenix Whisper and some more. Just depends on availability and pricing locally.

"We're all in this together, might as well be friends" Tom, Toonami.

 

mini eLiXiVy: my open source 65% mechanical PCB, a build log, PCB anatomy and discussing open source licenses: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1366493-elixivy-a-65-mechanical-keyboard-build-log-pcb-anatomy-and-how-i-open-sourced-this-project/

 

mini_cardboard: a 4% keyboard build log and how keyboards work: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1328547-mini_cardboard-a-4-keyboard-build-log-and-how-keyboards-work/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Outervision: Usually overestimates, about 2x more than you'll actually use, pulls all the numbers out of their asses.

 

PCPP: Completely random. If they don't know the power draw, it assumes it's 0W. For this random build (2600, RX 580) I have loaded, it assumes that the motherboard will draw 60W (for a 65W CPU), that each stick of RAM uses 7W, and that the SSD will use 10W. Just adding other random parts, we find that a random HDD uses 20W, that a 120mm AIO uses 15W, and that each fan uses 5W, unless it's included with the case, in which case it uses no power.

 

Random.org with min 100 and max 400: Usually way more accurate than any of these, in most cases giving you a more realistic number that's closer to the actual figure.

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

Ok so, PSU calculatores are not accurate. But now I am worried that maybe the TR2 is too small for my 5700XT.

 

I really don´t want my TR2 to pop, because I could just replace it and sell it.

 

Tech prices where I live are really high, but I found a Corsair Vs650 80 Plus 650w for $65.

 

I´m guessing the bottom line on this is to change my PSU?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

UPDATE

 

I just "built" my pc on PcPartPicker and it displayed 454W estimates Wattage. With all my periferals included.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 hour ago, Pablo Molina said:

Tech prices where I live are really high, but I found a Corsair Vs650 80 Plus 650w for $65.

Please do not put a PSU as crappy as a VS on a nice gaming PC

 

1 hour ago, Pablo Molina said:

UPDATE

 

I just "built" my pc on PcPartPicker and it displayed 454W estimates Wattage. With all my periferals included.

As mentioned my @seon123, just don't use the pcpp calc

 

And make sure to quote us so wee see your responses

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
4 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

Please do not put a PSU as crappy as a VS on a nice gaming PC

 

As mentioned my @seon123, just don't use the pcpp calc

 

And make sure to quote us so wee see your responses

So then there is no trustworthy PSU calculator.

 

By that you mean that corsair PSU I posted is no good? Well, I´d have to check other PSUs ay my local market price. The thing is, I don´t really want to buy a new PSU unless I really need to.

 

Is there any other way to calculate or obtain power draw? I can see it in your description that your sistem draws 400W under max load. But I would not know how to compare it to mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
3 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

So then there is no trustworthy PSU calculator.

 

By that you mean that corsair PSU I posted is no good? Well, I´d have to check other PSUs ay my local market price. The thing is, I don´t really want to buy a new PSU unless I really need to.

 

Is there any other way to calculate or obtain power draw? I can see it in your description that your sistem draws 400W under max load. But I would not know how to compare it to mine.

Both Corsair and Thermaltake make excellent PSUs, but the VS and the TR2 are those company's worst offerings.

 

If you can't afford a decent PSU made for a gaming level PC, you should wait until you can.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
5 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

By that you mean that corsair PSU I posted is no good?

Yes it's only good.for super low end systems

 

5 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

Well, I´d have to check other PSUs ay my local market price. The thing is, I don´t really want to buy a new PSU unless I really need to.

You need to. PSU quality matters just as much as having enough power.

 

5 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

Is there any other way to calculate or obtain power draw?

The one true way to obtain power draw is to measure it. Tomshardware does reviews and they measure system component power draw using measurement tools on the cables, you can check your CPU and GPU and use that as the most important reference because those are the most power hungry parts

5 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

can see it in your description that your sistem draws 400W under max load. But I would not know how to compare it to mine.

What it means is that if an overclocked i7 and a titan only draw 400 watts, what PC can you build that would draw more? The titan Xp has an 8+6 pin PCIe power connector, and since that's a standard connector that uses a standard wattage, you can sort of get an idea for the power draw comparing other cards like the 5700 XT you mentioned. 

 

Also Intel consumes more power than AMD at stock

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
5 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Both Corsair and Thermaltake make excellent PSUs, but the VS and the TR2 are those company's worst offerings.

 

If you can't afford a decent PSU made for a gaming level PC, you should wait until you can.

 

And here I thought my TR2 was good :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
3 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

Yes it's only good.for super low end systems

 

You need to. PSU quality matters just as much as having enough power.

