Will a 650 Watt PSU Work for Upgrading to a 5070 Ti?
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TechSavant42
I'm considering upgrading my graphics card from an RTX 3060 Ti to a 5070 Ti, but I'm worried about whether my current 650 Watt power supply (RM650x, 80+ Gold) can handle it. My setup includes an i7 12700k CPU, a NH-D15 cooler, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and two NVMe SSDs. I've read that TDP spikes could potentially damage the PSU or crash my system, so I want to avoid any issues. Since I'm not planning on upgrading my CPU or RAM anytime soon, I'd prefer not to invest in a new power supply if possible. Any advice would be appreciated!
Answers
I’m running a 500W Gold PSU with my 5070 Ti setup and it works, but I’m definitely looking to upgrade soon just to be safe. Your max potential draw with the new card will be higher, and that added safety is key, especially during intense gaming sessions.
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A 650W PSU is pretty borderline for a 5070 Ti. I've seen folks run it on lower, but it's not ideal. You might want to consider slightly less demanding alternatives for an upgrade if changing the PSU isn't feasible right now. Maybe even look for a used card that won't push your power supply.
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Honestly, I'd err on the side of caution and look into getting at least a 750W PSU for the 5070 Ti. It feels like a safer bet, and that way you won’t have to stress about power spikes or reliability.
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It might work, but it's risky since you're pretty close to maxing out your PSU. It's always better to have some headroom to avoid stressing the components. If you can swing it, an upgrade to a higher wattage PSU would definitely give you more peace of mind.
StudentBudgetLife: I get that upgrading a PSU adds extra costs, especially for students. I really want to avoid that if possible, but it's hard not to worry about potential issues.
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RealisticGamer: Totally get that. Upgrading while keeping costs down is tricky, but sometimes it's worth waiting for something better than risking your current setup.