Updates for large Gigabyte games.
Updates for large Gigabyte games.
The issue was addressed in the second part of the question. The problem isn't typical idle usage. In fact, my system with an i7 3770K and Radeon HD 7950 uses almost as much power when running at full tilt.
Hmm, it seems the two models from the late '70s aren't performing as expected, and I don’t have much knowledge about SLI setups. It looks like this could be a bit confusing.
It could relate to a mix of the 1990s and a 1000W power source. Power supplies get more efficient when loaded, but they can lose significant energy under light usage. It might mean the setup is drawing only about 150W while the supply is wasting another 100W internally.
They're changing the power sources and even at their worst, they're significantly more efficient than expected. See the chart for the HX1000i from Corsair. As you notice, while at 40-45% load it reaches around 92% efficiency, at just 10% load it's still 87%. (Assuming a 115v system.) It seems like they're pulling off nearly all the power with minimal effort, which is highly unlikely. In contrast, the 970 SLI review shows only 125w idle use, about half of what you'd expect. You can't just compare two systems directly, but doubling the consumption in a similar configuration suggests something is amiss—either in measurement or power handling.
For the OP's concern, yes, updates and large file sizes are problematic. Even with fast internet, the constant usage consumes a lot of unnecessary storage space. I'm confused about why most game files remain uncompressed—audio and video should be delivered in a more efficient format.
I’m ready to enjoy unlimited 1.5 Mbps beyond my standard 5 GB/month plan, especially on my 25 Mbps connection. I mainly use my PC for tasks other than gaming, which keeps my graphics card active.
Extremely cost-conscious, I make the most of any available Wi-Fi connection. I’m using a super compact Atom 2-in-one for this task.