Power Consumption

[airfoil]

I have a 350 watt PSU installed in my case. I'm curious to know - does this mean 350 watts of power is consumed on a continuous basis or do components draw from this 'capability' of the PSU as and when needed.

Could someone enlighten me please?

 

[BG4533]

Your power supply only takes in what the components need and then a bit extra due to its inefficiency. You shouldnt be drawing nearly 350W regularly. More like around 100-150W depending on your system. Of course if you have a older or really new system or lots of drives that varies a lot.

 

[DerMonkeyhauser]

A power supply being rated for 350 watts means that, on average, that model of power supply can deliver 350 watts of energy
before shutting down, overheating, or frying itself. Your computer components will only draw what they need from it. If they
draw 200 watts combined, you're in the clear. 300 to 350 watts is pushing it; most power supply manufacturers overstate their
ratings a bit. Your stuff can try and draw as much power through the PS as it wants, though. A 400watt peak load during heavy
activity might not necessarily damage anything, but it could cause the PS's voltage outputs to drop, making your computer crash.
(IE what was a 3.3v line is now a 3.15v line, and the 12v goes down to 11.2 under load)