this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2025
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So for you non portable gamers like me who didn’t know what TDP was and had to look it up…
TDP, or Thermal Design Power, is a crucial concept for devices like the Steam Deck. It refers to the maximum amount of power that the device’s System on Chip (SoC) or APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) is allowed to consume. On the Steam Deck, TDP is measured in watts and directly impacts performance, battery life, heat generation, and fan noise. So limiting the amount of power it uses when not plugged in makes the battery last longer.
It's important to note that TDP is a very fuzzy number. It has no industry-wide standard definition, and manufacturers play with the formula for their own products all the time. At best, it gives you a ballpark estimate of what cooler and PSU you're going to need, and some would dispute even that.