Essential Knowledge for Building a PC: CPU Power Consumption and Requirements

The CPU is always the central component in building a PC. After selecting the most suitable CPU based on performance and price, what should you consider when choosing other components? Price is certainly a factor, but beyond that, CPU power consumption has the greatest impact on selecting surrounding components. This includes the cooler, motherboard power delivery, and power supply. Let’s simplify these concepts.

First is TDP (Thermal Design Power), which indicates the heat generated by the CPU. This metric is crucial when selecting a cooler. Note that TDP is a design guideline rather than a precise measurement. For example, CPUs with heat outputs of 85W, 90W, or 93W might all be labeled as 95W TDP, meaning a cooler designed for 95W will suffice.

Next is TPP (Package Power Tracking), recently highlighted by AMD. TPP represents the total power consumption of all units within the CPU package. For instance, the Ryzen 7000 series has a TDP of 125W and a TPP of 170W. This reflects the complexity of its multi-chip package.

Intel uses a similar metric called Maximum Turbo Power, which describes the power needed for the CPU to boost its frequency temporarily under adequate power and cooling conditions. This power can be up to twice the Processor Base Power (similar to TDP), significantly higher than AMD’s TPP.

These power metrics influence motherboard power delivery modules, which must handle increased current as power requirements grow. More power requires more pins and increased current capabilities, though the number of power phases does not directly indicate power capacity but rather how work is distributed.

Finally, CPU power supply requirements often exceed the CPU's rated power due to additional components on the motherboard. For instance, Intel CPUs require four times the rated power, and AMD CPUs about one and a half times. Therefore, the power supply needs to accommodate these higher demands.

Lori specializes in producing coolers for most CPU models. If you need one, feel free to contact us.