An IT technician is assembling a custom multimedia workstation. The system components have… — CompTIA A+ (Core 1 & Core 2)

An IT technician is assembling a custom multimedia workstation. The system components have the following peak power draws:

- Central Processing Unit (CPU): $105\text{ W}$
- Motherboard and RAM combined: $45\text{ W}$
- Storage drives: $30\text{ W}$
- PCIe Expansion Video Card: $220\text{ W}$

To ensure system stability, the technician requires a power supply unit (PSU) rated for $25\%$ higher wattage than the calculated total peak power consumption. What is the minimum recommended power supply rating in Watts?

Answer: 500 W

Answer

The minimum recommended power supply unit rating is 500 Watts.

The total peak consumption of the workstation components is

105\text{ W} + 45\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 220\text{ W} = 400\text{ W}

. Applying a

25\%

safety margin (

400\text{ W} \times 1.25

) yields a minimum recommended power supply capacity of

500\text{ W}

Step-by-Step Solution

Sum the power consumption of all individual hardware components.

105\text{ W} + 45\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 220\text{ W} = 400\text{ W}

total peak power draw.

Determining the total combined baseline wattage is required before applying safety margins.

Apply the 25% safety buffer multiplier to the total peak wattage.

400\text{ W} \times 1.25 = 500\text{ W}

Adding a 20% to 30% headroom margin prevents PSU strain, power spikes, and overheating under maximum thermal loads.

Key Concept

Power supply unit (PSU) wattage calculation and safety headroom buffer.

Estimated Time:45s

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