[SOLVED] What is the power draw from a GPU when not gaming?

[alphacoyle]

When just web browsing etc? Am thinking of putting something like a RX570 in my new htpc but 90% of the time it's just used for browsing, streaming shows.

 

[Ralston18]

FYI:

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/graphics-card-power-consumption-tested

Even though you may only game 10% of the time the PSU will need to be able to support the full wattage requirements of the GPU and host computer.

 

[ron baker]

Total system Power Consumption when Idle ...hmmm
CPU O/C ? Ram O/c? PSU wattage ? GPU O/C ?
Average about 70W I would recommend NOT gettimg an AMD card as they tend to draw more power for the same perf as Nvidia, but they are better value?
Rx570 + Gtx 1050ti or gtx1060 3gb .. ???
1650 or 1650 super YMMV

 

[geofelt]

RX570 is a relatively power hungry graphics card and you must allow for it, even if only 10% of the time.
In a HTPC, there are likely better options.
Here is what is recommended for a variety of graphics cards:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

If you are not gaming, then even integrated graphics would do the job.

 

[tennis2]

Since this is an HTPC, I think the OP is asking this question to get an idea of system noise while not gaming. Aka, watching movies/shows where you want a quiet PC. System noise isn't as big of a deal when you're gaming. There you can let the GPU stretch its legs.

Also, using AMD settings, you can "de-tune" your GPU using the Performance Tuning tab. Doing this prevents the card from exceeding whatever frequency you set. Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC) can also help. Also, you can "undervolt" most AMD Polaris cards by about 50-75mV across the frequency band compared to stock.
Using these methods, I can play quite a few games at reasonable settings and FPS on my RX480 without the fans even spinning (of course that depends on the case airflow).
Leaving my RX480 at 1305MHz (stock factory OC) and while undervolted to 1030mV results in 73C @ <1200rpm fans, which I can't tell the difference between that and fans off/passive.

 

[Flayed]

For my system spec in sig, it is about 70W from a plug-in power monitor

 

[alphacoyle]

Since this is an HTPC, I think the OP is asking this question to get an idea of system noise while not gaming. Aka, watching movies/shows where you want a quiet PC. System noise isn't as big of a deal when you're gaming. There you can let the GPU stretch its legs.

Also, using AMD settings, you can "de-tune" your GPU using the Performance Tuning tab. Doing this prevents the card from exceeding whatever frequency you set. Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC) can also help. Also, you can "undervolt" most AMD Polaris cards by about 50-75mV across the frequency band compared to stock.
Using these methods, I can play quite a few games at reasonable settings and FPS on my RX480 without the fans even spinning (of course that depends on the case airflow).
Leaving my RX480 at 1305MHz (stock factory OC) and while undervolted to 1030mV results in 73C @ <1200rpm fans, which I can't tell the difference between that and fans off/passive.

So then using a RX570 it uses around 15-20w when not in use--when I'm just web browsing or streaming shows? How much power it uses when not gaming is what I am interested in because I leave this htpc on all the time so extra power usage is a concern. So are you saying there's a way to go into AMD and reduce the wattage, if so would that work for reduction when not gaming? I'm thinking either the RX570 or GT1650 Super.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

If power draw is of any concern to you then shut the PC off when you’re not using it

 

[geofelt]

RX570 is a 150w card.
GTX1650 super is a 100w card.
Factory overclocked versions can go higher.
Those are approximate under load numbers.

The easy thing to do is to use sleep to ram when the HTPC is not in use.
That puts the pc and the monitor into a low power state that is not much different from a full power off.
Sleep/wake is only a few seconds.
You can automate this by setting the power options to sleep after x minutes of inactivity.

 

[tennis2]

So then using a RX570 it uses around 15-20w when not in use--when I'm just web browsing or streaming shows? How much power it uses when not gaming is what I am interested in because I leave this htpc on all the time so extra power usage is a concern. So are you saying there's a way to go into AMD and reduce the wattage, if so would that work for reduction when not gaming? I'm thinking either the RX570 or GT1650 Super.

