I'm building a system with a Threadripper 9980x and dual RTX 6000 GPUs (the Blackwell and the Q Blackwell versions). I initially thought that a 1600W power supply would suffice, but I've noticed that options like the MSI Meg and Seasonic Prime TX cost over $650. There's also a cheaper option from ASRock, but I'm wondering if it's worth the savings or if I'm risking stability and performance by going with the less expensive PSU. What are the advantages of investing in the pricier models?
1 Answer
It's really important not to skimp on the power supply, especially with the kind of investment you've made on your CPU and GPUs. In my opinion, you can trust brands like Seasonic much more than ASRock or MSI since those companies don't actually manufacture their own PSUs. Seasonic has been around for ages.
Also, for your setup, consider that the RTX 6000 could draw around 600W each. This means you're looking at needing at least a 1200W PSU just for those components alone, ideally more to leave some headroom. I’d recommend leaning towards 1500W just to be safe.
I’d agree with that! I'm currently using a 1100W for my build, but I haven't pushed the system to its limit yet. A buddy of mine has pulled up to 575W with intense workloads on a 5090, so I'm nervous about overloading my PSU too. Definitely want to factor in some extra power for safety!