TDP stands for thermal design power. It's a specification measured in watts
that is found on pretty much any processor. It's meant to tell us the
maximum amount of heat that component is expected to output in a realistic but
heavy use scenario. Okay, but Lionus, hold on a second. I'm a bit confused.
Isn't watts a measure of power consumption? I was planning out my new
build and my friends told me that because the TDP and my graphics cards
are 250 watts each that I need at least a 500 watt power supply. Hold on a
second there, Charlie. Contrary to what you may have heard around the world's
largest water cooler, TDP is not
directly a measure of power consumption. But honestly, it's not your fault if
you're a bit confused right now. A watt is a unit of measurement for energy over
time. So that can refer to electrical power being consumed or the thermal
power being output. And both uses are correct. To further complicate matters,
even though TDP isn't a measure of power consumption, it's actually pretty
directly related. So that is to say, a processor using the same manufacturing
process and design architecture, but with a higher TDP will also consume more
power. And besides, even if TDP was a power consumption rating, every
manufacturer handles it slightly differently anyway. Often entire
families of processors with significant differences in power characteristics and
even thermal output can be assigned one blanket rating for convenience. Not to
mention that while some manufacturers are basing it on a worst case scenario
like prolonged heavy video editing, others are using it as more of a
guideline for what a typical user should see in the real world. And then on top
of that, no one accounts for the use of power viruses like Fermark, pieces of
torture test software that are specifically designed to cause processors to exceed their TDP. Okay,
Lionus. So, now that I understand what TDP is, why exactly should I even care
about this if it doesn't help me choose my power supply? And all the
manufacturers are basically making it up as they go. Anyway, great question. TDP
is all about choosing an appropriate cooling solution. Processors need to be
kept below a maximum operating temperature called Tjunction, at which
point they will either stop working suddenly or engage advanced protection
mechanisms to turn down their own performance to save themselves from
being overheated and damaged. Not to mention that newer, more advanced
processors can do more than just turn themselves down to prevent damage if you
don't cool them adequately. Intel's Turbo Boost is an example of something
that does just the opposite. If you've got more than adequate cooling and some
power and thermal headroom to spare, this fascinating technology will
actually allow the processor to temporarily exceed its normal TDP to
give a small boost in performance on demand. I've actually done a full video
about this. Check it out here. So, that is why aftermarket coolers for hot chips
like CPUs and graphics processors are such a hot commodity. In the old days,
they could make our computers run cooler and quieter and last longer. Well, now
they can actually even improve performance in some cases, particularly
when you're overclocking. And that specified TDP starts to go through the
roof, which I guess leads us pretty well into our sponsor spot for today. Cooler
Master has been making cooling solutions for processors since basically the dawn
of time. So, if you're looking for all that stuff I just mentioned before,
especially if you're an overclocker, a great way of saying thanks to them for
sponsoring Techquicky would be to check out their extensive lineup of air and
liquid cooling solutions. Check the link in the video description to do that.
Thanks Cooler Master for making this episode possible and thanks to you guys
for watching. Like the video if you liked it. Dislike it if you disliked it. Leave a comment if you have suggestions
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