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RTX 5090 upgrade — will my system handle it?

keogh

keogh

keogh

Soldato
Joined
22 Jun 2004
Posts
2,760
Location
London
Hi all,

I’m considering upgrading my GPU from an RTX 4080 Super to the RTX 5090 and wanted to check if my current system will handle it without major issues. I'm aware my system is still quite modern, and the 4080S is pretty decent, but I would like the upgrade regardless.

Specs:
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-14700K
  • RAM: 32 GB
  • GPU (current): RTX 4080 Super
  • Motherboard/Bus: ASUS Prime Z790-P WIFI - PCIe 4.0 x16
  • PSU: Corsair RM850x (850W, fully modular, gold rated)
  • Asus 27" XG27UCDMG UHD 240Hz OLED
  • Storage: SSDs (2 TB NVMe)
From what I’ve read, the RTX 5090 has a TGP of ~575W and NVIDIA is recommending at least a 1000W PSU. My RM850x has served me well, but I’m not sure if it’s up to the task with this card paired alongside the i7-14700K.

So, a couple of questions:
  1. Would this system bottleneck the 5090 in any way?
  2. Is it safe (or even realistic) to run it on an 850W PSU, or should I plan on upgrading to 1000W+ straight away?
Any advice or real-world experience would be much appreciated before I pull the trigger.

Thanks!
 
Dg834man said:
It's going to self destruct the second you hit the power button ;) probably be fine but if you get crashes underload you'll know the answer.
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PSU upgrade you mean then right? How will my CPU cope with it you think?
 
I'm not up on the power usage of intel CPUs these days, but with the 5090 if you undervolt it you *should* just be ok I would think with that PSU and rig setup.

Anyone with a 5090 absolutely needs to be undervolting anyway. Crazy not too. The best profile to use provides the same/ slightly better performance than stock at 100W+ less power draw.
 
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It's power spikes that need to be considered as the 5090 can have up to 900w which could trip the PSU, the modern 3.0 and 3.1 PSU can handle such.

If the connector doesn't melt first :p
 
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keogh said:
Any PSU recommendations here on OCUK you can suggest?
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It really depends on budget , for me I would be getting a 1200w unit to see you future GPU upgrades for the life of the PSU.

Arguably the best PSU on the market is the Antec hg pro range , reviews are excellent but it's a little bit pricey .

1000w is £180 while the 1200w is £209 what is your budget ?.

The NZXT C 1200W 3.1 can be had for £150 which I like .

www.overclockers.co.uk

Antec HCG 1200 Pro Platinum 1200W ATX3.1 Full modular Power Supply

Order Antec HCG 1200 Pro Platinum 1200W ATX3.1 Full modular Power Supply now online and benefit from fast delivery.
www.overclockers.co.uk www.overclockers.co.uk
 
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keogh said:
  1. Would this system bottleneck the 5090 in any way?
Click to expand...
Yes, but as always: it depends, on the game, your resolution/detail settings and how framerate sensitive you are, particularly to the lows and overall framerate consistency.

Is that enough I would not buy the new graphics card? If you're playing esports games at low settings, yes. If you're playing graphically demanding games at 4K with all the shiny switched on? No.
 
1000W is fine for a 5090 depending on how much other stuff you have in your system. Apply an underclock to the 5090 and it will only draw 450-475W.
 
We have not seen an absolute requirement for anything more than 1000W in over a decade. I cant ever see a situation arising where 1200/1300W will be needed in most run of the mill systems. All out power draw, outside of ultra high end GPUs, is on a downward trend.
 
I recently built a new PC using a 5090

I used a 1200w 3.1 ATX PSU

This allowed me to use the 16 pin power connector at both ends (PSU and GPU).

It also leaves room for future upgrading (in the past I never though I would see 600w power draw on a normal GPU).
 
As others have said, get a new PSU just to be on the safe side. Intel chips are power hungry, and you will have to deal with occasional GPU power spikes. Since you'll be buying new get a 1200w+ PSU ATX3.0 or ATX3.1
 
Sin_Chase said:
We have not seen an absolute requirement for anything more than 1000W in over a decade. I cant ever see a situation arising where 1200/1300W will be needed in most run of the mill systems. All out power draw, outside of ultra high end GPUs, is on a downward trend.
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If buying now for a 5090 then a 6090 or 7090 might be appealing in 2-4 years. Buying a PSU now that just scrapes over the line in terms of wattage seems naive in the extreme when a little extra headroom is never an issue and could be necessary in future.
 
Jacky60 said:
If buying now for a 5090 then a 6090 or 7090 might be appealing in 2-4 years. Buying a PSU now that just scrapes over the line in terms of wattage seems naive in the extreme when a little extra headroom is never an issue and could be necessary in future.
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1000W isnt just scraping over the line though.

I have a fully watercooled system which has additonal power demands with pumps and other accessories and have plenty of headroom even with the 5090 at full tilt.

You also dont need to uprate your PSU for power deviations, its catered for in the ATX 3.0/3.1 specification.

I'm not advocating for never needing more than 1000W, I just don't subscribe to the idea that people NEED 1300W PSUs now (or perhaps ever)
 
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