I recently set up a Linux system with an H81M SV2 motherboard and a GTX 1660 Super. My CPU, the i7-4790, is rated for 84 watts, but during extended stress tests, it never exceeds 40 watts. The cooling is sufficient, the BIOS is up to date, and the BIOS settings confirm that the maximum TDP is indeed 84 watts. It's not reaching thermal throttling either, as it stays around 60°C, and its maximum rated temperature is 100°C. I suspect that my PSU rated at 350 watts may be lower than recommended, but I've read on other forums that this wouldn't affect wattage, just lead to crashes. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
1 Answer
Just a heads up, TDP isn't the same as actual power usage, and it's often not very accurate. For your i7-4790, using around 40W under load is pretty typical. Even overclocking might not significantly increase that number. So it sounds like your CPU isn't really underperforming based on its usage stats.
Yeah, I've seen others mention similar wattage with the 4790, but I get that it's frustrating. If yours is using that much less, maybe it's just that your system is efficient or the workload isn't that demanding.