RTX 3080 power supply requirements - 850W?

[Rei]

Ah, ok then.

Noticed that Gigabyte recommends a 750W power supply for their 3080 - hence the ask.

Cheers

Nvidia themself recommended a 650W but that also came with some padding involved. I assume Gigabyte added alotta padding there hence a bit exaggerated on PSU requirement. Had you a 550W or 600W with less than a Gold rating, then I would've recommended you at least 750W with at least a Bronze rating.

 

[Vayra86]

Personally wouldn't want to sit below 750W with a 300W+ card.

Running PSUs at top load isn't a great thing to do. Noise, but also degradation might push it over the edge a few years earlier.

I've learned to just spend the extra 10-20 bucks to get brutally oversized PSUs for any rig with discrete GPU and overclockable components. No regrets. 40-50% headroom is just fine.

 

[Calmmo]

Personally wouldn't want to sit below 750W with a 300W+ card.

Running PSUs at top load isn't a great thing to do. Noise, but also degradation might push it over the edge a few years earlier.

I've learned to just spend the extra 10-20 bucks to get brutally oversized PSUs for any rig with discrete GPU and overclockable components. No regrets. 40-50% headroom is just fine.

Ampere cards have some crazy spikes based on what I've been told. Unless you like the idea of triggering your PSU's overcurrent protection, play it safe.
Never undestood why everyone seems so cheap when it comes to psu's anyway. If one can afford a 900-1000$ 3080 one should be able to afford an extra $20 or $30 for an +100w PSU varriant. Heck last year when i bought my PSU, the the price gap between the same models 850 and 1k versions was an astounding... $5. I'm a big spender obviously so I went with the 1k unit.

 

[EarthDog]

Ampere cards have some crazy spikes based on what I've been told. Unless you like the idea of triggering your PSU's overcurrent protection, play it safe.
Never undestood why everyone seems so cheap when it comes to psu's anyway. If one can afford a 900-1000$ 3080 one should be able to afford an extra $20 or $30 for an +100w PSU varriant. Heck last year when i bought my PSU, the the price gap between the same models 850 and 1k versions was an astounding... $5. I'm a big spender obviously so I went with the 1k unit.

I'll say this again.......... I run a 750W PSU with an overclocked i9-10980XE (18c/36t) @ 4.5 GHz with a RTX 3080 Strix. I have zero issues with this system drawing ~550W at the wall. The unit isn't noisy (I can't hear the fan over four Yate Loons on whisper quiet) and won't die sooner than if I paid $20 more for 850W or $50-100 for something truly overkill.

Typically the difference between a 750W unit and 1KW unit of the same brand/model is a lot more than $5.

 

[wolf]

System as shown in specs, Never have I once pulled 500w from the wall.

 

[GeeBee]

How do you calculate your ps consumption? A special tool via a UPS or something? Would love to know.

 

[Rei]

How do you calculate your ps consumption? A special tool via a UPS or something? Would love to know.

Most PSU brand/manufacturer will have a power calculator on their website. Here is another link that is constantly being recommended by another longtime avid tech expert also here in this TPU forum @Bill_Bright.

 

[Bill_Bright]

How do you calculate your ps consumption?

Yep - the OuterVision PSU calculator is the best calculator to determine your needs - especially before buying your PSU. It is much better than guessing or arbitrarily picking a size. And it is much easier than researching each component individually because the developers have a team of researchers doing that for us.

But you asked, how to calculate your "consumption"? You don't "calculate" consumption, you "measure" it. Is that what you wanted to do? If so, then many UPS do have a status display panel that will tell you how much the connected devices are currently consuming. Many UPS come with software, like APC's PowerChute, that will give you that information too - if you have connected the APC UPS to your computer via USB.

You can also use a kill-a-watt meter to measure what is being pulled through the wall outlet.

Oh, and FTR, many sites and PSU makers, like Seasonic, use a trimmed down version of the OuterVision PSU calc.

Edit comment: fixed typo and added comment about Seasonic's PSU calc.

 

[GeeBee]

But you asked how to calculate your "consumption"? You don't "calculate" consumption, you "measure" it. Is that what you wanted to do? If so, then many UPS do have a status display panel that will tell you how much the connected devices are currently consuming. Many UPS come with software, like APC's PowerChute, that will give you that information too - if you have connected the APC UPS to your computer via USB.

Quite right. Measure it.

English ain't my mother tongue, as they say.

You can also use a kill-a-watt meter to measure what is being pulled through the wall outlet.

Never heard of that before.

Cheers

 

[Rei]

But you asked, how to calculate your "consumption"? You don't "calculate" consumption, you "measure" it. Is that what you wanted to do? If so, then many UPS do have a status display panel that will tell you how much the connected devices are currently consuming. Many UPS come with software, like APC's PowerChute, that will give you that information too - if you have connected the APC UPS to your computer via USB.

You can also use a kill-a-watt meter to measure what is being pulled through the wall outlet.

