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Difficulty: MediumExpansion Cards and Power Supplies

A desktop technician is sizing a power supply unit (PSU) for a 3D modeling workstation upgrade. The system features a CPU rated at 105 W105\text{ W} TDP, a new workstation graphics card with a peak power consumption of 320 W320\text{ W}, and internal peripherals (motherboard, RAM, liquid cooler, and storage drives) drawing a combined total of 95 W95\text{ W}. Company policy mandates that the total estimated system power consumption must include an additional 25%25\% safety headroom margin to ensure long-term stability and prevent PSU overload. What minimum PSU wattage capacity should the technician select for this workstation?

  1. 650 W650\text{ W}Answer
  2. B
    520 W520\text{ W}
  3. C
    550 W550\text{ W}
  4. D
    400 W400\text{ W}

Answer

The minimum recommended PSU wattage rating is 650 W650\text{ W}.
The total system power consumption is calculated by summing the CPU (105 W105\text{ W}), GPU (320 W320\text{ W}), and peripheral power draws (95 W95\text{ W}), resulting in 520 W520\text{ W}. Incorporating the required 25%25\% safety headroom margin (520 W×1.25520\text{ W} \times 1.25) yields exactly 650 W650\text{ W}.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate total base power consumption of all workstation components.
105 W (CPU)+320 W (GPU)+95 W (Peripherals)=520 W105\text{ W (CPU)} + 320\text{ W (GPU)} + 95\text{ W (Peripherals)} = 520\text{ W}
Accurate PSU sizing requires accounting for every component drawing power from the power supply.
2
Apply the 25%25\% safety headroom margin to the total base wattage.
520 W×1.25=650 W520\text{ W} \times 1.25 = 650\text{ W}
Adding a headroom margin prevents the PSU from running continuously at maximum capacity, reducing heat, noise, and power delivery failures.

Key Concept

Power supply unit (PSU) capacity sizing with safety headroom margins
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Topics

Expansion Cards and Power Supplies

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