[Ricci]

kbk / nanu28 : next time I suffer a power blackout here I know who to blame for sucking out all the juice the powerplants can supply courtesy those hungry GPUs !
5GHz 24/7 ! Building Skynet by any chance ?

OK, going back to topic - speaking of benchmarks, are there any tools that measure/display/record power consumption ? Looks like I gambled right buying the TX650 opting for enough + then some ; but my setup has just one 6+2 pin connector (need to check); I suppose it will not run anything that requires an 8-pin + 6/8 pin power , which undoubtedly most of the high end GPUs have. In that case, is there any danger of damaging a card that requires more juice , or will it simply run at lower power and lower clock rates without any damage ?

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by Ricci

kbk / nanu28 : next time I suffer a power blackout here I know who to blame for sucking out all the juice the powerplants can supply courtesy those hungry GPUs !
5GHz 24/7 ! Building Skynet by any chance ?

OK, going back to topic - speaking of benchmarks, are there any tools that measure/display/record power consumption ? Looks like I gambled right buying the TX650 opting for enough + then some ; but my setup has just one 6+2 pin connector (need to check); I suppose it will not run anything that requires an 8-pin + 6/8 pin power , which undoubtedly most of the high end GPUs have. In that case, is there any danger of damaging a card that requires more juice , or will it simply run at lower power and lower clock rates without any damage ?

Get yourself a gadget called Kill-A-Watt. It measures power draw at the wall and will tell you the total wattage your system and everything else attached to the outlet is pulling. You can test it under idle / CPU load / CPU + GPU load, etc conditions to get a good idea of what your total power draw is. Also remember that even a good PSU is only around 80% or thereabouts efficient, so you'll want a PSU with at least 25-30% overhead capacity on what you are actually drawing from the wall. Also, I cannot stress enough how much a good PSU will make your system reliable, it is the most unappreciated component in the system, but the most vital by far.

As for 8 pin power plugs, the GPUs themselves come with adapters to convert standard molex plugs to 6/8 pin, as required. If you don't have the right power plug plugged into the graphics card it will refuse to go into any 3D mode application, be it a game, DirectX demo or any other benchmark.

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

Get yourself a gadget called Kill-A-Watt. It measures power draw at the wall

As for 8 pin power plugs, the GPUs themselves come with adapters to convert standard molex plugs to 6/8 pin, as required. If you don't have the right power plug plugged into the graphics card it will refuse to go into any 3D mode application, be it a game, DirectX demo or any other benchmark.

Thanks kbk_75 , I was thinking in terms of s/w app on the lines of FPS and temperature recording tools so I get a device specific draw rate rather than total drawn power off the wall ; but I will look up this gadget as well.

Reg power connectors , so I'll have to choose PSUs more carefully accounting for card upgrades to accomodate hungrier cards, though looking at the high end GPU prices still being pretty high( 30k+ ! ) I think I'll stick to mid-range cards that usually have lower power requirement and make do with a single power connector.

[kbk_75]

Look at a 560Ti card for great value vs performance. They SLI really nicely too.

[nanu28]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

Get yourself a gadget called Kill-A-Watt.

I couldn't find any kill a watt for 240 volts most are 110 thats why I have still been hunting, I found some but the pins were very different, not suitable for india. If you know of one please do point me towards it.
Thanks a lot

[kbk_75]

I bought one in NZ and use TWO converter sockets to make it work here and then the unit is upside down so reading it is a pain in the butt!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Ricci

OK, going back to topic - speaking of benchmarks, are there any tools that measure/display/record power consumption ?

Originally Posted by Ricci

Thanks kbk_75 , I was thinking in terms of s/w app on the lines of FPS and temperature recording tools so I get a device specific draw rate rather than total drawn power off the wall ; but I will look up this gadget as well.

The trouble is that the only component in your system that knows how much power it is drawing from the mains is your PSU --- and I don't think there is a way for it to feed this information back to the motherboard. Not with my PSU/MB, at any rate. I'd love to know, both that and the PSU fan speed from the PSU.

However, I can tell, not from the computer, but from the UPS. It's USB/software interface will tell me, any time, how many watts it is delivering. Whilst this includes monitor, modem, router, speakers, 5W desk lamp, it would be easy, with a laptop (so the monitor can be turned off!), to work out the value of those constants, note it, and mentally subtract.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

However, I can tell, not from the computer, but from the UPS. It's USB/software interface will tell me, any time, how many watts it is delivering. Whilst this includes monitor, modem, router, speakers, 5W desk lamp, it would be easy, with a laptop (so the monitor can be turned off!), to work out the value of those constants, note it, and mentally subtract.

Yes, that's right. Also the newer APC Smart UPSes have lights that show the total system load, so you can approximate your total power draw.

[kbk_75]

So all this talk of 5 GHz made me take another look at my OC, I decided to chuck some more volts at my system and run some benchmarks at 5GHz.

Perfectly stable at 5 GHz, didn't try for higher this time. Temps went to 75-80 C on air. Not too bad. But I won't run this system at 1.5V long term, I'm happy at 1.38!

Here's the screenshots...

[Thad E Ginathom]

Soaring electricity prices are going to put a limit on AC usage. I ought to consider under-clocking, at least for April and May.

[kbk_75]

Get a better HSF and OC your processor to bits. No need for an aircon if you have a good HSF.

[Thad E Ginathom]

My CPU heatsink and fans is the showpiece inside the case: it is great! Noctua NH-C14.

Actually, it never allows the CPU to warm up: all the heat is elsewhere, and in saying this, I realise that my post 2335 is a nonsense: underclocking the already-cool CPU would have no effect

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My CPU heatsink and fans is the showpiece inside the case: it is great! Noctua NH-C14.

Actually, it never allows the CPU to warm up: all the heat is elsewhere, and in saying this, I realise that my post 2335 is a nonsense: underclocking the already-cool CPU would have no effect

Lol! Yup! Did you consider getting the Noctua D14? That is very similar to the Thermalright Silver Arrow in my system. As a matter of interest, most modern CPUs (from the last 5 years at least) automatically underclock themselves to save power and run cooler when they are experiencing little load.

[Thad E Ginathom]

After a lot of browsing and checking out reviews, the C14 caught and held my attention. In fact, I got a bit obsessed with it. I looked for it on a trip to Singapore, but, although there are Noctua "dealers" they had almost zero stock of the products. Bought it from Amazon USA: it was expensive!

My CPU runs at a mere 25% for 99% of its life. Yes, I think the MB/BIOS manages and reduces the voltage

[nanu28]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

So all this talk of 5 GHz made me take another look at my OC, I decided to chuck some more volts at my system and run some benchmarks at 5GHz.

Perfectly stable at 5 GHz, didn't try for higher this time. Temps went to 75-80 C on air. Not too bad. But I won't run this system at 1.5V long term, I'm happy at 1.38!

Here's the screenshots...

Nice...Just logged on, sorry had been busy after your PM