PSU Calculator: How Many Watts Does Your Gaming PC Need?
Add up the graphics card, the processor and the rest of the PC, then leave room for power spikes. For most RTX 5060 to RTX 5070 builds that lands on 550 to 650 W; 300 W cards like the RTX 5070 Ti and RX 9070 XT want 750 W.
RTX 5070 + 9800X3D, full load
487 W
Nvidia's PSU figure, RTX 5070
650 W
Headroom we add
30%
RTX 5090 board power
575 W
How many watts do your parts need? PSU calculator
Pick your graphics card and processor. We add 75 W for the motherboard, RAM, SSD and fans, then 30% headroom.
- Full-load estimate
- 487 W
- Our PSU size
- 650 W
- GPU maker says
- 650 W
- Graphics card 250 W
- Processor 162 W
- Rest of the PC 75 W
- 163 W free of 650 W
Recommended size
Get a 650 W power supply.
Estimated full load 487 W: GeForce RTX 5070 250 W, Ryzen 7 9800X3D up to 162 W, rest of the PC 75 W. We add 30% headroom for short power spikes. Predicted
What PSU does each graphics card need?
The GPU maker's figure next to our estimate with three common CPUs. Highlighted: where our number differs from the maker's because of the CPU.
| Graphics card | Board power | Maker says | + Ryzen 5 7600 | + 9800X3D | + i7-14700K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5050 | 130 W | 550 W | 450 W | 550 W | 650 W |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 145 W | 550 W | 450 W | 550 W | 650 W |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT | 160 W | 450 W | 450 W | 550 W | 650 W |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti | 180 W | 600 W | 450 W | 550 W | 750 W |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 220 W | 650 W | 550 W | 650 W | 750 W |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 250 W | 650 W | 550 W | 650 W | 850 W |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 300 W | 750 W | 650 W | 750 W | 850 W |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 304 W | 750 W | 650 W | 750 W | 850 W |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 360 W | 850 W | 750 W | 850 W | 1000 W |
| GeForce RTX 5090 | 575 W | 1000 W | 1000 W | 1200 W | 1200 W |
How much headroom is in the makers' figures?
- GeForce RTX 5050367 → 550 W
- GeForce RTX 5060382 → 550 W
- Radeon RX 9060 XT397 → 450 W
- GeForce RTX 5060 Ti417 → 600 W
- Radeon RX 9070457 → 650 W
- GeForce RTX 5070487 → 650 W
- GeForce RTX 5070 Ti537 → 750 W
- Radeon RX 9070 XT541 → 750 W
- GeForce RTX 5080597 → 850 W
- GeForce RTX 5090812 → 1000 W
Estimate with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D (162 W) and 75 W for the rest of the PC. With this CPU, our sized PSU is larger than the maker's figure only for the RX 9060 XT (550 vs 450 W) and the RTX 5090 (1,200 vs 1,000 W).
How much power does your CPU draw at most?
Processor power ratings are not the maximum. AMD's TDP is a cooling figure; the most the socket delivers (PPT) is TDP × 1.35, AMD's own rule. Intel lists a "Maximum Turbo Power". We use the maximum.
| Processor | Rated | Max power | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 7600 | 65 W TDP | 88 W | TDP × 1.35 |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | 65 W TDP | 88 W | TDP × 1.35 |
| Ryzen 7 9800X3D | 120 W TDP | 162 W | TDP × 1.35 |
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 170 W TDP | 230 W | AMD: 230 W PPT |
| Core Ultra 5 245K | 125 W base | 159 W | Intel max turbo |
| Core Ultra 9 285K | 125 W base | 250 W | Intel max turbo |
| Core i7-14700K | 125 W base | 253 W | Intel max turbo |
How do you calculate PSU wattage?
- Graphics card: the board power from Nvidia or AMD (RTX 5070: 250 W).
- Processor: its maximum package power, not its TDP (Ryzen 7 9800X3D: 120 W TDP, up to 162 W).
- Rest of the PC: 75 W for motherboard, RAM, SSDs, fans and USB devices. This is our allowance, generous for a typical build.
- Headroom: × 1.3, then round up. Graphics cards spike above their rated power for milliseconds; Seasonic cites independent measurements of an RTX 5090 briefly reaching 901 W "in under 1 ms".
Both games and stress tests rarely push CPU and GPU to their maximum at the same moment, so the full-load estimate is a ceiling, not an average. TechPowerUp, which measures power directly, puts the minimum PSU for an RTX 5070 at 550 W, below Nvidia's 650 W and our 650 W with a 9800X3D.
FAQ
What size power supply do I need for an RTX 5070?
Nvidia recommends 650 W, based on a PC with a Ryzen 9 9950X. With a Ryzen 7 9800X3D our estimate is 487 W at full load, so 650 W with 30% headroom; with a 65 W CPU like the Ryzen 5 7600, a quality 550 W unit is enough.
Is 650 W enough for an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT?
It is tight. Both cards draw about 300 W, and Nvidia and AMD recommend 750 W. Our estimate with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D is 537 to 541 W at full load, which calls for a 750 W unit with headroom.
How do you calculate PSU wattage?
Add the graphics card's board power, the CPU's maximum package power and about 75 W for the rest of the PC, then add 30% headroom for short power spikes and round up to the next PSU size. That is how this calculator works.
Is a bigger power supply bad?
No. A larger unit only delivers what the PC draws; it does not waste the difference. It costs more to buy and may be slightly less efficient at very low loads, but it leaves room for a future upgrade.
Why does Nvidia recommend more watts than this calculator?
Nvidia's "required system power" assumes a Ryzen 9 9950X, which can draw up to 230 W, and a range of PSU quality. With a lighter CPU the real need is lower, which is why we show both numbers.
How we researched this
Board power and PSU figures come from Nvidia's and AMD's spec pages, CPU power from AMD's and Intel's. The 75 W allowance and 30% headroom are our choices, explained above. We did not measure power draw.
First version: 10 graphics cards, 7 processors.
Where the figures come from
- Nvidia GeForce spec pages: RTX 5050, RTX 5060 family, RTX 5070 family, RTX 5080, RTX 5090.
- AMD Radeon spec pages: RX 9060 XT, RX 9070, RX 9070 XT; AMD Ryzen pages: Ryzen 5 7600, 9700X, 9800X3D, 9950X.
- Intel product specifications: Core Ultra 5 245K, Core Ultra 9 285K, Core i7-14700K.
- AMD corrects Socket AM5 power specs: 230W peak power, 170W TDP, Tom's Hardware (AMD's TDP × 1.35 rule).
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition review: power consumption, TechPowerUp (minimum recommended PSU).
- How to calculate PSU power for RTX 5090 GPUs, Seasonic (transient spikes).