How come CPU and GPU can draw more way power than its specified TDP?

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How come CPU and GPU can draw more way power than its specified TDP?

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In the past, TDPs used to be a much more realistic measure of how much power a chip would actually consume than they are today.

Nowadays, TDPs typically refer to the amount of power the chip will consume at base clock speeds rather than the maximum actual expected power consumption (technically, it measures thermal dissipation and not power, but given that power is converted to heat, it represents the same thing). At boost clocks, chips will typically use more power for as long as temperatures will allow until the chip is forced to clock back down for thermal purposes.

It does make devices look better on paper, but it doesn’t really represent the actual maximum power consumption. It’s more of a “minimum guaranteed performance at a specified power level.” Most devices will allow their chips to use more power than their TDP might suggest as long as their cooling systems have been well-designed to dissipate the extra heat.

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