I'm putting together my new PC and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with choosing the right power supply unit (PSU). I initially relied on PC Part Picker's wattage estimate, but I've been reading that Nvidia recommends at least 850W for the GeForce RTX 5080. Can anyone give me some advice on what to look for while selecting a PSU and how to properly calculate the wattage needed for my build? Here's what I'm working with:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor
- Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 69 CFM CPU Cooler
- MSI X870 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
- Crucial Pro Overclocking 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6400 CL40 Memory
- Crucial T705 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME SSD
- Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC SFF GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB Video Card
- Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case
- MSI MPG A1000GS PCIE5 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
5 Answers
For best results: stick to the 850W minimum, go for ATX3.0 or higher, and you might wanna check this PSU tier list I found online. Your MSI PSU is solid, so if it’s a good deal, go for it!
Yeah, I’d stick with at least 850W as the minimum. It’s totally fine to get a higher wattage PSU too, just in case you want to upgrade things in the future.
Honestly, in my experience, just grab a 1000W PSU, like one from Seasonic, and you’ll be set. They have great warranties and support the newer RTX 50 series connections. You'll have more than enough for future upgrades. It really helps to have a bit of extra capacity so you aren’t constantly worried if your PSU can handle the load!
Look for high-quality brands like Seasonic, Be Quiet, Corsair, and EVGA when picking a PSU. It's better to invest in a solid PSU rather than just going for a cheaper one with higher wattage. The recommendations from GPU manufacturers are often conservative to avoid issues, so the best approach for figuring out your power needs is to add up the max power for all your components and then add about 150-200W for some overhead. It’s a good safety buffer against spikes and extra hardware you might add later!
To calculate correctly, you can use GPU wattage recommendations, so aim for 850W minimum for the RTX 5080, or try this method: get the total wattage of all components and divide it by 0.7, since running at around 70% is optimal. Also, consider getting the A1000G instead of the A1000GS because it has better supporting connections for a variety of GPUs!
Is the PSU I mentioned in my post considered low quality?