Nvidia is reportedly gearing up to launch the first few cards in its RTX 50-series at CES next week, including an RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070.
VideoCardz reports that the 5090’s thermal design power (TDP) will be set at 575 W, up from 450 W for the already power-hungry RTX 4090.
But if you’re considering an upgrade to an RTX 5090 and these power specs are accurate, you may need to consider an upgraded power supply along with your new graphics card.
Nvidia recommends at least an 850 W power supply for the RTX 4090 to accommodate what the GPU needs while leaving enough power left over for the rest of the system.
An additional 125 W bump suggests that Nvidia will recommend a 1,000 W power supply as the minimum for the 5090.
According to reports, Nvidia is getting ready to introduce the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070, the first few cards in its RTX 50-series, at CES next week. Since it’s the first new GPU in more than two years to outperform 2022’s RTX 4090, performance-obsessed, money-no-object PC gamers will be especially interested in the 5090.
However, leakers claim that the 5090’s maximum power draw will significantly exceed the 4090’s due to improved performance and slower improvements in chip manufacturing technology. The already power-hungry RTX 4090’s thermal design power (TDP) will be increased to 575 W for the 5090, according to VideoCardz. Additionally, the TDP of the RTX 5080 is becoming 360 W, as opposed to 320 W for the RTX 4080 Super.
This also places the RTX 5090 in close proximity to the maximum power draw that can be achieved with a single 12VHPWR connector, which can deliver up to 600 W of power. However, the actual maximum power draw for a GPU with a single 12VHPWR connector is slightly higher at 675 W once you include the 75 W that can be delivered via the PCI Express slot on your motherboard.
Despite having a higher peak power consumption, these cards won’t necessarily use more power than their 40-series counterparts when playing games. Additionally, they might still be very efficient cards in terms of performance per watt if they continue to perform well.
However, you might need to think about getting a new power supply in addition to your new graphics card if you’re thinking about upgrading to an RTX 5090 and these power specifications are correct. For the RTX 4090, Nvidia suggests a minimum 850 W power supply to meet the GPU’s requirements and still have enough power for the rest of the system. A further increase of 125 W implies that Nvidia will suggest a minimum power supply of 1,000 W for the 5090.