Are psu wattages falling or am I crazy?

[ManBearPig]

I remember when I built my first computer around 2003 power supplies were getting huge, up to about 1000w easily. Now I'm building another computer and it seems like the avg size is much less. Is this because components/processors are more efficient or the psus themselves are more efficient?

 

[VirtualLarry]

less market for the overly huge PSUs, now that consumers are becoming more educated on the true PSU needs? Or less of the ridiculous rebadging, marking 500W PSUs 900W like DiabloTek does? Once everyone finds out, your brand is tarnished forever.

(Then again, there's a sucker born every minute, so they say, that must be why those inferior PSU companies are still around.)

 

[ElFenix]

in 2003 there were few, if any, 1000 watt power supplies. 600 was gigantor back then. 600 is still way more than most people will use, but there are plenty of 1000 watt supplies on the market and i'd say 600 is common for home builders.

 

[Puffnstuff]

1kw is just enough for me lol. Going with 1.2kw when this one fails.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Really? Every decent PSU brand has released a 1200W PSU by now and some are releasing 1500W PSUs.

 

[tomoyo]

Looks to me like there's a wide range of psu wattages now. But the higher efficiency ones tend to be high wattage. Newer models in the lower end under 500w range don't seem to be a priority.

 

[TemjinGold]

OP: To answer your question, you're crazy.

 

[Zap]

OP: To answer your question, you're crazy.

I concur.

 

[Rifter]

I concur.

me too, way more large capacity PSU's now than ever before.

 

[Rubycon]

From 2008!

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=255947

2kW does not seem so far fetched today. Imagine a box with 384GB FBDIMM, four 8 core CPU, SIX 590GTX for Cuda, dual 1880ix-24 and 96 Intel X25-E 64GB in RAID0. :biggrin:

 

[dave_the_nerd]

From 2008!

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=255947

2kW does not seem so far fetched today. Imagine a box with 384GB FBDIMM, four 8 core CPU, SIX 590GTX for Cuda, dual 1880ix-24 and 96 Intel X25-E 64GB in RAID0. :biggrin:

But can it run Crysis?

 

[Concillian]

2 kW does seem far fetched, given the average household utility socket in the US is 120v / 15A. 2kW DC with 85% efficiency would trip breakers. You'd need a dedicated 20amp circuit, if you lived in an 120v country, or you'd need to run a 240v circuit. I suppose you could put your computer next to your electric dryer and use it's circuit.

Sounds like a 220 / 240v only PSU.

1500+W computers are kinda crazy. Put into perspective, that's more power than my gasoline lawnmower engine can produce.

I understand the need at an enterprise level or for supercomputers, but for home users, that's getting a bit on the extreme end of things.

 

[Rubycon]

But can it run Crysis?

Like the wind. Actually the wind blows so hard it creates a weather crisis. (not to be confused with a fps crysis. )

2 kW does seem far fetched, given the average household utility socket in the US is 120v / 15A. 2kW DC with 85% efficiency would trip breakers. You'd need a dedicated 20amp circuit, if you lived in an 120v country, or you'd need to run a 240v circuit. I suppose you could put your computer next to your electric dryer and use it's circuit.

Sounds like a 220 / 240v only PSU.

1500+W computers are kinda crazy. Put into perspective, that's more power than my gasoline lawnmower engine can produce.

I understand the need at an enterprise level or for supercomputers, but for home users, that's getting a bit on the extreme end of things.

Those CWT packs were not sold in the USA for that reason. They were 240VAC only.

 

[Snooper]

Really? Every decent PSU brand has released a 1200W PSU by now and some are releasing 1500W PSUs.

I call BS on the 1500W number. Let's see, 1500W to the computer at 80% efficiency means you are pulling 1875W from the wall. That works out to 15.6 amps from your normal (for the USA at any rate) 120V outlet. That outlet is ONLY rated to 15 amps. And, legally, you can only have a continuous load of 80% (or, 12 amps) on it. Those 1200W are just a bit above the 80% load rating on the outlet as it is.

The only way you are going actually get 1500W out of one of those PC power supplies is if you use it on a dedicated 20 amp outlet installed for your computer.

