Can power consumption create lag?

Question

I have a low but decent pwr supply. I have lots of demands on it, I figure that it may cause lag. Kinda like a dimming light blub. I am very computer savvy and am aware of other factors that create lag. I am using a 400wt pwr supply, but I have everything hooked up to it...usb, awsome graphics card, high end digital monitor, loud speakers, etc. I push my computer to do a lot at one time, I want to push it further! I haven't overclocked my system yet nor do I care too. My concern is the computer, not my wall outlet.

Answer 1

Ok, don't take this the wrong way, but if you are "Very computer savvy" you would know that neither the speakers or the monitor use any amount of the power from the computers power supply. :p

The thing I would be worried about is how many optical, and hard drives you have installed on the computer. What periphrials such as sound cards, network cards, TV tuner cards you have. What processor and how many sticks of ram.

These are all the things that draw power from the actual PC's power supply.

To get an idea of how big a power supply you should have in your computer, here is a site that allows you to input exactly what you have in the computer and it will tell you how many watts the power supply should be.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

To answer your initial question: Yes, an overloaded power supply can cause many issues, one of them is decreased performance or "lag".

Answer 2

Yeah, I have to agree with the other person who answered you. "Loud Speakers" has nothing to do with your PC Power supply. One of the things you mentioned is: "awesome graphics card". You really should have mentioned which model graphics card you have; because that is the biggest add-on that gets people into trouble with a marginal pwr supply. You did not say if it was PCI Express or AGP and what kind of supplemental power dongle the graphics card uses (if it has one). Lucky for you power supplies are relatively cheap. I like to shop at www.newegg.com They have several models to choose from in the 500W and above range. Look for one that has a high Amperage rating on the 12V rail to maintain a nice flow of juice to your graphics card. If you don't know what that is, well, with all due respect, you should have a professional work on your computer.

Answer 3

In a organic resistive load the present is in section with the voltage. in spite of the undeniable fact that no longer all a lot are completely resistive some have inductance too, in those a lot the present lags the voltage, this could be a lagging load. vehicles and transformers have some inductance and so are lagging a lot. A load that has capacitance, in those a lot the present leads the voltage, this could be a finest load. the burden potential is V load*I load* cosine of the section perspective, the perspective between voltage and modern. the plain potential referred to as volt amps (VA) is the fabricated from V load* I load, the reactive potential VAR's, volt amp reactive is V load * I load* sine of the section perspective. For a lagging load VAR's is beneficial, it fairly is destructive for a finest load. (VA)^2 = (potential)^2 + (VAR)^2 obvious potential squared equals real potential squared plus the reactive potential squared.