Nvidia’s RTX 5090 may not be such a power-hungry beast after all
We've heard many outlandish predictions about the power draw of the RTX 5090, but a PSU maker says that it may not be as bad as expected.
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Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
The RTX 5090 will undoubtedly claim its spot atop the rankings of the best graphics cards when it’s here, but that kind of power comes with a lot of … well, power — or more specifically, a high power draw. To that end, we’ve heard a lot of speculation about the RTX 5090 potentially decimating your power supply and needing over 600 watts of power. However, Segotep, a China-based PSU manufacturer, weighed in on the matter, and it seems that enthusiasts can hold off on buying a new monstrous PSU for a while yet.
It all started with claims that the RTX 5090 may feature not one, but two 16-pin power connectors. We’ve already seen some high-end PSUs sporting dual 12V-2×6 power connectors (made by manufacturers such as MSI), which could potentially power a GPU that draws far more than 600 watts.
These power supply units are still hard to come by, but according to MSI (as quoted by TweakTown), the second 12V-2×6 power connector was added to “support the next generation of graphics cards.” As of right now, the next generation is the RTX 50-series, so it’s not much of a stretch to assume that the RTX 5090 could be quite power-hungry indeed — but Segotep disagrees.
Jacob Roach / Digital TrendsIf the Chinese PSU maker is to be believed, the RTX 5090 will not require dual 16-pin connectors. The information comes from a conversation on Bilibili, shared by VideoCardz. One user reached out to ask whether Segotep’s power supply could feature two 16-pin connectors instead of one, asking the company: “What if the 5090 requires dual 16-pin connectors?”
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Segotep was quick to dismiss the claim, saying: “There’s no such possibility.” The company also said that it already has the data for the RTX 5090 and added, “See you in January.”
This little piece of information is promising for two reasons. One: The power draw claims, which we’ve also gone through with the RTX 4090 prior to its launch, might once again turn out to be exaggerated. Two: This marks yet another confirmation that the RTX 50-series is likely to be announced at CES 2025.
Of course, using two power connectors doesn’t have to equal the RTX 5090 going above 600W. It’s a choice Nvidia might have made in order to spread the load among two connectors. After all, following the various instances of the 12VHPWR connector melting, it’s not out of the question. However, all signs so far point to a single connector, and let’s hope it stays that way.
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Want an RTX 5090? Prepare to wait a little longer
Nvidia's upcoming top GPU is taking its sweet time to make it to the market, and by the sound of it, we won't see it anytime soon. According to a new report from Benchlife, as well as various other sources, Nvidia is planning to unveil the RTX 50-series at CES 2025 in January. This means that the RTX 5090 is unlikely to make an appearance any sooner than three to four months from now. On the upside, we just learned even more about what the card's going to offer.
After a few months of managing expectations, many GPU enthusiasts no longer expect the RTX 50-series to be released this year -- and leakers agree. Following the huge specification leak we got yesterday, at least two new publications (both Benchlife and The Verge) are now claiming that Nvidia won't announce its next-gen GPUs until 2025. Reputable hardware leakers like kopite7kimi have also previously said that early 2025 is the current target.
The RTX 5090 will reportedly require 600 watts of power
Rumors have been circulating about the RTX 5090 for a while, but we're finally getting a clearer picture of how Nvidia's flagship RTX 50-series GPU is shaping up. Well-known hardware leaker Kopite7kimi is claiming the RTX 5090, which seems destined to earn a spot among the best graphics cards, will come with an obscene power requirement of 600 watts.
The leaker shared specs for the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 on X (formerly Twitter). We've seen vague claims from Kopite7kimi in the past concerning RTX 50-series graphics cards, but this is the first time the leaker has shared full specs. According to the leak, the RTX 5090 will require 600W of power and come with a staggering 32GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus.
Nvidia is reportedly sunsetting the RTX 4090
The RTX 4090 is undoubtedly the best graphics card you can buy right now from a performance standpoint, but Nvidia is reportedly discontinuing the flagship GPU. Reports from the Board Channel forums (shared by Wccftech) suggest Nvidia is preparing to end production of the RTX 4090 and the China-exclusive RTX 4090D starting next month in order to make way for next-gen RTX 50-series graphics cards.
It's not surprising that Nvidia would wind down production of the RTX 4090 as the next generation of graphics cards approaches. Flagship GPUs like the RTX 4090 don't have much of a shelf life after a new generation has released, which is something we saw in action with the RTX 3090. Although Nvidia could end production of the GPU in October (the company itself hasn't, and likely won't, confirm that detail publicly), the card won't immediately disappear from store shelves.
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