Which power supply I need for which graphics card: updated guide to 2023

Having a clear idea of what power supply I need to drive a particular graphics card is essential, since not only the correct operation of the component will depend on it, but also the overall stability of the equipment and the potential risks of power failures that could ultimately result in serious damage.

Using a power supply that does not have the power required to support a particular graphics card. can result in catastrophic failure.and depending on the quality of the source, its protection measures and our luck, this failure may lead to the failure of other components.

I can give you an example, since a few years ago a friend of mine had a problem with a low quality power supply which took away the motherboard of his PCbut fortunately the processor, an Athlon 64, inexplicably survived. The graphics card he was using did not require additional power, and I believe this was key to that component also being undamaged.

Table of Contents

Why should I decide which power supply I need based on my graphics card?

Because that component is, with few exceptions, the one that needs the most powerand the one that will set the minimum value to be reached. However, it is important to keep in mind that not all graphics cards need the same power supply, even within the same family, because there are overclocked versions that have higher power consumption.

So, for example, a GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition has a TGP of 450 watts, but many models that come with overclock from home exceed those values and need more powerful supplies. This graphics card can exceed 500 watts of power consumption with an overclock.and go even further when the operating frequency increase is very large, so we must also take this into account.

It is also important to focus the decision of what power supply I need. depending on the graphics card because of the connector issue.With few exceptions, most graphics cards require a certain number, and type, of additional power connectors. If we choose a power supply that has enough power but not enough connectors to drive a graphics card, we will be in a bind.

How a power supply works: things you need to know.

A power supply does not always supply the same level of power, but acts according to the requirements of each component, ie, gives the power that each component asks for at any given moment.. For example, if we use the equipment only to surf the Internet, its consumption will be minimal, and the power supply will only supply a few watts, but if we start playing games, the consumption will skyrocket and depending on the graphics card the power supply will go up to 300, 400 or even 500 watts.

That power comes to the graphics card through two major pathways. The first is the PCIe slot, which can supply up to 75 watts.The second are the additional power connectors, which are divided into three main types and certified for different power ratings:

6-pin connectors: they are certified to supply 75 watts.
8-pin connectors: certified to supply up to 150 watts.
16-pin connectors: can reach 600 watts.

We must bear in mind that, with the advent of 16-pin adapters these move in maximum values that depend on the cables we have installed.. Thus, adapters that have two inputs for additional 8-pin power connectors will only reach 300 watts, those with three inputs will reach 450 watts and those with four inputs can reach 600 watts.

Interestingly, the power supply is not done equally when we use those adapters. It is confirmed that there is always usually one or two inputs where the 8-pin connectors have a higher load, and others that may be underutilized at specific times. Nevertheless, their operation is completely safe as long as the source is up to the task, and provided that we have inserted the connectors properly, otherwise they will not make a good contact and may end up causing problems, or even burning.

The power supply has its own power consumption in order to perform its power supply functions, and needs to maintain optimum temperatures in its internal components. To this end, power supplies have a large fan which acts as an active dissipation system, and most come with some amount of passive dissipation elements that prevent heat from building up in key components.

This is what a power supply looks like on the inside

As the power supply does not always work with the same load, and does not always feed the same intensity to the components we use, there are times when it does not have to activate the fan. and can run quietly. More powerful and higher quality supplies have a higher threshold in this regard, but in general the fan is activated when a supply reaches 40 or 50 percent of its maximum power.

This also leaves us with another important piece of information, and that is when determining which power supply I need. I must take into account the maximum power consumption of the equipmentand not the average values, otherwise there is a risk that the power supply will not be able to cope when these consumption peaks occur, and the consequences could be disastrous.

Power supplies and efficiency: the 80 Plus certification.

80 Plus certification measures energy efficiency of a power supply. I have told you before that this component consumes a portion of power to perform its own functions, and this certification measures the actual potential offered by a power supply with a given power consumption. The more power it offers with a specific consumption, the higher its efficiency.

This certification is a partial indication of the quality of a source, and in general power supplies that achieve 80 Plus Gold efficiency levels are very reliable and highly recommended models. However, this does not mean that models with 80 Plus Silver or even 80 Plus Bronze certification are not worthwhile, it simply implies that we should be more careful with these and not get carried away “blindly” by these certifications.

Next let’s take a look at the different certifications that exist, and I will give you an example so that you can see the improvement in the consumption-power ratio that exists with each of them. Keep in mind, however, that efficiency varies depending on the workload of the power supply.and that the power supply is usually at its best when operating at 50%.

