When you add an SSD to your computer, you might wonder how much power it will consume.
Your PSU should be able to handle the additional wattage of the SSD.
In this article, we’ll discuss the power consumption of different SSDs and whether you need a higher-wattage PSU to add an SSD to your computer.
Table of Contents
Do You Need A Higher Wattage PSU To Add An SSD?
If your current PSU can handle the additional wattage, you can add an SSD without changing the PSU.
SSDs consume much less power than other PC components like CPUs and GPUs. Power consumptions of 2.5-inch SSDs, M.2 SATA SSDs, and M.2 NVMe SSDs are all generally less than 10 watts.
So if your PSU can handle an additional 10-watt load, you don’t have to upgrade to a higher-wattage PSU in order to install an SSD.
However, when you install multiple SSDs on your computer, your PSU should have sufficient wattage for all those SSDs.
For example, when you add 4 SSDs, it can increase the total wattage of your PC by 40 watts maximum. In this case, your PSU should be able to handle the additional 40-watt load. Otherwise, you have to upgrade to a higher-wattage PSU.
Can You Replace An HDD With An SSD Without Changing The PSU?
HDDs usually consume more power than similar size SSDs. Therefore, when you replace an HDD with an SSD, it won’t increase the total wattage of your PC. So you can use the same PSU without any issues.
On the other hand, if you add an SSD while keeping the HDD, it increases the total wattage of your PC. So you might have to upgrade the PSU if it can’t handle the additional load.
Can A Lower Wattage PSU Damage Your SSDs Or Other PC Components?
A lower-wattage PSU won’t damage your SSDs or other PC components.
When the PSU can’t supply sufficient power, your PC will not boot altogether or turn off automatically due to insufficient power.
Most PSUs will also turn themselves off when they can’t supply enough power. Therefore, a lower-wattage PSU won’t damage your PC components.
Conclusion
SSDs consume much less power than other PC components like CPUs and GPUs.
Generally, both 2.5-inch SSDs and M.2 SSDs consume less than 10 watts of power. So you don’t have to upgrade your PSU if it can handle an additional 10-watt load.
However, when you add multiple SSDs, your PSU should be able to handle their total additional wattage. Otherwise, you have to get a higher-wattage PSU.