Watts used was mentioned over and over again. For example, I repeatedly said from idle demands to maximum load. You even used watts mentioned from my examples.
1. Bill, .... it is expected that when you quote a specific post and put your reply underneath that, that the comment refer to the quoted post and not something posted somewhere else. It was the 7th post ... how is posts 8 onward in any way relevant ?
My intent was to correct a misstatement, not nitpick ... but ... this doesn't fly .... "watts used" was not mentioned.... not even once prior to your post. There was mention of fans, warrantees, etc.... but no mention at all of power consumption .... the word "watt" only appears once before your post (in relation to PSU rating not consumption ). here's what you quoted:
Correct me if I'm wrong, I guess?) Thermals. An uptick in efficiency from 90% to 95% should half the amount of (waste) heat a PSU generates;
You corrected the poster,.... the poster was not wrong. The subsequent responses don't change that.
Just saying "years" is not helpful. 3 years is years. So is 5. The fact is, when it comes to computer components, PSUs fail more often that other components. Or they need to be upgraded to support a bigger GPU, etc. And again, people, on average, replace their computers long before they die.
I'm not just "saying" years, this is standard economic practice. We consult to developers, municipalities and other entities that build things. We make recommendations based upon TCO or total cost of ownership. A municipality wants to repave a section of road. We might advise them that they have 2 options:
a) $80,000 using a pavement design with an anticipated life of 6 years
b) $96,000 using a pavement design with an anticipated life of 8 years
Factoring in the cost of borrowing when all is said and done, the monthly payments are not the issue ... the total cost of ownership is and its cheaper for the muncipality to pave the road on an 8 year cycle.... it also reduces the impact on the community as is 3 repavings in 24 years instead of 4.
Sound economic judgement depends on TCO. With a PC, this includes, how long they intend to keep it ... including if user will use same case / PSU in an upgrade or pass it on to someone else. The build Im typing from is 7 years old ... PSU has a 12 year warranty. Have 6 boxes here.... system components vary from 7 years to 6 months (in case upgrade) ... but every case and PSU is at least 4 years old. The oldest is Gold Antec CP-850 I bought in 2009. We been building PCs for 29 years .... most of our users average 3-5 years of usage ... even when they upgrade, the old PC gets handed down to a family member of friend. Monthly cost of electricity is not a purchase related decision.
With a PSU we use information provided by the user on frequency of usage (Joe Blow games 30 hours a week), how long they keep their PSUs and cost of electricity. In the attached example.....
Total Estimated Cost of Ownership Including PSU and electricity costs are $1,220.83 w/ Seasonic 750 Watt Gold
Total Estimated Cost of Ownership Including PSU and electricity costs are $1,216.92 w/ Seasonic 750 Watt Platinum
Payback period for the extra $20 investment is 3.35 years; $4 not really a major impact on anyone's life, but neither is 420. But in Hawaii, it grows to $35 ... in parts of Europe even more.
Watts used was mentioned over and over again. For example, I repeatedly said from idle demands to maximum load. You even used watts mentioned from my examples. 
