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But what exactly is TDP, and why should you even care about the value provided by a manufacturer?

We break everything down for you.

Generated with AI | image of TDP from a CPU

An AI image illustrating what TDP is actually measuring from a CPU.

So, what is TDP?

But this isn’t entirely accurate, nor is it completely wrong.

Is TDP the same as power draw?

Intel Core i7-14700K

The RTX 4090 has one of the highest TDPs at 450 W.

Not quite, no.

Generally, a component with a lower TDP will need to draw less electricity from your power supply.

Actual readings listed by manufacturers can vary as well, depending on their own findings.

An NVIDIA 4090 GPU

The RTX 4090 has one of the highest TDPs at 450 W.

Why is TDP important when picking PC parts?

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