Oh, and FTR, many sites and PSU makers, like Seasonic, use a trimmed down version of the OuterVision PSU calc.

Edit comment: fixed typo and added comment about Seasonic's PSU calc.

I think he meant PSU, as he never mentioned UPS throughout this thread. Those two words are too identical, even power-related.

But if @GeeBee does really mean UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) & not PSU (Power Supply Unit), then that OuterVision's calculator also includes what UPS rating you would need in the calculation.
I would also recommend getting UPS too if GeeBee's region constantly gets blackouts if you haven't have one already. Get one with AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) which should stabilize electrical current.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I think he meant PSU, as he never mentioned UPS throughout this thread.

Ummm, yes he did - in post #81 above. Note GeeBee is not the OP.

 

[Rei]

Ummm, yes he did - in post #81 above. Note GeeBee is not the OP.

You're right. I figured he just misspelled PSU in that post. My mistake for not observing the wording carefully.

 

[GeeBee]

I would also recommend getting UPS too if GeeBee's region constantly gets blackouts if you haven't have one already. Get one with AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) which should stabilize electrical current.

I've sort of confused you, sorry.

Yup. Meant measuring the ps (power supply) consumption.

The outages / voltage drops what have you, are quite common where I live, unfortunately. They're random and occur very often too. So, I've had the Accupower one (attached a PDF) for many years - a fine companion, I would say.

Do not have a serial port to use the software for it though. However, I'm down for upgrading soon anyway and this baby looks beautiful.

CP1500EPFCLCD - Backup UPS Systems | CyberPower

CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD with Pure Sine Wave output safeguards mid- to high-end computer systems, servers and networking hardware that use conventional and Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) power supplies. Designed with GreenPower UPS™ Technology to improve UPS operating efficiency and to...

www.cyberpower.com

 

[Bill_Bright]

Do not have a serial port to use the software for it though.

But it does say it has one USB "Management Cable" and comes with PowerPanel software so you can monitor and control it via your computer via USB. In the mean time, the front panel display should tell you the consumption of all the connected devices.

 

[GeeBee]

The CyberPower, yes.

Not the Accupower I have right now.

 

[Rei]

I've sort of confused you, sorry.

Yup. Meant measuring the ps (power supply) consumption.

The outages / voltage drops what have you, are quite common where I live, unfortunately. They're random and occur very often too. So, I've had the Accupower one (attached a PDF) for many years - a fine companion, I would say.

Do not have a serial port to use the software for it though. However, I'm down for upgrading soon anyway and this baby looks beautiful.

CP1500EPFCLCD - Backup UPS Systems | CyberPower

CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD with Pure Sine Wave output safeguards mid- to high-end computer systems, servers and networking hardware that use conventional and Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) power supplies. Designed with GreenPower UPS™ Technology to improve UPS operating efficiency and to...

www.cyberpower.com

That CyberPower UPS does looks awesome indeed. I would love to get my hands on one. But at the moment I don't really need another UPS replacement. I don't think you need to either unless you want that neat display, longer UPS usage, ability to monitor your UPS & power usage through your PC in greater detail or your current Accupower UPS has been showing signs of degradation.

 

[GeeBee]

I don't think you need to either unless you want that neat display, longer UPS usage, ability to monitor your UPS & power usage through your PC in greater detail or your current Accupower UPS has been showing signs of degradation.

It just looks so tempting ha ha. Damn thing is pricey though.

Nah, the Accupower has been great. Changed batteries to it a couple of times as well. A friend helped me out.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Changing the batteries in UPS ever 3 - 5 years is normal, routine maintenance.

 

[wolf]

How do you calculate your ps consumption? A special tool via a UPS or something? Would love to know.

For mine it's hooked up to a UPS which gives a live readout of power draw, I suppose it's not absolutely bulletproof in that there could be momentarily small spikes, but I'm not worried. the never exceeding 500w was when experimenting with overclocking too, currently undervolted and I'm lucky to see 450w on the readout.

 

[Bill_Bright]

never exceeding 500w was when experimenting with overclocking too

Most users would be surprised how little the power demands of their computers actually are. It is important to understand power supplies demand from the wall what they need to support the connected devices. So if the computer (CPU, GPU, motherboard, fans, drives, RAM) need 250W, the power supply will only deliver 250W and will only pull from the wall 250W, plus a little extra to compensate for the PSUs inefficiencies. That is regardless if the PSU is a 450W PSU, or a 850W PSU.

As for going by the UPS, I cannot speak for wolf, but in my case, not only is my UPS supporting this computer, it is also supporting my modem, wireless router, a 4-port Ethernet switch, and "two" 24 inch monitors. And as I type this, the demands for all those components total just 123W.

 

[delshay]

Personally wouldn't want to sit below 750W with a 300W+ card.

Running PSUs at top load isn't a great thing to do. Noise, but also degradation might push it over the edge a few years earlier.

