What is TDP or Thermal Design Power as Fast As Possible
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2015-05-07
·
711 words · ~3 min read
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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