TDP
Thermal Design Power — the maximum sustained heat output a CPU or GPU is designed to dissipate, measured in watts. A guide for cooler sizing, not an absolute power consumption number.
TDP is a thermal design specification. Coolers and chassis are designed to dissipate the TDP figure indefinitely without throttling.
Why it's not power consumption
Modern CPUs and GPUs can briefly exceed TDP during boost (Intel's PL2, AMD's PPT, NVIDIA's power limit). They also dip below TDP at idle. The TDP figure is the sustained-load expectation, not a constant draw.
Why it matters
- Laptops. Lower-TDP chips fit in thinner chassis with longer battery; higher-TDP chips need beefier cooling.
- Mini PCs. A 65 W chip in a 0.8 L chassis will throttle. A 35 W chip will not.
- Desktops. Drives PSU sizing and case fan choice.
In comparisons
Two CPUs with the same TDP and similar specs will usually feel similar in real-world use. Big TDP gaps (35 W vs 125 W) reliably predict large performance gaps under sustained load.
How to use TDP in a real comparison
Thermal Design Power — the maximum sustained heat output a CPU or GPU is designed to dissipate, measured in watts. A guide for cooler sizing, not an absolute power consumption number. In practice, this is most useful as one part of a decision rather than a standalone quality badge. Compare it alongside the workload, room, ecosystem, budget, and ownership constraints that apply to you; the strongest published figure is not automatically the best outcome for every buyer.
What to check next
On vsMars, read together so the value has product-specific context. It is especially relevant in .
Avoid the one-number trap
Manufacturers can describe the same capability under different conditions. Compare like-for-like variants, check the unit and test condition where available, and use a head-to-head page to see whether a measurable difference is material for your own use.
vsMars presents structured catalog values to make trade-offs legible. The linked product and spec pages are the right place to inspect the underlying values before buying.