Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming 1,200W PSU

[Xlucine]

Reccomended values for PSU's are junk, there's no point in paying any attention to them. Gigabyte also claim that a 750ti needs a 400W PSU. The hexus system reading is exactly that - the total power consumed by the whole system. Also, the estimated power from that build list is almost as bad as gigabytes recommendations:

15W for a cooler?! 11W for ram?! That ram runs on 1.2v, so it'd have to suck almost 10A at that level.

[Savas]

Glad I posted this then as I am currently looking for a PSU, or I would have been using wrong estimates! So without going too far off topic, I guess I am right with originally saying that Hexus is reviewing too many high end (wattage wise) PSU's..

[kompukare]

So without going too far off topic, I guess I am right with originally saying that Hexus is reviewing too many high end (wattage wise) PSU's..

Don't be too hard on them! Most other sites are the same!
Manufacturers want these 1000W monsters to be reviewed so the only way to review more sensible 450W-550W ones to for reviewers to go out and buy them.

[kalniel]

Well I got that figure from Gigabytes own recommendation for a PSU to run that graphics card, although but most realistically at it's max load, so realistically we're looking at 465 Watts when gaming? Or did I mix up "system power consumption" with them meaning the entire system or just the GPU on it's own, if so then yes my power consumption estimates are wrong.. 397W-180(taking out the estimated GPU as it's average, not possible max needed)+248(adding the hexus review GPU load)=465 to be roughly close. Also "Wattages are estimates only. Actual power draw may differ from listed values."

The Hexus review spells it out:

we record system-wide mains power draw both when idle and while playing Dirt Rally.

Ie, the whole system is drawing ~250W from the mains while gaming (ie max load), which therefore means if a 90% efficient supply the actual draw from the PSU of the sum of computer components is 225W as I stated earlier, and you would technically only need a PSU rated at 225W.

Manufacturers recommendations are made with cheap PSUs in mind that can't supply half their rated wattage, and being wildly conservative about what other components a user might have.