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Thread: Power consumption

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    Power consumption

    Hi all

    After reading some of the comments for the 4870 toxic review it got me thinking.

    Would anyone out there have an idea of how much power consumed by cards is for the actual fan itself?

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    Re: Power consumption

    well most fans consume about 0.05A to 0.13A and that's over a 12v load?
    so simple maths makes it somewhere between:

    0.05A * 12V = 0.6W
    0.13A * 12V = 1.56W

    i hope that's right, anyway..?

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    Re: Power consumption

    ah I see, I have recently put a water block on my 4870x2 and just wanted to know how power I might be saving.....not a lot it seems lol

    thx for the quick response though

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    Re: Power consumption

    Ah that is a completely different set of variables

    Silicon as a semiconductor is more efficient at lower temperatures, this increased efficiency means that as you lower the operating temperature of the chip you actually reduce the power required as well. So while you will definitely save the power required for the fan (I would say Matty-Hodgson was a bit optimistic in the max for a fan I have 120mm fans (1400rpm) which draw 0.18A (and a 38mm thinck 120mm which draws 0.25A) and my GPU fan (off my Gecube 3870 X-Turbo III) draws 0.25A at 12v so 3W). You will also save some power due to increased efficiency but how much I couldn't even begin to speculate.

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    Re: Power consumption

    I see, so would that mean if my idle and load temps were halved then the power draw could also be halved? Not exactly of course but roughly perhaps?

    It's just that I have been thinking a lot about my power bill.

    Would you know approx how much power the average tv or washing machine draws?

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    Re: Power consumption

    Quote Originally Posted by Daydreamer View Post
    I see, so would that mean if my idle and load temps were halved then the power draw could also be halved? Not exactly of course but roughly perhaps?

    It's just that I have been thinking a lot about my power bill.

    Would you know approx how much power the average tv or washing machine draws?
    200-100w -TV

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    Re: Power consumption

    Okay I will speculate a bit, no if you halve temperatures you will not see a reduction in half of the power usage (and don't forget we will be talking about absolute temperatures (Kelvin) not Celsius, so a reduction form 80°C to 40°C (353K to 313K) is not halving the temperature it is only an 11% drop).

    I would expect the benefits to be more in the region of 5W at most under load, you gain the other benefits of water cooling though like smaller heating cooling cycles and generally lower temps whcich all lead to better stability and longer life (or faster overclocks )

    I think that if you are concerned with power usage perhaps you shouldn't have bought the 4870x2 when a 4870 or GTX260 would probably served you just as well (ok games wouldn't have run as fast or at as high detail) for half the power usage.

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    Re: Power consumption

    thx for the replies.

    I am slightly concerned with power draw, but performance is always my priority, it just occured to me that I had never given it any thought before.

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    Re: Power consumption

    If your in the mood to experiment then buy yourself a power meter (plug into the socket and then tells you the power draw) and test with the watercooled 4870X2 and then replace with the original air cooler and measure again.

    A lot of work but would give you a better idea of the power savings (if any) you are making.

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    Re: Power consumption

    Will be interesting to see if the feature of using onboard graphics for desktop activities, then switching on a dedicated graphics card for gaming ever makes it to the market place.

    Any recommendations for a plug-in socket meter? Slightly hesitant to spend a lot, as after initially trying it out on everything, I wouldn't use one much there after. Not as if I replace my PC that often.

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    Re: Power consumption

    heres one I think I will pick up, only tenner

    http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...C=SO&U=strat15

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    Re: Power consumption

    Quote Originally Posted by Daydreamer View Post
    heres one I think I will pick up, only tenner

    http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...C=SO&U=strat15
    £7 at LIDL if the offer is still on. Check on HUKD about it.

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