RTX 3090 Power Consumption: How Much Power Does The RTX 3090 Use?
Last updated on February 25th, 2023 at 12:52 pm
The RTX 3090 graphics card is one of the best GPUs on the market right now. It is a very high performing high power consumption card.
Right now many people are looking to upgrade their computers with an RTX 3090 graphics card and if this is you, then you really need to consider and understand the power consumption that this card produces.
In this article, we will go through how much power the RTX 3090 produces and what type of power supply you will need in order to run this card safely.
How Many Watts Does an RTX 3090 Use?
The RTX 3090 has a TGP or Total Graphics Power of 350 Watts, which is the typical wattage it produces. When gaming you should also hit around 345 Watts. However, when idle the GPU should only produce around 18 Watts of power.
The wattage that this card uses can change depending on how powerful your gaming setup is, as well as the types of games and tasks you are doing.
For example, if you use more than one monitor expect your graphics card to have a higher idle power consumption.
Typically, with an extra monitor the idle power consumption will be just under double or double what you would see with just one monitor.
In this instance, the Geforce RTX 3090 graphics card will produce around 26 Watts of power when idle in a dual monitor setup.
When looking at the power consumption of a GPU you want to look at the TGP (Total Graphics Power) because this shows the maximum power draw you will usually get when using your GPU for intensive tasks such as gaming.
However, it is not actually the true maximum of the graphics card. The true maximum of the RTX 3090 is around 460-465 Watts, but this only happens, when you see a spike in your performance and it is there as a safety mechanism, so that card doesn’t get damaged.
RTX 3090 Power Consumption Compared to Other GPUs
The GPUs power consumption is compared using TGP. It is very important to know and compare your graphics cards to other similar models because it will help you get a grasp on the amount of power your system is going to use.
Here is a comparison of a few graphics cards that are around the performance range of the RTX 3060.
| GPU | TGP |
| RTX 3080 Ti | 350 Watts |
| RTX 3090 | 350 Watts |
| RTX 3090 Ti | 450 Watts |
As you can see from this table the RTX 3080 is a pretty power-hungry graphics card.
If you want to compare more graphics cards on their power consumption and TGP I have provided a database where you can look at dozens of different GPUs and their power consumption, that way you don’t have to do the research yourself.
Check out the Database.
I have also provided the average power consumption when gaming, as well as the average power consumption when idle, that way you can get a better understanding.
What Power Supply Do I Need to Use For an RTX 3090?
Having a good power supply is essential when building a PC. When purchasing a power supply; the quality of the power supply isn’t the only thing that matters, but also how much wattage it has as well.
If you have a really high-quality power supply, that doesn’t produce enough power for your system, you could run into some problems.
First, either your power supply or another component in your computer could break and become damaged, or you will experience frequent shut-offs, and stuttering when playing games and running tasks.
When looking for a power supply you want to aim for around 20% extra wattage that way you have some wiggling room when your system’s power spikes while you are doing intensive tasks.
If your PC uses an RTX 3090 with a TGP of 350, you also need to remember the other hardware in your computer.
Your motherboard will consume around 80 Watts of power, the CPU can consume anywhere from 120-200 watts of power, plus any additional hardware you are using in the rig. All these things add up so it’s good to go a little above what you think is required.
I would recommend getting a power supply that supports around 850 Watts, that way you won’t risk damaging your system even at max power.
It would help if you also considered the grade rating of your power supply.
You want to find something that is at least 80 Plus Bronze certified.
You should read: “How Do Power Supply Ratings Work?”
RTX 3090 FAQ
Is a 750W Power Supply Enough For an RTX 3090 Graphics Card?
Yes, a 750W power supply can be enough to support an RTX 3090 graphics card. However, this is the bare minimum.
I would recommend you get at least an 850W power supply that way you can keep your computer safe when there is a high demand for power consumption when running certain programs.
Also, having this higher threshold will allow you to overclock your system in the future because you will have the extra wattage to do so.
Should You Use a 1000W Power Supply for an RTX 3090?
You can use a 1000W power supply if you want because it is way over the minimum wattage required to run an RTX 3090 in a computer.
