I'm running an RTX 5080 with a Ryzen 7 8700G and an 850W Corsair RM power supply. Most games work normally, but certain games at 4K cause the fans to suddenly ramp up, followed by a loss of signal to my monitor. I then have to restart the computer. I'm using DisplayPort, though I'm not sure whether that matters. I already cleaned out the PC, but it made very little difference. Could the power supply be the problem, or should I investigate temperatures, cabling, drivers, or something else?
2 Answers
The wattage alone doesn’t identify the problem. A quality 850W RM-series supply may be perfectly adequate, while an older or unsuitable revision could still have cable or transient-response concerns with a modern high-end GPU. I’d start by checking temperatures, GPU drivers, Windows reliability logs, and the power cable before replacing the PSU. The fans ramping up right before the monitor loses signal is consistent with a graphics driver or GPU crash, so testing with a lower power limit is a useful diagnostic step.
An 850W unit should generally be enough on paper, especially with the relatively efficient 8700G, but the exact Corsair RM model and its age still matter. The symptoms sound more like the GPU crashing under a heavy load than a DisplayPort problem. Check the GPU core and hotspot temperatures with HWiNFO, reseat the graphics card, and make sure the power connector is fully inserted. If the PSU supports a native 12V-2x6 or 12VHPWR cable, use that instead of an adapter. You can also temporarily reduce the GPU power limit to around 70–80% and test the games that normally fail. If that fixes the crashes, power delivery becomes much more suspicious.
I initially wrote 750W by mistake—the PSU is actually an 850W Corsair RM. I’ll check the specific model, temperatures, and connector seating.