 

[alaricljs]

The only way you are going actually get 1500W out of one of those PC power supplies is if you use it on a dedicated 20 amp outlet installed for your computer.

Oh wow, that must be what those 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits into my office are for. Right alongside the dedicated 15amp circuit and the 6 cat6 network runs.

Having requirements like that is not necessarily onerous to someone who knows what they're doing and WANTS it.

 

[Snooper]

Oh wow, that must be what those 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits into my office are for. Right alongside the dedicated 15amp circuit and the 6 cat6 network runs.

Having requirements like that is not necessarily onerous to someone who knows what they're doing and WANTS it.

Yup. That is what they are for!

But your average consumer isn't going have those dedicated circuits (or be willing to pay the money to have them installed). Of course, your "average" consumer has no need for a 1500W PS either, so maybe those crazy guys ARE willing to have the dedicated circuits installed.

More to the point, I'll be willing to eat crow when I see ads for these things that actually MENTION that a 20 amp dedicated circuit is required to run them.

 

[alaricljs]

Interestingly most of the info I found on 1500watt supplies is that they "aren't available in the US due to the 1300watt restriction" seems somewhere in the supply chain someone forgot to mention that part. On the other hand it's not technically a law, so good question. Perhaps they are gambling on the extreme unlikelihood that someone would succeed in loading one of them up that far.

 

[Meghan54]

Interestingly most of the info I found on 1500watt supplies is that they "aren't available in the US due to the 1300watt restriction" seems somewhere in the supply chain someone forgot to mention that part. On the other hand it's not technically a law, so good question. Perhaps they are gambling on the extreme unlikelihood that someone would succeed in loading one of them up that far.

Didn't look too hard for one, did you? Although there really is only one real alternative for a 1500W power supply out there...Silver efficiency rated, at Newegg among other places....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817256054

 

[alaricljs]

I said most of the *information* I found. Indeed I found a few PSUs, but zero word on 15/20amp supply. Interestingly the 1200 and 1300 watt PSUs I found specifically state a 15 amp circuit requirement.

 

[HOOfan 1]

I call BS on the 1500W number. Let's see, 1500W to the computer at 80% efficiency means....

I guess that is why the 1500W unit available in the US is over 84% efficient at full load...

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=175

Not to mention some PSU manufacturers market to countries with 230V power.

 

[JimKiler]

I remember when I built my first computer around 2003 power supplies were getting huge, up to about 1000w easily. Now I'm building another computer and it seems like the avg size is much less. Is this because components/processors are more efficient or the psus themselves are more efficient?

I think both the high end crowd wants higher wattage PSU's and the mainstream is getting more efficient with only one video card combined with more efficient parts like SSD's and HDD's means lower requirements or that a 500watt PSU is enough.

 

[Texashiker]

I remember when I built my first computer around 2003 power supplies were getting huge, up to about 1000w easily.

I remember power supplies in the 2003 range being more like 400 - 450 watts.

Lets say that your right, and there were a lot of 1,000 watt units around 2003 - I think todays society is a lot more power conscience then we were 8+ years ago. People are using fluorescent bulbs, buying cars that get better gas mileage and companies are building parts that consume less power.

Over the next few years we will probably see a sharp curve to energy savings as fuel prices continue to rise.

 

[dealmaster00]

I have a Phenom II X2 555 black edition OC'd to 3.8GHz and a radeon 4850 video card in my rig. When I play the latest call of duty, my computer uses 220W of power as measured by a kilowatt. you will need a pretty beefy system to use 1000W of power.

 

[Snooper]

I guess that is why the 1500W unit available in the US is over 84% efficient at full load...

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=175

Not to mention some PSU manufacturers market to countries with 230V power.

That's still 14.9 amps at 120V. Your going to trip the breaker on a 15 amp circuit with that much load (of course, the chance of actually LOADING one of these things to 1500W is pretty much zero).

As for marketing outside of the US, well reread my post. I explicitly mentioned in the US and our 120V system. There are times I really wished the US was setup for 240V instead of 240V center tapped (which means 120V at the normal outlets).