在购买计算机处理器(computer processor)、新笔记本电脑甚至新主板时，您可能会遇到TDP一词。(TDP)如果您阅读互联网上的评论，您可能已经看到一些作家提到TDP值是好是坏。您(Did)是否认为TDP是处理器或类似的基于芯片的(TDP)硬件部件(hardware part)需要多少电力？如果您想知道TDP是什么以及应该将其用于什么用途，请阅读这篇文章：
TDP 是什么意思？
深入研究问题的核心，TDP 只是 Thermal Design Power 的首字母缩写词(TDP is just an acronym for Thermal Design Power)。如果您购买了计算机处理器(computer processor)( CPU ) 或显卡 ( GPU )，您可能听说过这个术语。大多数计算机和计算机零件制造商都为其产品宣传TDP 。然而，尽管许多人将TDP 和功耗(TDP and power consumption)等号放在一起，但这并不完全正确。不幸的是，发生这种情况是因为TDP 值(TDP value)以瓦特(Watts)表示，大多数人将其与测量电功率相关联。实际上，TDP是指热瓦(Watts)，而不是电瓦特(Watts)，它不是电功率的量度，而是冷却系统(cooling system)的规格。
例如，当制造商告诉您特定处理器的TDP为 65瓦(Watts)时，它实际上是指您需要保持冷却的冷却系统。(cooling system)换句话说，TDP为 65瓦的(Watts)CPU需要一个能够有效散发 65瓦(Watts)热量的冷却器。
TDP 告诉您在运行典型工作负载时芯片上的冷却器必须消散多少热量。(The TDP tells you how much heat the cooler on a chip has to dissipate when running a typical workload.)它不会告诉您芯片（例如计算机处理器或显卡(computer processor or graphics) 芯片组(card chipset)）在满负荷运行时会散发多少热量。例如，当您运行要求苛刻的游戏或基准测试时，所有的赌注都没有了。在这种情况下，您需要一个散热解决方案，该解决方案可以处理比额定TDP 处理器(TDP processor)、GPU、片上系统等更多的热量。
关于处理器的功耗(power draw)，您可以使用TDP来了解它消耗了多少电能。知道TDP指的是热量，而不是功率，您可能会问自己为什么我们这么说。当CPU等芯片被评为具有高TDP时，这意味着它会产生大量热量。热量(Heat)是电力的副产品，这意味着您可以查看处理器的散热量（其TDP）来估计处理器需要多少功率(estimate how much power that processor needs)。
因此，如果您的处理器或显卡(processor or video card)具有较高的TDP，也可能会消耗大量电力。一般来说，芯片的实际功耗(power draw)通常高于其额定TDP。例如，一个 65瓦的(Watts) TDP 处理器(TDP processor)可以消耗 90瓦(Watts)的电力。
此外，一般来说，在购买计算机部件（如计算机处理器）时，您应该警惕TDP 值。(TDP value)那是因为您还需要一个足够的CPU冷却器。另一方面，例如在购买显卡或笔记本电脑时，TDP并不那么重要，因为这些产品已经有足够的内置冷却解决方案，由制造商安装在它们上面。
总而言之，如果您拥有或打算购买处理器等硬件，您应该检查其TDP 等级(TDP rating)以了解您需要哪种散热器。TDP 越高，您需要的冷却系统就越好。(The higher the TDP, the better the cooling system you need.)此外，即使您只能将其用作粗略估计，更高的 TDP 也会转化为更高的功耗(rough estimation, a higher TDP translates into higher power consumption)。
TDP适用于哪些硬件组件？
TDP是一种适用于使用电力运行的芯片的度量。这意味着在查看计算机、计算机组件和其他依赖芯片的类似设备时，您会遇到有关TDP的详细信息。(TDP)
TDP代表了诸如计算机处理器、显卡、芯片组(computer processors, graphics cards, chipsets)（包括主板芯片组）和(,)SoC （(SoC)片上系统，包括智能手机上的系统）等事物的重要规范。
高TDP是好是坏？
这是一个合理的问题，但它的答案并不像我们想要的那样清楚。高 TDP 既不好也不坏。(A high TDP is neither good nor bad.)我们为什么这么说？为了理解，让我们看看高 TDP 对计算机处理器(computer processor)意味着什么：
具有高TDP的芯片意味着该处理器会释放大量热量。你可能认为更多的热量意味着它很糟糕。不仅它需要更好的冷却，而且还可能意味着处理器消耗更多的电力。再一次，你可能会认为更多的权力也是不好的。然而，更多热量和更多来自墙壁的功率(power drawn)也可能意味着该芯片比其他TDP额定值较低的处理器更快并提供更高的性能。
如果您正在寻找的是原始速度，那么高TDP可能不应该阻止您购买处理器。(TDP)另一方面，如果您对电源效率(power efficiency)更感兴趣并且不介意较低的性能，请寻找较低的TDP。
此外，与较旧的硬件相比，较新的处理器、视频卡等通常使用较低的TDP提供更高的速度。(TDPs)这是因为新技术允许制造商在制造计算机芯片时使用更小的晶体管，而更小的晶体管产生的热量更少。简而言之，与前几代芯片相比，较新的芯片速度更快，发热更少(newer chips are faster and heat less than previous generations of chips)。
您还有其他关于TDP的问题吗？
现在您应该更清楚地了解TDP的含义以及它为何如此重要。您现在知道，它不是对电力的衡量，而是对处理器等芯片在正常条件下运行所需的热量和冷却解决方案的衡量。您还有其他关于它的问题需要我们回答吗？如果您这样做，请不要犹豫，在下面的评论中给我们写信。
What does TDP mean? How should you interpret this term?
