Upgrading to Corsair RM550x to save money?

[Mr_Ghost]

My computer currently uses a bronze rated XFX power supply, and today I was making some calculations regarding how much my computer impacts my electricity bill and I came up with something like this:
(assuming average 150 watt power draw)

(150 J/s * 3600 seconds/hour * 14 hours/day * 365 days/year)/3600000 = 766 GWh/year
(and yes my computer is on from 8 to 10 every day)

And with a price of 0.35 USD per GWh in my country that equals to 270 USD in electricity bills per year, yikes. Even if this estimate is 30 to 50% it wrong is still a lot of money.

According to Wikipedia going from a bronze to a gold rated power supply nets you roughly a 6% increase in power efficiency (82%->87%)
Or saving me roughly $15 a year.and having the power supply pay for itself in 6 to 7 years, as compared to my current one.

So I ask you, is this the correct way to look at power efficiency and power supplies, and is it worth it to say by a platinum or titanium rated power supply for the long-term cost-saving?


To further elaborate, I am planning to upgrade my computer in a year or two, and am just researching for that time, as to whether it is better to stay with my current power supply, or upgrade to one of equivalent or higher efficiency rating.

 

[BSim500]

So I ask you, is this the correct way to look at power efficiency and power supplies, and is it worth it to say by a platinum or titanium rated power supply for the long-term cost-saving?

First thing I'd do is buy a cheap energy meter device and actually measure it. When I had a Bronze Corsair CX430 I was pulling 32w idle / 121w gaming load (with 1050Ti). Upgrading to a Corsair SF450 (high Gold / borderline Platinum miniaturised SFX version of RM550X) and it's dropped to 24w idle / 98w load same benchmarks on same hardware. If you're pulling 150w idle, then you've either disabled all power savings, are doing something to max it out (mining?) constantly or are wildly over-estimating how much modern CPU's draw when idle.

The main reason I upgraded was a change in case (dropped down from ATX to ITX) made a smaller PSU with shorter cables a much better fit. (That and noisy fan on the bronze rated CX series). It's also nice to have a PSU with high-grade 105c capacitors (2-4x the life of cheap 85c caps). Likewise, higher efficiency = less heat produced which is nice in the summer plus potentially quieter load fan rpm's. In fact, despite having only a 92mm fan it's never actually spun up, it's that efficient.

Whether it's worth the upgrade to you depends on if it's just money or you want other perks. Personally, after having an older Seasonic "G" series (85c class capacitors) die after just 3 years, I'd never buy another PSU that wasn't Gold Rated purely for the higher grade 105c capacitors which do seem to last a lot longer. Hence why White / Bronze 85c caps = typical 3yr warranty whilst Gold / Platinum 105c caps = 7-10yr warranty speaks for itself.

 

[Mr_Ghost]

If you're pulling 150w idle, then you've either disabled all power savings, are doing something to max it out (mining?) constantly or are wildly over-estimating how much modern CPU's draw when idle.

Perhaps I'm overestimating the consumption, an article stated 100 watt idle was normal, and factoring in I use 10-15'ish hours of video games a week , 150 seemed like a fair estimate when averaging out during sessions of heavier use. Though then again, I have a i5 4570 and a GT 770.

My computer is at the moment 5 1/2 years old, so upgrading the power supply is probably needed within the next few years.

 

[UsandThem]

I don't think there's really enough energy savings moving from a bronze unit to a gold unit. Now if a person was building a new PC, I think most should stick to a gold rated unit or higher for better build quality and energy savings.

However, if you're looking to save money on your electricity cost over years, I can see why you want to do it. However, if it's going to be unit you will likely use for many years, it might make more sense to pay a little extra and get a platinum or titanium unit on sale. Now titanium units are pretty pricey, but it all depends on what percentage of the unit's output power you run at the most. If it's routinely under a 10% load, that's where the titanium unit shines. Although if you have a 550w unit right now, you will likely be over 10% most of the time anyways, so a platinum unit might be the best balance of price / efficiency.