Best PSU for a Low-Wattage Idle System?
Best PSU for a Low-Wattage Idle System?
I own a server that remains mostly idle but must stay active. It runs on an i7-8700 processor with an Asus Prime Z390-A motherboard. During testing, I tried two different power supplies and was surprised by the significant variation in idle power consumption depending on which one I used.
With the "EVGA 550 BP, 80+ Bronze 550W" PSU, the system idled at 25.2 watts. Switching to the "EVGA 600 GE, 80 Plus Gold 600W" increased the idle draw to 38.4 watts, a difference of more than 13 watts. No other factors changed during these tests. I repeated the process several times and consistently observed the same result.
Although I understand that higher wattage units are less efficient at lower loads, I was taken aback by this large discrepancy, particularly given the gold-rated unit versus the bronze one. This raises the question of whether using even more efficient PSUs could substantially reduce idle power usage. For instance, could a 300-watt model cut consumption much further? I have CPU power capped so the system never exceeds 90 watts, leaving room for significant improvement toward that lower limit.
I haven't found a review for the EVGA 600 GE, 80 Plus Gold 600W. The articles from April suggest it might be too early for a reliable review. Did you check if you tested it in both Eco mode?
In any case, you would be optimizing the 300W PSU for higher efficiency, which could result in lower power consumption, though without knowing its specifications (such as Gold or Platinum), it's hard to confirm if it outperforms your existing unit.