does a pc that has 550w power supply use a lot of electicity?

Consider a 2000W Fan heater

If the fan is on it use minimal power
At low heat is Uses Moderate power
At High it uses up to its full potential

So using a 800W psu to power a i3 with with a GT 640 is not going to Draw much Watts from the PSU thus its like the heater on a low setting

Crank up the Specs and it will draw more Power... regardless if your Using a 550W or 800W PSU the watts drawn from the components remain the same.

So having an Overkill psu is really not overkill it future proof
 
I realize, i'm basically wondering if a i5 4590 + gtx 780 on xfx 550w is going to cost a lot on the electric bill?

@i7baby - So wouldn't a i7 be more than it than a i5 since it's got hyper threads? Or are hyper threads only good on certain things? So a i7 is still a quad core and doesn't affect gaming?

Could you put a build together for me for about 1k, i dont need monitors, but i need a os.
 
op -
@i7baby - So wouldn't a i7 be more than it than a i5 since it's got hyper threads? Or are hyper threads only good on certain things? So a i7 is still a quad core and doesn't affect gaming?
- i7's perform better than i5's because they have hyper threading - 4 more logical cores. Not all apps use hyper threading.


Could you put a build together for me for about 1k, i dont need monitors, but i need a os.

Try -

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($194.39 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Orange ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($72.33 @ Mwave)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $980.62
 
]Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($118.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $977.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-15 00:12 EDT-0400

You want the best gpu you can get without unbalancing the other parts.