PC power supply: how many watts should it have? All info

Without power supply no power - and without power no running operation. But how many watts should the PC power supply actually have? The selection is large and it is hardly obvious at first glance how much power the components require. We give clues.

The range in power supplies is wide, and it's not just the wattage that matters.

PC power supply: how many watts do the most important parts use?

Almost all components require power, but there are huge differences. Two parts are responsible for by far the largest consumption:

• Processor: The CPU requires up to 150 watts, depending on the model.
• Graphics card: High-quality graphics cards consume up to 250 watts.
• The RAM, the mainboard, the hard drives and the power supply itself also consume some power. In total, the consumption is around 50 to 100 watts, but depends on the models as well as the number of installed components.
• So, together with the previously mentioned power guzzlers, such a system needs at least 500 watts. Since buffers upwards are always good, a power supply with 550 or 600 watts would be advisable.
• However, the power consumption can quickly turn out higher in high-end gaming PCs - especially when two graphics cards are installed. Thus, there are also PCs that should use a power supply of 1,000 watts or more.
• To calculate the values for your PC, you can use the power supply calculator from be quiet.

When choosing a power supply, you should also pay attention to the efficiency: At least 80 percent is advisable, otherwise the power consumption is unnecessarily high. This value is specifically observed by many manufacturers, good power supplies are even marked with "80+Bronze", which means an efficiency of over 85 percent.