GPU power consumption in synthetic tests vs real world use:

[Tacitus]

Hey everyone,

In lots of video card reviews I read power consumption measurements are given while the card is at 100% load in something like Furmark, 3D mark, heaven/valley etc.

These tests also generate more heat and thus must also be more power-hungry.

how much more power does a card like a 780 or 290 use in these stress tests than in a real world situation? Is this even possible to quantify accurately?

[xAcid9]

Tomshardware measured power consumption while gaming, you can check their review of the 290s.

[Tacitus]

Tomshardware measured power consumption while gaming, you can check their review of the 290s.

Had a quick glance, thanks for letting me know.

Do they measure power consumption of whole system, or just the card? Spikes of almost 400W from the MSI 290x are extremely high, and of around 350W for one 290.

[xAcid9]

Had a quick glance, thanks for letting me know.

Do they measure power consumption of whole system, or just the card? Spikes of almost 400W from the MSI 290x are extremely high, and of around 350W for one 290.

 

Only the card since they measured it from PCIE slot. Yeah the spike was high, that's why u need a good quality PSU but average consumption only around 220w+ for the 290.

[cooperred]

Anandtech does power consumption tests as well 

[Tacitus]

Only the card since they measured it from PCIE slot. Yeah the spike was high, that's why u need a good quality PSU but average consumption only around 220w+ for the 290.

Does my PSU not need to be big enough to account for these spikes though? I know they are extremely brief, but surely it's bad for my PSU to hit its max capacity and deny components the power they need?

[Face2Face]

A good 500-550 watt PSU is enough for a GTX 780 or R9 290 in a current QC core I5 or i7 system. Power consumption can vary by a huge margin depending on the game. If you are playing Crysis 3 without v-sync your power consumption will be higher than most games. You could also play Age of Mythology and only use 25% of your gpu with v-sync. Most people measure power consumption at full bore. It's a easier method to test and compare against multiple cards.

[winningsince1337]

With my 4770k and 290, it pulls ~340-420 watts from the wall (note some of the draw from the wall is just PSU ineffeciency). However, I would have to say it averages about 360ish. Honestly, a decent 500w or 550w PSu with the required amps will do it.

[Face2Face]

There are some factors like efficiency at the given load and the temperature of the PSU. Let's say you have a 80 Plus Gold rated PSU. At 50% load they are 90% efficient within temp spec when converting AC to DC. So if you are pulling 400 watts from a typical 110v Electrical outlet, then your PC is really using - 360 watts.

[Tacitus]

A good 500-550 watt PSU is enough for a GTX 780 or R9 290 in a current QC core I5 or i7 system. Power consumption can vary by a huge margin depending on the game. If you are playing Crysis 3 without v-sync your power consumption will be higher than most games. You could also play Age of Mythology and only use 25% of your gpu with v-sync. Most people measure power consumption at full bore. It's a easier method to test and compare against multiple cards.

  

With my 4770k and 290, it pulls ~340-420 watts from the wall (note some of the draw from the wall is just PSU ineffeciency). However, I would have to say it averages about 360ish. Honestly, a decent 500w or 550w PSu with the required amps will do it.

  

There are some factors like efficiency at the given load and the temperature of the PSU. Let's say you have a 80 Plus Gold rated PSU. At 50% load they are 90% efficient within temp spec when converting AC to DC. So if you are pulling 400 watts from a typical 110v Electrical outlet, then your PC is really using - 360 watts.

Thanks everyone, I have a 750W 80+ Bronze PSU and was hoping it would be enough to eventually crossfire 290s but now I'm pretty unsure

[juretrn]

    

Thanks everyone, I have a 750W 80+ Bronze PSU and was hoping it would be enough to eventually crossfire 290s but now I'm pretty unsure

Which PSU specifically?

[Tacitus]

Which PSU specifically?

EVGA NEX 750B 80+ bronze(or something along those lines)

[juretrn]

Yeah, 750 W should be fine. As long as it is not LC Power, or, god forbid, Diablotek, you'll be fine.

[Tacitus]

Yeah, 750 W should be fine. As long as it is not LC Power, or, god forbid, Diablotek, you'll be fine.

Thanks for the advice