What Is PC Power Supply Efficiency?
The efficiency rating of a power supply determines how much energy is converted from the wall outlet power to the internal power components. For example, a 75 percent efficiency power supply that generates 300W of internal power would draw roughly 400W of power from the wall.
When you plug your computer into the wall, the voltage doesn’t flow directly to the components in the computer. The electrical circuits and chips run at lower voltages than the current coming from the wall outlet. Therefore, the power supply must convert the incoming 110 or 220-volts to 3.3, 5, and 12-volt levels for the various internal circuits. The power supply must do this reliably and within certain tolerances to avoid damaging the device.
Changing the voltages requires various circuits that lose energy as it gets converted. This energy loss is generally transferred as heat to the power supply, which is why most power supplies have fans to cool the components.
How PC Power Supply Efficiency Affects Electricity Costs
The exact efficiency rate varies depending on the load amount and the condition of the circuits. A higher efficiency rating means that less energy goes to waste, which can impact your power bill. It’s easy to identify energy-efficient PC power supplies.
Energy Star and 80 Plus Power Supplies
The Energy Star program was established by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program designed to indicate energy-efficient products. It was initially created for computer products to help corporations and individuals mitigate energy expenditures.
Early Energy Star products didn’t have to meet strict energy efficiency levels because those products didn’t use as much power as they do now. For new power supplies and PCs to meet the Energy Star requirements, these must achieve an 85 percent efficiency rating across all rated power output.
When shopping for a power supply, look for one that carries an 80 Plus logo on it, which indicates an efficiency of 80 percent or higher. The 80 Plus Program provides a list of power supplies that must meet the requirements.
This list is updated periodically and provides downloadable PDF files with test results so that you can see exactly how efficient a product is. There are seven levels of certification ranging from least to most efficient: 80 Plus, 80 Plus Bronze, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Gold, 80 Plus Platinum, and 80 Plus Titanium. To meet the Energy Star requirements, a product needs an 80 Plus Silver rated power supply.
