[SOLVED] Does power GPU consumptions matter?

[VERSION_1583]

Assuming that the base cost of buying a PSU is irrelevant, does the GPU's power consumption matters?

Should I buy a older second-hand GPU with same or even better performance, or a new GPU with much lower power consumption?

In terms of long term electricity costs, etc.

 

[Phaaze88]

TPU did a poll on this not too long ago: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...with-high-power-draw-an-issue-for-you.293540/
Not many people seemed to care about gpu power - as the number #1 concern, at least.
I mean, it does pale in comparison to what household appliances do, and in regions where electricity is cheap, gpu power use barely makes a dent in power bills. Where I live, if I had a 3080 instead of the current 1080Ti, I would probably pay 5-10 bucks more in power bills in the span of a year... whoop-dee-doo.

To me, the bigger issue was how the growing power use contributes to the heat being dissipated into one's room. A few Celsius higher room ambient is more of a inconvenience than a slightly higher power bill over the span of a year.
I do have AC(summers still suck, living in a subtropical climate), but not everyone does.

While gpu power use is going up, it doesn't change the fact that the psu is the most important part of the system. Some folks are still neglecting that though and getting bitten for it.


Nothing wrong with buying second-hand - just gotta be a little more careful, as not all sellers are honest. Some people live by buying second-hand: new gen comes out, and they purchase the previous.

 

[Karadjgne]

Long term electric costs? No. Doesn't really matter to most ppl, as that power consumption only applies during 3d usage, such as gaming, which is temporary.

Just because a 3080 is rated at 320w, doesn't mean it always pulls that amount, only during the few hrs you game, the rest of the time, even if you left the pc on 24/7, the gpu is basically at idle, 20w or so.

If you gamed for 4 hrs on a 3080, that's still less power used than by your girl taking 1 hr to curl/straighten her hair and blowdry it. Or equivalent to you forgetting to turn out a 60w light before going to bed or leaving for work more than once a month.

Gaming on a lesser card like a 3050 for 4 hrs is close enough to a 3080 for 3hrs. Or the energy it takes to make 1 cup of tea. Once.

The only ppl it affects really is those using the gpu hard, consistently, like folding@home etc and then the electric bill becomes secondary to the output of the gpu.

 

[VERSION_1583]

Oh I see. That would make relieve me the burden on thinking about energy efficiency. However, Phaaze88 did remind me an important factor about heat being generated.

I don't want my room and myself to be toasted, so I think I think the investment on a more energy efficient GPU may be worth it if it has the same performance and produces significantly less heat during high usage.

 

[Karadjgne]

Good idea. Also consider the psu. A 80+ is only 80% efficient, 20% of the power pulled from the wall is wasted as excess heat. So if you have a cheap psu that's pushing its limits in wattage, it's going to be in a lower efficiency bracket and putting out excessive heat.

 

[KyaraM]

Oh I see. That would make relieve me the burden on thinking about energy efficiency. However, Phaaze88 did remind me an important factor about heat being generated.

I don't want my room and myself to be toasted, so I think I think the investment on a more energy efficient GPU may be worth it if it has the same performance and produces significantly less heat during high usage.

Honestly, I don't feel a difference in temperature (and neither do my thermometers) wether the computer is turned on or off. Only when I work from home does it heat up by 1°C, and considering I'm working on a significantly weaker laptop then, I think that I'm actually the main contributing factor there, lol. It also takes the whole day, so gaming a couple hours in the even is pretty much irrelevant. I got a 3070Ti, which is already quite power hungry. If you can, leave the door to your computer room open unless that would disproportionately heat up other parts of the house. Also, close shutters.