Question Zotac 1660 Super Twin Fan consuming 21 Watts in idle

amasoun

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Mar 22, 2010
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My system is i5 6500 , Gigabyte Z170, 12 gb DDR4 ram 2133 mhz , 240 gb SSD. I am using Windows7 64 bit for a reason. I just checked using HWiNFO and GPU-Z that my Graphics card is drawing 21watts during idle. It should be like 10watts.
 

SomeGuyonTHW

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Oct 9, 2020
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Normal, my 2060 also used close to 20w which is a similar card to 1660 super perf/spec wise.
You probably recently have had some software change that makes this happen.

tinker with nvidia control panel, i remember I had a setting there that was causing high idle power usage, I cant be specific because I cant remember, but there was something there.
 

amasoun

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Normal, my 2060 also used close to 20w which is a similar card to 1660 super perf/spec wise.
You probably recently have had some software change that makes this happen.

tinker with nvidia control panel, i remember I had a setting there that was causing high idle power usage, I cant be specific because I cant remember, but there was something there.
Please let me know which setting are you talking about.
 

amasoun

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Please provide the exact model number/brand of your current power supply unit/PSU.

Do you have any programs/apps running in the background even in idle desktop mode ? Any download or activity running ? What is the LOAD on the GPU usage in idle mode ?

Use the GPU-Z tool to again monitor all the parameters.
i am sorry , i didn't see ur msg. I am using a CoolerMaster Thunder 450watts power supply which is kinda old. And GPU-Z tools says my GPU is idle and load is like 0 to 1%. Nothing graphic demanding runs in background I have confirmed. As I have stated already, after installing new drivers, power draw is now 16-17watts.
 
Then the power draw seems normal to me. Nothing to worry about much, unless the idle wattage was VERY high, or abnormal. If the GPU load is 0-1% I wouldn't worry much about this issue.

How does your PC perform in games ?

Although, not directly related to this issue at hand, but you are using a very budget low-end poor quality PSU, the CoolerMaster Thunder 450watts. 450 watts wouldn't matter much if it was a high quality and a reliable PSU.

This CoolerMaster Thunder is not even 80-Plus certified. These units are meant to be used on igpu/onboard graphics systems, or on a very low profile entry-level discrete GPU.

The 1660 Super is a mainstream GPU but it requires a good/high quality power unit. Your PSU model is a legacy SKU, and also non-80 plus according to this description:

 

amasoun

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Then the power draw seems normal to me. Nothing to worry about much, unless the idle wattage was VERY high, or abnormal. If the GPU load is 0-1% I wouldn't worry much about this issue.

How does your PC perform in games ?

Although, not directly related to this issue at hand, but you are using a very budget low-end poor quality PSU, the CoolerMaster Thunder 450watts. 450 watts wouldn't matter much if it was a high quality and a reliable PSU.

This CoolerMaster Thunder is not even 80-Plus certified. These units are meant to be used on igpu/onboard graphics systems, or on a very low profile entry-level discrete GPU.

The 1660 Super is a mainstream GPU but it requires a good/high quality power unit. Your PSU model is a legacy SKU, and also non-80 plus according to this description:

Okay, I shall upgrade my power supply. But my problem remains same. Almost.