I currently have an HP system with an RTX 3060 and am considering buying a relatively inexpensive RX 6800 XT. My main concern is the 600W Thermaltake Toughpower PSU currently in the computer. It has two 8-pin GPU connectors, but they appear to come from a single daisy-chained cable. Would this be safe with a 6800 XT, or could the card's power draw and transient spikes overload the PSU or cables? The rest of the system uses a Ryzen 7 5700X3D.
2 Answers
It may work, especially since a Ryzen 7 5700X3D system usually won’t exceed 500W under normal gaming loads. If saving money is the priority, you could try the existing PSU, but replacing it is the safer choice given the 6800 XT’s power spikes and the quality of the current unit.
The system might technically run on 600W, but that particular PSU isn’t especially reassuring, and the RX 6800 XT can pull around 300W with significant transient spikes. I’d strongly consider replacing it with a higher-quality 750W unit rather than relying on the current PSU and its daisy-chained PCIe cable.
That was my concern too. I’ve seen conflicting advice, but I’ll probably budget for a good 750W PSU along with the graphics card so I don’t have to worry about it.
I’d prefer to keep the current PSU if possible, but I’d rather spend extra on a replacement than risk instability or damaging something when installing the new GPU.