Hey everyone, I'm new to building PCs and just bought a nearly new 7900XTX from a friend. My current PSU is 700W, which I'm using with a 3060 I've had for the last 5 years. I'm considering upgrading my PSU but I'm torn between getting an 850W or 1000W unit. I've done some research on PSU tier lists, but I'm not sure what's best for this setup. Also, I'm a bit confused about the cables I need for the 7900XTX Sapphire Nitro Vapor-X. Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Sapphire suggests a minimum PSU of 800W for that GPU. An 850W PSU will do fine, but if the price difference to a 1000W is less than $20, I’d go for the 1000W. You can check the official specs to confirm the requirements, but generally, the cables shouldn't be too complicated. If you need a second opinion on cables, maybe someone else can chime in!
You'll need 3 x 8-pin PCIe cables for the GPU. It's best to use 3 separate cables instead of a pig-tail, especially for high wattage cards like this. However, not all 850W power supplies support that setup. An 850W PSU with sufficient PCIe connectors and a good efficiency rating should be fine. If you want a bit more flexibility, consider the 1000W option!
For a 7900XTX, you should ideally have a PSU with at least 3 PCIe ports and 3 separate cables for the GPU. While two cables with one daisy-chained should work, having three separate ones is much safer. If you check out sites filtered by PCIe connectors, you can find good options. Generally, 850W should suffice, but going for 1000W will allow more headroom for the future. Just make sure to look for ones with enough PCIe connectors!
Thanks a lot for your answer, I will look further into it.
Thanks a lot for your answer, I figured out somehow for cables, it's more simple than I thought!