80 Plus White: 82% efficiency. This means that a source could offer, with a power consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 410 watts of power, the rest being used by the source.
80 Plus Bronze: 85% efficiency. In this case a source could offer, with a consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 425 watts of power, the rest would be used by the source.
80 Plus Silver: 87% efficiency. The thing improves and in this case a source could offer, with a consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 435 watts of power, the rest would be used by the source.
80 Plus Gold: 89% efficiency. We raise the bar and see that with this certification a power supply could offer, with a consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 445 watts of power, the rest would be used by the power supply.
80 Plus Platinum90% efficiency. This certification is given when a source can offer, with a consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 450 watts of power, the rest would be used by the source.
80 Plus Titanium: 94% efficiency. In this case a source could offer, with a consumption of 500 watts, a maximum of 470 watts of power, the rest would be used by the source.

Modular, semi-modular and non-modular power supply.

Power supplies are not only differentiated by their power, connectors, efficiency and quality of materials, we can also distinguish them by the format and by their modular, semi-modular or non-modular design. The standard format today is the ATX, but we can also find models SFXwhich have a small footprint and are designed for compact equipment, and SFX-Lwhich are slightly larger than the previous ones.

Outside of these three formats there are non-standardized variants which allow to mount equipment with a really small size, although their availability is usually limited, their prices are high and they are not always easy to find.

The modular design has certainly become one of the most widely used. This is understandable, since this design allows us to connect and use only the cables that we need on our power supply, which means a cleaner configuration and assembly free of unnecessary wiring. Semi-modular models come with some cables integrated, and allow us to connect and disconnect others, while non-modular models have all wiring integrated.

Modular power supplies tend to be more expensive, and are recommended but not essential, as we can eventually hide wiring we won’t need in the space dedicated to the power supply. All in all, this will largely depend on the chassis and the space it offers, so keep this in mind.

What power supply do I need for an AMD Radeon graphics card.

The recommendations we are going to see below reflect the. AMD recommended minimum value for each graphics card. If we use processors with high power consumption, if we overclock or if we have a lot of accessories and components with high power consumption we will need a higher power supply. In brackets you will see the number of additional power connectors required.

RDNA3 architecture

Radeon RX 7900 XTX: 800 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 7900 XT: 750 watts (2 x 8 pins).

RDNA2 Architecture

Radeon RX 6950 XT: 800 watts (2 x 8-pin)
Radeon RX 6900 XT: 750 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6800 XT: 750 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6800: 600 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6750 XT: 600 watts (1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 6700 XT: 550 watts (1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 6700: 500 watts (1 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6650 XT: 500 watts (1 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6600 XT: 500 watts (1 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 6600: 450 watts (1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 6500 XT: 350 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon RX 6400: 300 watts.

RDNA Architecture

Radeon RX 5700 XT: 600 watts (1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 5700: 550 watts (1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 5600 XT: 500 watts (1 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX 5500 XT: 450 watts (1 x 8-pin).

GCN Architecture

Radeon VII: 750 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX Vega 64: 750 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon RX Vega 56: 600 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon R9 Fury X: 600 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon R9 Fury: 600 watts (2 x 8 pins).
Radeon R9 Nano: 550 watts (1 x 8-pin).
Radeon R9 390X: 550 watts (1 x 6-pin 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon R9 390: 550 watts (1 x 6-pin 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 590: 500 watts (1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 580: 500 watts (1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 570: 450 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon RX 480: 500 watts (1 x 8-pin).
Radeon RX 470: 450 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon RX 560: 350 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon RX 550: 300 watts.
Radeon RX 460: 350 watts.
Radeon R9 380: 500 watts (2 x 6 pins).
Radeon R9 370: 450 watts (1 x 6 pins).
Radeon R9 285: 500 watts (2 x 6 pins).
Radeon R9 280X: 550 watts (1 x 6-pin 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon R9 280: 500 watts (1 x 6-pin 1 x 8-pin).
Radeon R9 270X: 500 watts (2 x 6 pins).
Radeon R7 260X: 450 watts (1 x 6 pins).
Radeon HD 7790: 450 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon HD 7770: 450 watts (1 x 6-pin).
Radeon HD 7750: 400 watts.

What power supply do I need for an NVIDIA GeForce graphics card.

As in the previous case, the recommendations we are going to see below reflect the. NVIDIA recommended minimum value for each graphics card. If we use processors with high power consumption, if we overclock or if we have a lot of accessories and components with high power consumption we will need a higher power supply. In brackets you will see the number of additional power connectors required.