[Spreadsheet] "Will I save money by using an 80+ PSU?"

[Taiknee]

Item: Downloadable Spreadsheet on Google Docs
Purpose: Determine if you will save money on your power bill over the next 3-5 years by buying a more efficient 80plus PSU.
Link to Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...mc&usp=sharing

Recently, I've been researching a lot of info about PSUs (and lots of stuff related to PSUs) and decided to make a small spreadsheet of the cost savings obtained from buying the more power efficient 80+ PSU types. You can use the spreadsheet by putting in the cost of your local seasonal power rates, the average time you plan on weekdays, the average time you play on weekends/holidays, your estimated or expected watt usage with your current or future computer, and the prices of each 80+ type (normal, bronze, silver, etc.) you are evaluating.

The assumptions used in the spreadsheet are listed at the bottom, and the Tips page is in the second tab along with some links that might be useful.

You will most likely need to resize the boxes after you download. The link will also remain in my signature.

To scan your downloads, I recommend: http://virusscan.jotti.org/en

Hope it helps~

[chazus]

A couple things!

1) You might want to add an option for "Use Time" during weekday/weekend. A lot of people leave their systems on 24/7, where it's using much less power than gaming.

2) Your "How much power does my system use" just leads to a pcpartpicker list. ANyone who doesnt use that wont have any info, anyone who does will just have their most recent list they made.

Personally, I consider any PSU over $80 not worth the money, and any under $45 unless on sale too cheap, on principle.

[Deleted]

A couple things!

1) You might want to add an option for "Use Time" during weekday/weekend. A lot of people leave their systems on 24/7, where it's using much less power than gaming.

2) Your "How much power does my system use" just leads to a pcpartpicker list. ANyone who doesnt use that wont have any info, anyone who does will just have their most recent list they made.

Personally, I consider any PSU over $80 not worth the money, and any under $45 unless on sale too cheap, on principle.

That depends entirely on what you're using it for - for example, a data-mining or low-end render server machine might have 4 high-end GPUs, mutliple SSDs and massive HDDs, on top of running a high-end CPU, such as an Intel Extreme with tri-Xfire or Tri-SLI. Those things can take up to 1200W under max load. I wouldn't buy an $80 PSU to run that kind of thing, though the advice is generally sound; buy a reputable OEM (Seasonic of FSP spring to mind) within those price ranges and you'll typically be fine.

[Taiknee]

A couple things!

1) You might want to add an option for "Use Time" during weekday/weekend. A lot of people leave their systems on 24/7, where it's using much less power than gaming.

2) Your "How much power does my system use" just leads to a pcpartpicker list. ANyone who doesnt use that wont have any info, anyone who does will just have their most recent list they made.

Personally, I consider any PSU over $80 not worth the money, and any under $45 unless on sale too cheap, on principle.

Thank you for your suggestions chazus - I might add your first suggestion later when I have more time, but it will most likely be a while. I also made it a little bit clearer on the spreadsheet that users need to input their parts in the pcpartpicker website.

If you like, you can also just base the power usage only on the hours you are gaming/simming/etc., so that everything after that (if there are any savings) is just bonus.

I encourage everyone who is planning on upgrading to compare the prices between the different 80+ PSUs, because depending on your power rates and usage, you might actually get some nice savings after X years by investing in a more efficient PSU. Typically, the more power you use, the more important it is to evaluate. Or if you live somewhere like Hawai'i where power costs are really high, you can get some nice savings by getting a more efficient PSU.

Though your computer only uses maybe between 1-5 watts during hibernating, I do encourage people to either turn off the surge protector and/or unplug their surge protector (after shutting down the computer) once they are done using the computer. Computers start up plenty fast nowadays.

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I highly encourage everyone who is making a PSU buying decision to evaluate your choices with the spreadsheet before purchasing the PSU. My spreadsheet is a free resource for everyone to use.

[chazus]

I looked into the same issue not too long back, after I moved into a new place, and my landlord claimed that our power bill went up by $400 that month, blaming me. I ended up getting a Kill-a-watt tester to see just how much power my system draws during different usages, during what times of the day, and my cost came out to about $25 a month... I later found out, and pointed out, that the floor heater she was using was the culprit.

It's hard to say exactly how much a computer uses... and it's pretty rare to hit the optimal load, so more often than not, you're only hitting 50% efficiency.

I'll hook up the KaW tonight and see how my new system compares to numbers expected. I'm running a 3570K @ 4.4ghz and a Geforce 660, and a Seasonic 520M Bronze... I'd expect about a 180w and a 210w wall pull during gaming. We'll find out!