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29.09.2022

Nvidia’s RTX 4080 and 4090 cards – Do I need a new power supply?

Current ATX 2.X power supplies are not equipped to deal with the high power excursions that may come along with the new technology, so it was a valid concern whether current power supply units remain suited for the new generation of graphics cards.

Nvidia announced their new GeForce RTX 4090 and 4080 graphics cards in September 2022. These cards bring better performance for demanding games, raytracing and AI-backed applications. To make it short:

No, you do not need a new PSU to run an RTX 4090 or 4080 card*.

*If your current PSU provides the recommended power.

During the months leading up to the launch, many were wondering whether these would be the first PCI Express 5 graphics cards on the consumer market. Current ATX 2.X power supplies are not equipped to deal with the high power excursions that may come along with the new technology, so it was a valid concern whether current power supply units remain suited for the new generation of graphics cards. Now we know that the RTX 4090 and 4080 do not have the high power excursions of PCIe 5.0, but use the 12VHPWR power connector.

RTX 4090 and 4080 cards, whether they are Founders Edition models or board partner cards, come with an adapter that transforms up to four 6+2-pin PCI Express power plugs into a single 12VHPWR connector. This means everyone can get started right away with a suitable be quiet! PSU and a new RTX 40 series card, with no additional accessory required. The only thing to consider are the power requirements. Our recommendation is as follows:

 Dark Power 13/12 seriesStraight Power 11 seriesPure Power 12/11 series
Nvidia RTX 4090≥ 850W
Nvidia RTX 4080≥ 750W
Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti≥ 650W

The new 12VHPWR cable

We at be quiet! acknowledge that not everyone wants to deal with a bulky adapter. In October 2022, be quiet! releases a 12VHPWR cable for up to 600W power throughput, that connects to two power sockets on any be quiet! PSU with modular cables. The cable strings combine to a single sleeve very close to the PSU, so you can route only one single cable through the case to the graphics card.

Update: The 12VHPWR adapter cable for all current be quiet! power supplies is now available for purchase at our retail partners. Please check out the where to buy section to find out more.