Last Updated:
Generational releases have been increasing the power need of components, so you may be wondering what PSU do I need for 3080? The Nvidia RTX 3080 came out as a great success in September 2020, flying off the shelves but also suffering from the shortage. Meaning even though gamers were hungry for them it was mainly scalpers or crypto miners that ended up with them instead.
However, with the more recent crypto crash, there has been some good news for the average computer user. With plenty of cards offloaded and the overall need for them dropping, there is plenty of stock. As well as the price of GPUs returning to MSRP more or less. Even though it is disproportional between AMD Radeon and Nvidia selections you may have found your choice of 3080.
With that new 3080, you’re going to need a good power supply to keep it going. That’s where we see what you need to fulfill its needs. As with the power behind it you want to make sure you’re not losing out on performance from your new card.
What PSU do I need for 3080?
There are multiple versions of the 3080 now so we first take a look at the original RTX 3080 10 GB. That card was released with a 320 W graphics card power. For it Nvidia recommends a 750 W power supply, however, this is for a system with an i9-10900K processor and a Founder’s Edition card. So if you have a much more powerful CPU and more additions to your build you may require more.
Now there is also an RTX 3080 12 GB version, a more recent addition to the lineup. Coming out in 2022 about one and half years since the original it offers more VRAM. Which does in turn also increase the power consumption of the card by 30 W up to 350 W. However, the bump in power doesn’t increase the required system power according to Nvidia which still suggests a 750 W power supply.
Lastly, there is a further improved version with the RTX 3080 Ti. Comparing the 3080 vs 3080 Ti there is a change in GPU to a fuller variant. Along with more memory giving it some better bandwidth. And similarly, with the higher performance, it also increases the required power to the same as the Ti. With the 350 W TDP it also only asks for a 750 W PSU to run.
Will a 750 W power supply be enough for the RTX 40 series?
With a recommended power supply of 750 W for two quite powerful components. However, from the RTX 40 series rumors, this still might not be quite enough for the next generation of cards. The latest rumors suggest the RTX 4090 has a TDP of 450 W, the RTX 4080 has a power of 420 W, and the RTX 4070 has a TDP of 300W.
Meaning if you planned on getting a 4080 it may have a 100 W higher power than the 3080. This in turn may make Nvidia recommend a PSU 100 W higher taking it to an 850 W recommended power supply. Currently only the 3090 Ti comes close to this TDP with 450 W, and Nvidia recommends an 850 W supply for it. Therefore it may be the same case if the 4080/4090 do in fact have their rumored board power.