You may have come across the term TDP when looking to buy a computer processor, a new laptop, or even a new motherboard. If you read reviews on the internet, you've probably seen some writers mention TDP values as either good or bad. Did you think that TDP is how much electrical power a processor or a similar chip-based hardware part needs? If you want to know what TDP is and what you should use it for, read this article:
What does TDP mean?
Diving into the heart of the problem, TDP is just an acronym for Thermal Design Power. If you've bought a computer processor (CPU) or a graphics card (GPU), you might have heard about this term. Most computers and computer parts manufacturers advertise TDP for their products. However, although many people put an equal sign between TDP and power consumption, that's not exactly true. Unfortunately, this happens because the TDP value is expressed in Watts, which most people associate with measuring electrical power. In reality, TDP refers to thermal Watts, not to electrical Watts, and it is not a measure for electrical power but a specification for the cooling system.
For example, when a manufacturer tells you that a particular processor has a TDP of 65 Watts, it actually refers to the cooling system you need to keep it cool. In other words, a CPU with a TDP of 65 Watts needs a cooler that can efficiently dissipate 65 Watts of heat.
The TDP tells you how much heat the cooler on a chip has to dissipate when running a typical workload. It does not tell you how much heat is dissipated by a chip, such as a computer processor or graphics card chipset, when running at full load. For example, when you run a demanding game or a benchmark, all bets are off. In such cases, you need to have a cooling solution that can handle even more heat than the rated TDP processor, GPU, system-on-a-chip, etc.
Regarding the power draw of a processor, you can use TDP to get an idea of how much electrical power it consumes. Knowing that the TDP refers to heat, not to power, you might ask yourself why we're saying that. When a chip such as a CPU is rated to have a high TDP, it means that it generates a lot of heat. Heat is a byproduct of electricity, and that means that you can look at the dissipated heat of a processor (its TDP) to estimate how much power that processor needs.
Therefore, if your processor or video card has a high TDP, it's also likely to consume a lot of power. Generally speaking, the real power draw of a chip is usually higher than its rated TDP. For example, a 65-Watts TDP processor can draw 90 Watts of electrical power.
Also in general, you should be wary of the TDP value when you're buying computer parts such as computer processors. That is because you also need an adequate cooler for the CPU. On the other hand, when buying graphics cards or laptops, for example, the TDP is not as important, because such products already have adequate built-in cooling solutions, mounted on them by their manufacturers.
To conclude, if you own or intend to buy hardware such as a processor, you should check its TDP rating to learn what cooler you need. The higher the TDP, the better the cooling system you need. Furthermore, even if you can only use it as a rough estimation, a higher TDP translates into higher power consumption.
For which hardware components does TDP apply?
TDP is a measurement that applies to chips that use electricity to run. That means that you will encounter details about TDP when looking at computers, computer components, and other similar devices that rely on chips.
The TDP represents an important specification for things such as computer processors, graphics cards, chipsets (including motherboard chipsets), and SoC (Systems-on-a-Chip, including those on smartphones).
Is high TDP good or bad?
This is a legitimate question, but the answer to it is not as clear as we'd like. A high TDP is neither good nor bad. Why are we saying that? To understand, let's look at what a high TDP means for a computer processor:
A chip with a high TDP means that that processor releases a lot of heat. You might think that more heat means that it's bad. Not just that it needs better cooling, but it also probably means that the processor draws more electrical power. Once more, you might think that more power is also bad. However, more heat and more power drawn from the wall might also mean that the chip is faster and offers higher performance than other processors with lower TDP ratings.
A high TDP probably shouldn't stop you from buying a processor if what you're looking for is raw speed. On the other hand, if you're more interested in power efficiency and do not mind lesser performance, look for lower TDP.
Furthermore, newer processors, video cards and so on, generally offer more speed using lower TDPs compared to older hardware. That's because newer technologies allow manufacturers to use smaller transistors when creating computer chips, and smaller transistors create less heat. Put shortly, newer chips are faster and heat less than previous generations of chips.
Do you have other questions regarding TDP?
Now you should have a clearer understanding of what TDP means and why it is important. You know now that it's not a measure of electrical power, but a measure of heat and cooling solutions required by chips such as processors to operate in normal conditions. Do you have any other questions about it that we might answer to? If you do, don't hesitate to write us, in the comments below.
