Power Consumption vs spare Psu capacity

[toddbailey]

Hi All,

Here is a question for the masses:

If I have a 1200 watt psu and at present load I'm seeing 600 watts at the kill a watt monitoring device, does this mean I could safely add about 400-500 additional watts and still be with-in design capacity? fyI; I'm running 3 gpus, a i5-7600 and a few hdds. I plan to add more gpus for a gaming and mining box. thx.

 

[UsandThem]

Hi All,

Here is a question for the masses:

If I have a 1200 watt psu and at present load I'm seeing 600 watts at the kill a watt monitoring device, does this mean I could safely add about 400-500 additional watts and still be with-in design capacity? fyI; I'm running 3 gpus, a i5-7600 and a few hdds. I plan to add more gpus for a gaming and mining box. thx.

Yes, but you don't want to run a PSU at near-to-full capacity 24/7, as it will likely cut down on how long it lasts. Personally, I don't like to run my power supplies for long periods of time over 70-80% of it's stated capacity.

EDIT:

I also want to add you lose a little at the wall due to efficiency. So if it is showing 600w at the wall, your PSU will likely be running at roughly 90% of that depending on its efficiency at that load.

 

[IntelUser2000]

50-60% is the limit you'd want to be at for extended operation(like 24/7). So you are pretty close. Don't go higher than 800W as measured by your power meter, assuming you've got a Gold-rated power supply.

 

[XavierMace]

50-60% is the limit you'd want to be at for extended operation(like 24/7).

I'd say that's a bit extreme, unless you don't buy quality power supplies.

 

[VirtualLarry]

On an actual *quality* PSU, I wouldn't hesitate to run it at 80% capacity 24/7, assuming that the cooling was adequate. With the caveat that it would last longer, probably, at 50-60% capacity. Still, it's warranted to run that much, that long, so it should have capacity headroom from the factory in the beginning, if only to meet the warranty-period specs.

On a 3rd-tier or lower PSU, yeah, probably 50% load at most would be a good idea.

 

[toddbailey]

On an actual *quality* PSU, I wouldn't hesitate to run it at 80% capacity 24/7, assuming that the cooling was adequate. With the caveat that it would last longer, probably, at 50-60% capacity. Still, it's warranted to run that much, that long, so it should have capacity headroom from the factory in the beginning, if only to meet the warranty-period specs.

On a 3rd-tier or lower PSU, yeah, probably 50% load at most would be a good idea.

80 plus gold rating,advertised @ 87% with a 50 % load. Psu is made by coolmax model zpg-1200B, cooling is not an issue, open frame rack. can't really feel any heat from exhaust ports. 80 % load would equal 960. but my guess is I'd want to take 80 to 90 % of that for a target
What's coolmax "quality" in comparison with others?

 

[UsandThem]

What's coolmax "quality" in comparison with others?

Coolmax isn't known for selling quality PSUs. I'd be surprised if that thing could run anywhere near it's full capacity for any significant period of time. They hardly get reviewed anymore, but you can take a look at a review from one of their previous units:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=68

The Mediocre

• it 'sploded

 

[toddbailey]

Coolmax isn't known for selling quality PSUs. I'd be surprised if that thing could run anywhere near it's full capacity for any significant period of time. They hardly get reviewed anymore, but you can take a look at a review from one of their previous units:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=68

thanks for the info, but the link you supplied doesnt have any merit. its like comparing a lemon to a lime. however i'll do some more research and see if your concerns are justified. so how does one tell if the psu is a quality design or not? retail price doesnt appear to be a safe measure. on a different note, should i consider my 850 watt antec psu instead? it only rated at 83 % however

 

[UsandThem]

thanks for the info, but the link you supplied doesnt have any merit. its like comparing a lemon to a lime. however i'll do some more research and see if your concerns are justified. so how does one tell if the psu is a quality design or not? retail price doesnt appear to be a safe measure. on a different note, should i consider my 850 watt antec psu instead? it only rated at 83 % however

So if my first link didn't provide merit, what makes you think my 2nd one will?

Best of luck to you!

 

[VirtualLarry]

CoolMax, RaidMax, PowMax, they're all pretty crappy. The only decent one (with "Max" in the name) is Enermax, and they haven't come out with much in the way of new models, that I know of. Naxn are related to Enermax. (Joint venture.)

 

[XavierMace]

I know some miners also convert server PSU's for their mining rig since you can get high wattage platinum rated power supplies that are designed to run at higher temps.

 

[toddbailey]

Coolmax isn't known for selling quality PSUs. I'd be surprised if that thing could run anywhere near it's full capacity for any significant period of time. They hardly get reviewed anymore, but you can take a look at a review from one of their previous units:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=68

because the review was for a Coolmax CUG-700B. I have a 1200B. What exploded was a low buck cap. And what is the failure rate? 1 in 10? 1 in 1000? When I was an e-tech I found that both cheap and expensive caps have an acceptable failure rate right out of the factory. The higher priced ones tend to live longer given the correct rating. Thinking through this however, I'm left with 2 choices, replace it or rebuild it using better caps. Since it's over 10 years old, a recap project would be far less spendy than dropping $200 on a new one.
However we are way off topic, The original question (rephrased) was power consumption vs advertised capacity From what I gather it should be approx max watts at plug = (capacity - 20 % margin) / rated efficiency. Or about 830 watts .