Quote Originally Posted by mstp2009 View Post
They tell you in the article:

"measured before the VRM"


Meaning they actually strapped a potentiometer onto the soldered leads at the motherboard as it was running (or more likely, before they hit the power button).

This is by far the most accurate method for calculating power consumption.
Well, I don't trust it unless they explain it to me, or show me. There are a lot of soldered leads all over the VRM circuitry, and an explanation of "measured before the VRM" isn't all that descriptive or scientific.