There's a video playback line in the chart I linked.

If the HTPC is just sitting idle with the display off, then you look at the idle power numbers in that chart.

Yes, you can cap the GPU at whatever frequency you like. However, know that Polaris cards feed the same voltage to the GPU core and the VRAM, so your voltage is going to have a minimum of what is needed to keep the VRAM stable. Lowering the VRAM frequency will allow a lower voltage of course.

Here's some data from my personal MSI RX480 8GB GamingXrunning FurMark, ambient temp 23C, Case = Silverstone PS07 with 2x120mm front intake and a 120mm AIO exhausting in the back.

Monitoring with GPUz (which tends to be about....20W lower than actual (IIRC, GPUz reads the core and memory CONTROLLER, but not the actual VRAM power usage), but I'm just doing a comparison here:

• 1305MHz, 1075mV (lowest "Auto" voltage) = 115W - Sometimes auto voltage will apply 1150mV)
• 1305MHz, 1040mV = 104.5 W average - This produces 73C @ 975rpm fans (GPU targets 73-75C by regulating fan speed)
• 1190MHz, 945mV = 83.5W average
• 1075MHz, 915mV (1750MHz VRAM) = 70.5W - This produces 60C @ 850rpm fans (17% fan speed, which is the slowest they spin)
• Idle (but monitor on) = 850MHz, ~875mV = 13.5W

Those undervolts are pretty widely achievable on most RX470/480/570/580 GPUs from my experience. My personal card can volt lower than that, but I wanted to keep this more accessible.


If 15-30W idle power consumption is the only thing you're worried about, like Mandark said, turn off the HTPC. Also, as geofelt said, there are definitely more "power efficient" GPUs out there than an RX570. However, pricing for similar performance is hard to beat when an RX570 4GB can cost as low as $115 new.

 

[alphacoyle]

There's a video playback line in the chart I linked.

If the HTPC is just sitting idle with the display off, then you look at the idle power numbers in that chart.

Yes, you can cap the GPU at whatever frequency you like. However, know that Polaris cards feed the same voltage to the GPU core and the VRAM, so your voltage is going to have a minimum of what is needed to keep the VRAM stable. Lowering the VRAM frequency will allow a lower voltage of course.

Here's some data from my personal MSI RX480 8GB GamingXrunning FurMark, ambient temp 23C, Case = Silverstone PS07 with 2x120mm front intake and a 120mm AIO exhausting in the back.

Monitoring with GPUz (which tends to be about....20W lower than actual (IIRC, GPUz reads the core and memory CONTROLLER, but not the actual VRAM power usage), but I'm just doing a comparison here:

• 1305MHz, 1075mV (lowest "Auto" voltage) = 115W - Sometimes auto voltage will apply 1150mV)
• 1305MHz, 1040mV = 104.5 W average - This produces 73C @ 975rpm fans (GPU targets 73-75C by regulating fan speed)
• 1190MHz, 945mV = 83.5W average
• 1075MHz, 915mV (1750MHz VRAM) = 70.5W - This produces 60C @ 850rpm fans (17% fan speed, which is the slowest they spin)
• Idle (but monitor on) = 850MHz, ~875mV = 13.5W

Those undervolts are pretty widely achievable on most RX470/480/570/580 GPUs from my experience. My personal card can volt lower than that, but I wanted to keep this more accessible.


If 15-30W idle power consumption is the only thing you're worried about, like Mandark said, turn off the HTPC. Also, as geofelt said, there are definitely more "power efficient" GPUs out there than an RX570. However, pricing for similar performance is hard to beat when an RX570 4GB can cost as low as $115 new.

Ok, so idle power consumption doesn't seem to be a major issue, and while I've never had a GPU before I basically get the gist of what you mean regarding turning down voltage and such.
I don't need a GPU right now, the games my young son plays do fine with integrated graphics but if I come across a good deal one a Nvidia knowing it's not going to use much power--how does that all work concerning streaming content, does the video card get used for that?