I'm looking to upgrade my graphics cards and I'm wondering if I need to upgrade my power supply unit (PSU) while moving from a 3080Ti to a 5080. I have two PCs in the house and I might install either a 5070 Ti or a 5080 in each. I noticed that while the power ratings are similar, the connectors for these new cards are not the same as those used for the 30-series cards. I checked the PSUs I have: one is an 850W model from Corsair and the other is another 850W PSU. Can 3 of the 6+2 connectors work with the 50-series cards? I do have spare wires that seem to fit these connectors, but I want to make sure I won't need to replace my PSUs or rewire everything. Any advice would be great!
4 Answers
You should be good to go! The 5070 Ti might actually consume less power than your old cards, and while the 5080 could have slightly higher power needs, it generally comes with adapters. You can use two cables with one pigtail for the third, but using separate cables is better. Just make sure to only use the cables that came with your PSU to avoid any compatibility issues.
As long as you have at least two PCIe cables—ideally one being a daisy chain—you should be fine. The 5080s come with an adapter to switch from the new 12v connector to the 8-pin PCIe setup. It's typical to need three 8-pins, so make sure you don’t mix cables from different brands as they aren’t interchangeable.
The power draw between the 3080Ti and 5080 isn't drastically different. If your PSU has been working fine so far, I doubt you'll face issues. However, you might want to consider the 5070Ti or 9070XT instead, as they offer great performance for a lower price—especially since the 5080s are pretty pricey for a modest performance boost.
I appreciate your input! I'm leaning towards NVIDIA for the reliability, especially with tasks and ray tracing.
I upgraded from a 3080 to a 5080 without needing to change my PSU. I used an 850W power supply with an adapter and it worked fine. Eventually, I did upgrade to an ATX 3.1 PSU just for peace of mind since I've heard stories about the new connectors being prone to issues if not fully seated. If you're investing $750 to $1,000 in a GPU, it's probably worth spending an extra $100 on a reliable PSU to ensure you reduce that fire risk.
Totally agree! The adapter will usually work fine, but the worry about connection issues is real.
Thanks! This answer clears things up for me.