Upgrading your graphics card can sometimes mean upgrading your power supply too, especially if it’s one of the latest generations of flagship cards, like the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. If you want to make sure everything’s smooth and stable, it’s best to check whether your current PSU can handle the upgrades provided by AMD’s new range of GPUs, dubbed RDNA 3 or Radeon RX 7000.
So far, the new GPU range only has two cards: the RX 7900 XTX and the 7900 XT. Out of those two, the RX 7900 XTX is the one that consumes the most power. Even then, it’s still fairly conservative when compared to the Nvidia flagship, the RTX 4090. In Nvidia’s case, the Founders Edition has a total board power (TBP) of 450 watts and calls for an 850-watt PSU. However, some of Nvidia’s board partners that made custom versions of the GPU require a much beefier PSU, reaching as high as 1,200 watts.
In the case of AMD’s RX 7900 XTX, it’s not going to be quite as bad as that. AMD strongly focuses on performance-per-watt, meaning that RDNA 3 packs a lot of punch using a relatively small amount of power. Even then, you still need a solid PSU to ensure everything runs smoothly.
If you’re going to use one of AMD’s best graphics cards, you’re likely to pair it with a great CPU, and those things tend to add up. Below, we’ll talk about some of the best options for a power supply to match the new AMD flagship GPU, so dive right in and pick yours now.
What power supply do you need for the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX?
AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX, while a powerful GPU in its own right, is not overly demanding when it comes to power consumption. The TBP of the card has been set to 355 watts, which is nearly 100W less than Nvidia’s RTX 4090.
This is not unexpected — the AMD flagship is not really of the same caliber as Nvidia’s RTX 4090. Instead, it’s set to rival the Nvidia 4080, which actually consumes less power with its 320W TBP. On another note, the second-best AMD GPU has recently had a shake-up when it comes to power requirements. As a result, the RX 7900 XT now has a 315W TBP.
| RX 7900 XTX | RX 7900 XT | |
| Compute units | 96 | 84 |
| AI accelerators | 192 | 168 |
| Ray tracing accelerators | 96 | 84 |
| Memory | 24GB GDDR6 | 20GB GDDR6 |
| Memory speed | 20Gbps | 20Gbps |
| Memory bus size | 384-bit | 320-bit |
| Game clock speed | 2.3GHz | 2GHz |
| Connection support | DisplayPort 2.1 | DisplayPort 2.1 |
| Total board power | 355 watts | 315W |
| List price | $1,000 | $900 |
Although AMD itself hasn’t yet released an official recommendation when it comes to the PSU for the RX 7900 XTX, there are some safe bets that you can pick up right now instead of waiting for AMD’s word on the matter. Before we get to them, it important to note that AMD’s board partner Asus recommends anywhere between 850W to 1200W, and our recommendations fall within that range.
The absolute bare minimum for the RX 7900 XTX is going to be a 750W PSU. Going for 850W gives you a bit more breathing room and is probably a safer pick. Remember that AMD’s partners may ask for even more than that, so if you’re putting together a beast of a build, going with a 900W to 1,000W PSU is probably a good idea.
Now, let’s start from the top. If you want a great 750W PSU for a more budget-oriented build, the Corsair RM750x is a good option. This is a 750W Gold power supply. Corsair has a great reputation when it comes to its cooling and power solutions, so you’re making a sound decision here, and it only costs around $120 at the time of writing.
EVGA may have backed out of making GPUs, but it’s still around and making some solid power supplies, alongside other components. One example of these great components is the EVGA Supernova 850 G7. This 850W Gold Plus PSU is efficient, capable of supporting the RX 7900 XTX and a good processor, and it’s fairly affordable at just around $70 more than the 750W Corsair.
If you’re not a fan of EVGA, some other good options for an 850W PSU include the or the budget-friendly .
Assuming you always prefer to err on the side of caution, you can pick up a really powerful PSU that leaves a lot of headroom and helps you future-proof your rig. It’s not at all necessary for the base RX 7900 XTX, but some of AMD’s partners may request that you use a PSU with a similar wattage. In any case, it’s most likely overkill, but it might come in handy for high-end PC builds.
If you’re willing to spend around $320, the Seasonic Prime TX-1000 is a fantastic 80+ Titanium option. It’s silent, it’s reliable, and it’s ready to power up enthusiast gaming systems. It’s also expensive.
Some cheaper yet solid options for a 1000W PSU include and the
We’re now in the big leagues with a couple of 1,200-watt power supply units. Much like the 1,000W options, these will be overkill for most systems based around the RX 7900 XTX. However, seeing as some of AMD’s partners do indeed request that kind of wattage, you could go all-out and pick up a 1200W PSU to future-proof your build for the next few years.
As long as the $400 price tag doesn’t put you off, one of the best PSU options in this bracket is the Asus ROG Thor 1200W. This power supply is 80+ Platinum-certified, quiet, and reliable for when your system really needs all that extra power. With this PSU, you can easily pick up one of the best CPUs on the market (even the more power-hungry Intel models), add all the RGB lighting you could dream of, and still have plenty of power left over.
Some other options that you can fully trust include the and the .
AMD avoided a potential fiasco
AMD is using a standard 8-pin connector for its latest graphics card — two of them, to be precise. Some of the models, especially those made by AMD’s board partners, may use three connectors. Regardless, it’s good news for you, the person building the PC, because you won’t need to dabble with new technology for something as crucial as achieving a stable flow of electricity.
Nvidia’s latest flagship, the RTX 4090, as well as the RTX 4080, both rely on a 16-pin connector. Seeing as most power supply units don’t come with one of those, Nvidia bundled its GPUs with the 12VHPWR adapter that is meant to deliver up to 600 watts of power through the use of a single cable. Unfortunately, it didn’t foresee the fact that bending the cable could cause serious thermal issues.
As a result, some users have experienced something downright scary — their power adapters and connectors have caught fire and completely melted. It seems that AMD may have made the right choice by avoiding the 12HVPWR adapter, which is still being investigated by Nvidia.
Better safe than sorry
When picking a power supply, it’s always best to leave some wiggle room. You never know what upgrades you might be picking up in the future. You might also end up overclocking — be it your GPU, your CPU, or even both — and that will add extra strain to your PSU.
It’s easy to treat the power supply unit as an afterthought and try to go for something cheap, but trust us, it’s not worth it. A computer without stable electricity is not going to serve you well at all. It’s better to spend a little more for a Gold or Platinum PSU than to regret it later if something goes south.
However, there’s no need to go for something that would be total overkill. Your best bet is to add up the potential power usage of your components and then leave a little extra room on top of that. There are PSU calculators online that can help you do that, such as this one created by Newegg.
If you’re using the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX in your next build, any of the PSUs mentioned above will do a good job — but if you’d like to check out some other options, be sure to take a look at our lineup of the best PSUs currently on the market.
