Nvidia is reportedly preparing to launch the first cards in its RTX 50 series at CES next week, including an RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070. The 5090 will be of particular interest to those obsessed with the performance. cash-strapped PC gaming fans, as it's the first new GPU in over two years that can top the performance. of the RTX 4090 of 2022.
But higher performance and slower advances in chip manufacturing technology mean the 5090's peak power consumption will far exceed that of the 4090, according to leaks. VideoCardz reports that the 5090's thermal design power (TDP) will be set at 575W, up from 450W for the already power-hungry RTX 4090. The TDP of the RTX 5080 is also increasing to 360W, up from 320W for the RTX 4080. Super.
That also puts the RTX 5090 close to the maximum power draw available through a single 12 VHPWR connector, which is capable of delivering up to 600W of power (although once you include the 75W available through the PCI Express slot of your motherboard, the actual consumption The maximum possible power consumption for a GPU with a single 12 VHPWR connector is slightly higher than 675 W).
Higher maximum power consumption doesn't necessarily mean that these cards will always consume more power during actual gameplay than their 40-series counterparts. And their performance might be good enough to still be very efficient cards in terms of performance per watt.
But if you're considering upgrading 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 850W power supply for the RTX 4090 to accommodate what the GPU needs and leave enough power for the rest of the system. An additional 125W increase suggests that Nvidia will recommend a 1000W power supply at a minimum for the 5090.
We'll likely know more about Nvidia's next-generation cards after its CES keynote, currently scheduled for 9:30 pm ET/6:30 pm PT on Monday, January 6.