How To Tell Power Supply Wattage May 2026

The sticker gives you a number. The truth gives you a lesson. And sometimes, the only way to learn is to sit in the dark, with a dead machine, and finally turn the box over.

Four hundred and fifty watts.

You remember the graphics card you installed last year. The one the forums said needed “at least 500W.” You’d read that. You’d nodded. Then you’d told yourself it would probably be fine, because people online exaggerate, right? how to tell power supply wattage

The first time your PC shut down mid-game, you blamed the game. Corrupted save, bad patch, who knows. You restarted, loaded back in, and made it forty-five minutes before the screen went black again. No warning, no blue screen, no flicker—just nothing . Like someone had pulled the plug. The sticker gives you a number