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TDP stands for thermal design power. It's a specification measured in watts

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that is found on pretty much any processor. It's meant to tell us the

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maximum amount of heat that component is expected to output in a realistic but

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heavy use scenario. Okay, but Lionus, hold on a second. I'm a bit confused.

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Isn't watts a measure of power consumption? I was planning out my new

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build and my friends told me that because the TDP and my graphics cards

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are 250 watts each that I need at least a 500 watt power supply. Hold on a

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second there, Charlie. Contrary to what you may have heard around the world's

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largest water cooler, TDP is not

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directly a measure of power consumption. But honestly, it's not your fault if

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you're a bit confused right now. A watt is a unit of measurement for energy over

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time. So that can refer to electrical power being consumed or the thermal

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power being output. And both uses are correct. To further complicate matters,

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even though TDP isn't a measure of power consumption, it's actually pretty

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directly related. So that is to say, a processor using the same manufacturing

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process and design architecture, but with a higher TDP will also consume more

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power. And besides, even if TDP was a power consumption rating, every

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manufacturer handles it slightly differently anyway. Often entire

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families of processors with significant differences in power characteristics and

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even thermal output can be assigned one blanket rating for convenience. Not to

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mention that while some manufacturers are basing it on a worst case scenario

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like prolonged heavy video editing, others are using it as more of a

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guideline for what a typical user should see in the real world. And then on top

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of that, no one accounts for the use of power viruses like Fermark, pieces of

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torture test software that are specifically designed to cause processors to exceed their TDP. Okay,

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Lionus. So, now that I understand what TDP is, why exactly should I even care

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about this if it doesn't help me choose my power supply? And all the

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manufacturers are basically making it up as they go. Anyway, great question. TDP

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is all about choosing an appropriate cooling solution. Processors need to be

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kept below a maximum operating temperature called Tjunction, at which

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point they will either stop working suddenly or engage advanced protection

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mechanisms to turn down their own performance to save themselves from

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being overheated and damaged. Not to mention that newer, more advanced

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processors can do more than just turn themselves down to prevent damage if you

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don't cool them adequately. Intel's Turbo Boost is an example of something

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that does just the opposite. If you've got more than adequate cooling and some

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power and thermal headroom to spare, this fascinating technology will

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actually allow the processor to temporarily exceed its normal TDP to

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give a small boost in performance on demand. I've actually done a full video

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about this. Check it out here. So, that is why aftermarket coolers for hot chips

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like CPUs and graphics processors are such a hot commodity. In the old days,

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they could make our computers run cooler and quieter and last longer. Well, now

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they can actually even improve performance in some cases, particularly

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when you're overclocking. And that specified TDP starts to go through the

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roof, which I guess leads us pretty well into our sponsor spot for today. Cooler

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Master has been making cooling solutions for processors since basically the dawn

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of time. So, if you're looking for all that stuff I just mentioned before,

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especially if you're an overclocker, a great way of saying thanks to them for

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sponsoring Techquicky would be to check out their extensive lineup of air and

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liquid cooling solutions. Check the link in the video description to do that.

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Thanks Cooler Master for making this episode possible and thanks to you guys

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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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for future fast possible topics. And as always, don't forget to subscribe if you

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haven't