Yes, prebuilt system's motherboards are designed to consume less power compared to custom-built ones.
Yes, prebuilt system's motherboards are designed to consume less power compared to custom-built ones.
Prebuilt systems can indeed save power, contrary to the myth. They are designed with efficiency in mind from the start.
They are identical components with minor proprietary adjustments to reduce assembly costs. A 12VO Dell system doesn't provide any measurable energy savings.
i have a theory (if it is true) you know cpus have power consumption of or example 100w with core voltages about 1v so cpu have to draw 100 and it will so motherboard convert high voltage (12v) low ampere to low voltage(core voltage) and high ampere with dc-dc converters. in some motherboards they have higher efficiency and therefore power consumption is lower by between 10 to 30w
Perhaps "they" (the ones who decide) control business computers. These systems are usually built to save energy, since running thousands or millions of PCs makes a big difference in electricity costs. The makers achieve this by creating special boards and parts (only possible at large scale), ensuring the PC runs efficiently for its intended purpose. The downside is reduced adaptability (hard to upgrade or fix). Regular store-bought PCs sometimes use cheaper parts for savings, which can actually perform worse than a custom-built one. Still, even with budget builds, you can still go cheap.
The story likely stems from the reality that all ready-made PCs (like those from Dell or HP, etc.) come with CPUs that are locked and GPUs that are weaker. A setup built with those exact details would consume similar power—possibly even less if you use a more powerful PSU. However, these pre-built units tend to be pricier than a custom build with the same specifications, so many users opt for better performance for the same budget. Usually, this means they choose an unlocked CPU and a more powerful GPU, which use more electricity. The motherboard quality is often inferior since manufacturers avoid extra costs by not offering higher TDP options for those cheaper CPUs.
They generally require less powerful components, especially mobitz. For instance, an i7-9700U consumes less power, where "u" stands for unlocked. The GPU operates on a similar principle, and I’m not sure about monitors—most likely they tend to be less bright overall. My PC, along with all connected devices, uses around 330 watts when fully loaded, whereas a laptop typically needs a 100-watt power supply. However, in rare scenarios where all hardware runs at maximum, the motherboard may divert some energy, sharing it between the GPU and CPU. Edit: I noticed a laptop instead of a prebuilt build earlier >.< Updated July 11, 2020 by PeachGr