 

The one true way to obtain power draw is to measure it. Tomshardware does reviews and they measure system component power draw using measurement tools on the cables, you can check your CPU and GPU and use that as the most important reference because those are the most power hungry parts

What it means is that if an overclocked i7 and a titan only draw 400 watts, what PC can you build that would draw more? The titan Xp has an 8+6 pin PCIe power connector, and since that's a standard connector that uses a standard wattage, you can sort of get an idea for the power draw comparing other cards like the 5700 XT you mentioned. 

 

Also Intel consumes more power than AMD at stock

Ok then, I´ll discard that VS from my cart. I understand now, not to cheap out on PSU. The 5700XT also has 8+6 pin, and with what you say in mind, I´m guessing my system will use 400W or maybe just a little more.

 

As a matter of fact, I just checked:

 

Ryzen 5 2600x @ 4.2GHz (mine is at 4) uses 157W peak under load.

RX 5700XT at stock uses 243.39 at peak load.

 

Using a total of 400.39W only for those 2 components at peak load. I´m guessing the rest of my hardware will take up the remaining 100W, leaving me in a safe spot?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, Pablo Molina said:

So then there is no trustworthy PSU calculator.

 

By that you mean that corsair PSU I posted is no good? Well, I´d have to check other PSUs ay my local market price. The thing is, I don´t really want to buy a new PSU unless I really need to.

 

Is there any other way to calculate or obtain power draw? I can see it in your description that your sistem draws 400W under max load. But I would not know how to compare it to mine.

@Pablo Molina even the OP doesn’t get notified without a link? Or is it just not reliable  or something.  I’ve been omitting the name when the reply is intended for the OP

Edited by Bombastinator
Ihateautocorrect

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
Just now, Pablo Molina said:

Using a total of 400.39W only for those 2 components at peak load. I´m guessing the rest of my hardware will take up the remaining 100W, leaving me in a safe spot?

Yeah you should be real safe with a 550 watt PSU. Have you seen our PSU tier list? My specs in my sig can be clicked on to see all the tier lists 

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
Just now, Bombastinator said:

@Pablo Molina even the OP doesn’t get notified without a link? Or is it just not relatable or something.  I’ve been omitting the name when the reply is intended for the OP

When you quote, the person quoted is pinged no matter what, you don't also need to mention and since it says who you quoted it wouldn't make much difference. I only mention to notify people who I didn't quote, or to address the OP after I quote someone else.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, Fasauceome said:

Yeah you should be real safe with a 550 watt PSU. Have you seen our PSU tier list? My specs in my sig can be clicked on to see all the tier lists 

@Fasauceome tried it.  I may have been clicking on the wrong place though.  Something about dark threats regarding something called a “Sugo”

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, Bombastinator said:

@Fasauceome tried it.  I may have been clicking on the wrong place though.  Something about dark threats regarding something called a “Sugo”

Btw here's what my notification looks likeScreenshot_20191202-202809_Chrome.jpg.b5c4e078c0d26b819625d517d72f6440.jpg

So the mention isn't even a factor apparently

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
2 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

When you quote, the person quoted is pinged no matter what, you don't also need to mention and since it says who you quoted it wouldn't make much difference. I only mention to notify people who I didn't quote, or to address the OP after I quote someone else.

Ah.  I’m just trying to figure this all out is all.  I have too much free time I seem to waste here lately, so my post numbers misrepresent how new I am

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
22 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

Yeah you should be real safe with a 550 watt PSU. Have you seen our PSU tier list? My specs in my sig can be clicked on to see all the tier lists 

Ok, but if I understand right, you are suggesting I get a new 550W PSU and discard my old 500W? If that is the case, that is what I´ll do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, Pablo Molina said:

Ok, but if I understand right, you are suggesting I get a new 550W PSU and discard my old 500W? If that is the case, that is what I´ll do.

Yes definitely. A nice PC deserves a nice PSU.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
17 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Ah.  I’m just trying to figure this all out is all.  I have too much free time I seem to waste here lately, so my post numbers misrepresent how new I am

I´m still new, but that explanation from @Fasauceome (I hope I am mentioning right) about quoting and mentioning left things clear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
Just now, Fasauceome said:

Yes definitely. A nice PC deserves a nice PSU.

Ok then, matters solved, I´ll get a new decent PSU.

 

Thanks everyone for all the help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
1 minute ago, Pablo Molina said:

@Fasauceome (I hope I am mentioning right)

if yu want to mention someone., make sure it turns orange by clicking on it

like @Pablo Molina

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Power Supplies

×