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Does a 500W Computer Power Supply Always Use 500W or Only as Needed?

globus0619 33399 6
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
  • #1 14548922
    globus0619
    Level 9  
    Hello
    I am green in electronic topics and I wanted to ask if I have a 500W power supply, it takes me 500W per hour or if there is any other converter. Thank you in advance for your answer.
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  • #2 14548937
    kokapetyl
    Level 43  
    globus0619 wrote:
    if I have a 500W power supply, it takes me the 500W

    No, this is its maximum power that it can supply to power components, and how much it consumes depends on its load.
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  • #3 14548938
    dt1
    Admin of Computers group
    Hello. An ideal power supply does not consume any electricity by itself. The elements connected to the power supply take the current. The power supply has the "energy efficiency" parameter, surely you've seen the 80+ markings on some models. Anything less than 100% means losses on such a power supply.

    For example - if your equipment will draw 100W - the power supply with 100% efficiency will use 100W from the socket. Most decent power supplies have an efficiency of around 85%, so taking 100W from the socket they deliver 85W to the powered elements (the remaining 15% is losses - mainly heat). So a 85% efficient power supply, if it powers elements that need 100W, will consume about 117.7W (117.7 * 0.85 = 100) from the network.

    500W (or any other value given on the sticker) is only the maximum efficiency of such a power supply. Of course, it will not draw 500W from the network at all times (it would be pointless). It will take as much as the equipment connected to it needs plus energy efficiency losses - as in the example above.
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  • #4 14548946
    Robert B
    Level 43  
    @ globus0619 it also depends on whether it is branded or from some black list. If it is the latter, it can have 1000W on the sticker, but it has nothing to do with its actual power and efficiency.
    https://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic1294468.html

    www.techfanatyk.net/zmien-zasilacz-przezornosc-czy-psychoza/
    www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic1199271.html
    http://forum.pclab.pl/topic/142996-Zanim-zapy...ZASILACZ-lub-jego-NAPI%C4%98CIA-sprawd%C5%BA/
    http://forum.pclab.pl/topic/843054-Czarna-lista-zasilaczy-oraz-lista-polecanych-v2/
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  • #5 14548956
    wariato
    Level 43  
    globus0619 wrote:
    if I have a 500W power supply, it takes me 500W per hour or is there any other converter

    It consumes as much as the equipment connected to it needs at the moment + losses on the efficiency of the power supply itself, the higher its efficiency, the less energy it consumes.
    The energy consumed mainly depends on the power consumption of the computer's components and the way it is used. In "rest", for example, displaying only the desktop, a typical set from the socket will take 70-90W, during high loads 200-250 or even 300W, but it all consists of both the PC configuration and the efficiency of the power supply. There are sets that, even when loaded, do not exceed 100W.

    This can be compared to such a situation, if the car's engine reaches, let's say, 200KM at 6000 rpm, do you drive non-stop at such high revolutions from the very start? No, as a rule, the RPM is used in the range of 2000-3500RPM and the engine power and fuel consumption are lower then, but you can of course also use these 200KM and push 180km / h with a fuel consumption of 15L per 100km, which is not economical. If you "use" computer hardware to a large extent, the consumption from the network is similarly higher.
  • #6 19343927
    wysio
    Level 13  
    I will dig out the topic. Does the connected power supply constantly consume any components (coils, etc.) while the computer is not working? I heard the opinion that some of the elements may wear out faster, but it seems to me that they are some lame ...
  • #7 19344023
    rzymo
    Level 34  
    The power supply is on, but "without a computer load" will consume some energy for its own needs. In old units it will be a dozen or so watts, in the newest units it will be single watts or even less ...
    Its internal components will not wear out, it just uses some electricity for its own needs (in simple terms).

Topic summary

A 500W power supply does not consume 500W per hour; rather, it indicates the maximum power it can deliver to connected components. The actual power consumption depends on the load from the components and the power supply's efficiency. Most power supplies have an efficiency rating, such as the 80+ certification, which indicates how much power is lost as heat. For example, a power supply with 85% efficiency will draw more power from the outlet than it delivers to the components, resulting in energy losses. When idle, a power supply may consume a small amount of power for its own needs, typically less in newer models compared to older ones. Overall, the power consumption varies based on the connected components and their usage.
Summary generated by the language model.
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