I'm still confused but I guess I'll just stay that way.
You aren't confused at all. Power requirements for components go up and down.
For example AMD had their CPUs around 220W with the FX-9XXX series chips, but came back down into the 50-70W range with Zen.
Intel has done the same with Pentium IV and most of their i9 chips.
I do think that there isn't enough 'negative' associated with just cranking up power to meet the need for more performance. I have some hope that the mid-tier 4XXX / 7XXX series will offer a more rational power draw. The RTX40 so far has not shied away from demanding more power. It remains to be seen if AMD might aim for slightly less performance for lower power requirements.
When budgeting for a PC people really should factor the power cost (CPU+GPU+cost to cool the chips+cost to cool the house)