Can a Corsair RM650 safely power an RX 9070 XT?
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MellowCedar42
I'm in Sweden and recently bought a 4K TV. I'd like to play games such as Silent Hill F, Pragmata, the Resident Evil remakes, Persona 4 Revival, the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy, and Onimusha at 4K with good settings and more than 60 FPS. I'm considering replacing my RTX 3070 with an RX 9070 XT, but I'm unsure whether my existing Corsair RM650 650W Gold PSU is sufficient. The rest of the system uses an i5-11400F, 16GB of DDR4 memory, several SSDs, and no particularly power-hungry components. AMD recommends a 750W PSU for the 9070 XT, while some higher-end models suggest 850W. Would the RM650 likely handle the card, or should I upgrade the PSU as well? I've also heard that undervolting or power-limiting the GPU can reduce consumption with little performance loss.
Answers
The safest and most future-proof choice is a 750W or 850W unit, especially if the specific 9070 XT model lists 850W as its recommendation. Your current PSU will probably work, but upgrading removes any uncertainty and gives you more room for transient spikes, aging, and future upgrades. If you replace it, choose a reputable modern unit and use the proper individual GPU cables.
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The recommended wattage is not an absolute power requirement. With your moderate-power CPU and SSD-based storage, 650W is more plausible than it would be in a high-end system. I’d try the existing RM650 first if it’s healthy, then reduce the GPU power limit or undervolt it if necessary. Don’t spend money replacing the SSDs for gaming performance; that would make a much smaller difference than the GPU upgrade.
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Your RM650 is a good-quality power supply, and the i5-11400F is relatively efficient, so the system’s normal power draw should be manageable. A 9070 XT will officially call for around 750W, but the manufacturer recommendation includes headroom for different systems and lower-quality PSUs. I’d expect a decent RM650 to work in practice, provided it’s in good condition. Use separate PCIe power cables for the GPU rather than one daisy-chained cable, and consider undervolting or setting a modest power limit if you want extra margin.
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QuietMaple19: The CPU and GPU together are unlikely to sustain anything close to the full 650W. Even a brief transient probably won’t trip a quality RM-series unit, so this combination should be fine unless the PSU is very old or already showing signs of trouble.