The power consumption of the components that we use in our computer is very important information because the sum of the sum gives us the value we must meet with our power supply. However, as we have already told you at the time when we talked about what TGP and TBP are, it is important that we always try to place a little above this sum.

So, for example, if we build a PC that has a total consumption of 500 watts, it would be ideal to install at least a 550 watt power supply. The same thing would happen if we had a different energy consumption, and in the end it is important that we have a source a little above that minimum, so the device has some room for maneuver in front of possible peaks in consumption. If you have any doubts about this topic, I recommend that you read this guide.

This is not a complex concept, although there are still many users who do not fully understand exactly how a computer component works in terms of power consumption, and this can cause significant problems as a result. To help you avoid them, I wanted to write this article, which I will share with you three big keys that are essential and that should be clear to all of us.

1.-Energy consumption is not indicated in a realistic way

It’s something that should come to your mind from now on. For example, if you buy a graphics card with a TGP or TBP of 320 watts and a processor with a TDP of 125 watts, these values do not reflect actual consumption that the components you have purchased may have data that may vary depending on usage and that may actually increase more than double.

For example, the Radeon RX 6700 XT has a TBP of 230 watts and usually stays a little below that number, however can detect current peaks up to 300 watts. The Intel Core i9-12900K has a TDP of 125 watts, but when operating at full load (100% utilization), it can reach 226 watts, and if we overclock, consumption can shoot up to 286 watts.

It is very important that you are clear about the actual power consumption of each component before assembling your computer and that you choose the right power supply based on the realistic basis we have mentioned, because otherwise you will have stability and performance issues and in extreme cases can lead to equipment damage.

2.-Energy consumption is not something fixed or stable

In fact, the opposite can happen, there can be significant changes, and it can scare you. For example, and continue with the previous example, the Radeon RX 6700 XT can consume a few watts when we use it to play video or work at the basic level with our PC, but if we start playing, the consumption flies to 221 watts.

The same goes for the processor. Intel Core i9-12900K Registers a Approximate consumption of 132 watts at light workloadbut as we said before it reaches 226 watts when working at 100%that is, when all of its cores and fibers are saturated with a test capable of using them, such as Cinebench R23.

The load will ultimately affect the energy consumption of each component, but we must not forget that may also vary depending on the turbo mode These components tend to increase operating frequencies in specific situations in order to increase performance at the cost of higher energy consumption and more heat generation.

3. -It is a component that requires the performance it needs

Many still believe that it is the power supply that decides how much power to supply each component, however on the contrary, each component requires the power it needs at the momentand in any situation, which means that if he doesn’t get what he asked for, we could immediately find ourselves in serious trouble.

It can also create situations of false stability that will sooner or later scare us. For example, imagine that you are using a game that has low CPU dependency and high GPU dependency. As a result, your source can hardly support your graphics card and processor, as it does not consume many watts from the source as the game moves.

Continuing with the previous example, if you decide to use a game where the GPU and CPU have a high level of usage, you will eventually get scared because your resource will not be able to provide one of these two components with the required performance. Symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the situation. , if the difference in undelivered power is small, you may only experience tearing or slight power losses, but if it is large you will have stability issues.