Best PSU for NVIDIA RTX 3090 in 2020
Only the best PSU for the RTX 3090 will do; NVIDIA's new flagship graphics card won't fare well with underpowered or ancient power supply units (PSU). They can lead to crashes and overall system instability, and if you're shelling out more than a grand on new hardware, you don't want to skimp elsewhere. NVIDIA recommends a 750W PSU for the RTX 3090, which is what we'll focus on in this collection.
Reliable And Efficient
The EVGA SuperNOVA P2 has 750W of power to hit the NVIDIA recommendation, plus it has an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating. That means it's near the top of the pile, hitting somewhere around 92% efficiency at 50% load. It's fully modular so that you don't have more cables than necessary in your case, and it has a 10-year warranty to protect your purchase.
Total Overkill
If you're going with the RTX 3090, chances are you have a sizable budget for other PC components. The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 has 1,200W of power, ensuring you have enough juice no matter the hardware inside your PC. An 80 Plus Titanium efficiency certification means you're not wasting much power, it's fully modular, and it has a 10-year warranty.
Also Great
Corsair's RM750x can usually be found a bit cheaper than our top pick, and while it doesn't have as high of an efficiency rating (80 Plus Gold in this case), it will save you some money and still hit the 750W recommendation. It's modular for easy cable management and it has a 10-year warranty to protect your purchase.
Budget Pick
Blowing your PC upgrade budget on an RTX 3090 is a possibility; the affordable MasterWatt 750 is probably quite tempting if that's the case. It makes up the money with a lower 80 Plus Bronze efficiency rating and a shorter five-year warranty, but it's still a quality PSU that hits the power needs of the GPU. It's partially modular to help cut down on clutter.
High-End Power
WIth an 80 Plus Titanium efficiency rating and extended 12-year warranty, this is a PSU well worth the money. It hits the 750W power needs, and it's fully modular so that you only use the needed cables. If you don't want to go all out and also don't want to go budget, this is a solid pick.
Best PSU for the NVIDIA RTX 3090
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NVIDIA officially recommends a 750W PSU for its RTX 3090 Founders Edition cards, but you might be able to get away with something slightly less powerful depending on your system's other hardware. NVIDIA tested with a 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K processor with a rather high 125W TDP; if you have lesser hardware and a relatively new PSU, you can always give it a shot with the RTX 3090. If you're seeing crashes and system instability, an upgrade should be in the works.
We recommend checking out the EVGA SuperSONIC P2 750W. It has an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating to help conserve energy and reduce heat, and it comes with a 10-year warranty to protect your investment. It runs relatively quietly, it's priced well, and it's fully modular to help cut down on clutter in your PC.
For those who have a big budget, the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 with 1,200W of power will help handle any hardware you add to your PC and will set you up nicely for the future. It brings an 80 Plus Titanium efficiency certification to cut down on power consumption, and it comes with a 10-year warranty. Cables are fully modular so your PC case isn't cluttered with unnecessary cables. It's expensive, but it's one of the best premium PSUs out there.
Not quite what you're looking for? We have a bunch more options in our collection of the best power supply units for gaming. And if you're curious to see more GPU information, check out our best graphics card buyer's guide.
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Cale Hunt is formerly a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He's been reviewing laptops and accessories full-time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.