I've learned to just spend the extra 10-20 bucks to get brutally oversized PSUs for any rig with discrete GPU and overclockable components. No regrets. 40-50% headroom is just fine.

This is why I sometimes never take anyone opinions or recommendations as you never know what CPU, GPU will be released in the future. Buy one power supply from a well known maker of high quality PSU & be done with. This way I'm ready for anything, & I don't need to worry about a PSU. The lowest good quality PSU I own is 800w SFX Titanium & it goes up from there, Titanium & Platinum class with more power.

All my other PSU below 800w I just use those for testing, & I don't care if they blow up.

 

[Bill_Bright]

To be clear, Titanium and Platinum certified PSUs do NOT imply better quality PSU over Gold or even Bronze. As I just noted in another thread, 80 PLUS certification criteria do not ensure quality regulation, superior ripple suppression, or tighter tolerances to the required 12V, 5V or 3.3V DC output voltages.

 

[dirtyferret]

Most users would be surprised how little the power demands of their computers actually are. It is important to understand power supplies demand from the wall what they need to support the connected devices. So if the computer (CPU, GPU, motherboard, fans, drives, RAM) need 250W, the power supply will only deliver 250W and will only pull from the wall 250W, plus a little extra to compensate for the PSUs inefficiencies. That is regardless if the PSU is a 450W PSU, or a 850W PSU.

Yes but if I purchase a 1000w PSU I'm fairly certain my hardware will pull even more power then it's designed to use so my FPS will increase, my RGB fans will be brighter, I will finally be able to see a difference in ray tracing supported games, my hair will grow back, I will lose 15lbs in weight, my taxes will go down, etc., etc.,

To be clear, Titanium and Platinum certified PSUs do NOT imply better quality PSU over Gold or even Bronze. As I just noted in another thread, 80 PLUS certification criteria do not ensure quality regulation, superior ripple suppression, or tighter tolerances to the required 12V, 5V or 3.3V DC output voltages.

May not even imply the user will have titanium or platinum efficiency in the user's specific PC. All it means is that specific PSU passed it's 80plus test (be it bronze, silver, gold, etc.,) at 25c.

 

[John Naylor]

I ran a municipal electric power utiliuyty for 8 years. and while, not the "same thing", if we sized power generation and distribution equipemnt for peak loads, people couldn't afford electricity. Ebvn on an industrial scale, recognice that turning on en electri cal motor can typically pull 6 - 10 times their full power current. We don't design for full per current, not the starting capacity. We do have to design for the "inrush current" and therefore after a power outage after standby generator sets are running, motor starts are staggered such that that inrush does not iccur at the same time. PC electrinics OTOH, are not motors. And while they do have peak instantaneous loads, it does not impact a PSU to the extent that damage / failures occur. Thats what capacitors are for.

If you are running a typical system, a quality 650 watt PSU will be fine. Here's the calculated peak calculated power consumption measured for a MSI 3080 Gaming Trio and 2nd the peak measured consumption

359 - https://www.guru3d.com/index.php?ct=articles&action=file&id=64084
385 - https://tpucdn.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-3080-gaming-x-trio/images/power-gaming-peak.png

However .... the Power Limiter is set at 350 ...

https://tpucdn.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-3080-gaming-x-trio/images/tdp-adjustment-limit.png

No... you do not need to design for peak instantaneous load in single digits of milliseconds. Where 650 comes from

385 (GFX) + 125 (CPU) + 40 (MoBo) + 40 (misc) = 590 + 50 cushion = 640 watts

With a moderate OC, a 750 would serve (590 x 1.25). For those looking to keep things quiet and capability of OCing "bawlz to the wall", I'd choose an 850 watter (590 x F) where F = 1.33 - 1.50 ... will you ever see that load ....no, not even running stress tests of CPU and GPU simultaneously. So why 850 ?

1. When doing serious overclocking, voltage instability and electrical noise are problematic and when a PSU is stressed up near its full rating, these to be negatively impacted.

2. When we stay a bit away from the power rating, fan speeds are lower if not in passive mode.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Yes but if I purchase a 1000w PSU I'm fairly certain my hardware will pull even more power then it's designed to use so my FPS will increase, my RGB fans will be brighter, I will finally be able to see a difference in ray tracing supported games, my hair will grow back, I will lose 15lbs in weight, my taxes will go down, etc., etc.,

LOL Well, if the connected components pull more than designed, there's a fault (short or partial short) somewhere. Not good.

All it means is that specific PSU passed it's 80plus test (be it bronze, silver, gold, etc.,) at 25c.

Good point about the temperature. To be precise (sorta), the 80 PLUS testing standard says 23°C ± 5°C (the ±5° is the "sorta" part). That's actually a fairly cool environment and that's why most decent supplies are rated by the manufacturer at 40°C and some as high as 50°C.

As far as your hair growing back and your taxes going "down", that's true - and I'm going to win the lottery too!