I'm having a strange issue with my RTX 5090. When I check its thermal design power (TDP) using CPU-Z, it's consistently locked at 450 watts, no matter which stress test I run. A few days ago, my PC shut down while gaming, and after that, I ran a stress test (OCCT) which caused an instant shutdown. Thankfully, it hasn't shut down again since I updated the NVIDIA drivers, but now it seems like my card is stuck at this 450-watt limit.
I did some troubleshooting and noticed that when I used DDU to clean out the drivers, the TDP showed 575 watts without any drivers installed. However, as soon as I reinstall even the older drivers, it drops back down to 450 watts. I'm feeling really desperate and would appreciate any help or advice on what I can do to fix this issue!
4 Answers
Honestly, if you bought the PC pre-built and still have issues, it might be best to return it. They should be able to diagnose the problem for you, whether it’s replacing the power supply or the graphics card.
Have you checked your power supply? The 12V-2x6 connector that powers your GPU may not be rated for the necessary 600 watts. It’s important because the sense pins communicate with the GPU to limit how much power it can draw. If your supply isn’t up to specs, the GPU may be throttling its TDP.
Just to clarify, TDP refers to thermal design power, which is a fixed number intended to indicate the cooling requirements of the GPU. It doesn't represent actual power consumption, so it's possible that it remains unchanged regardless of your workload. Make sure to use DDU to remove the drivers completely, then reinstall them and see if that resolves the issue.
If you're still struggling, consider reinstalling Windows and then the latest GPU drivers. Sometimes a fresh start can help clear up these types of conflicts.
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