Skip to main content

Nvidia’s RTX 5090 may not be such a power-hungry beast after all

The RTX 4090 graphics card on a table alongside a set of cables held in hand.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The RTX 5090 will undoubtedly claim its spot atop the rankings of the best graphics cards when it’s here, but that kind of power comes with a lot of … well, power — or more specifically, a high power draw. To that end, we’ve heard a lot of speculation about the RTX 5090 potentially decimating your power supply and needing over 600 watts of power. However, Segotep, a China-based PSU manufacturer, weighed in on the matter, and it seems that enthusiasts can hold off on buying a new monstrous PSU for a while yet.

It all started with claims that the RTX 5090 may feature not one, but two 16-pin power connectors. We’ve already seen some high-end PSUs sporting dual 12V-2×6 power connectors (made by manufacturers such as MSI), which could potentially power a GPU that draws far more than 600 watts.

Recommended Videos

These power supply units are still hard to come by, but according to MSI (as quoted by TweakTown), the second 12V-2×6 power connector was added to “support the next generation of graphics cards.” As of right now, the next generation is the RTX 50-series, so it’s not much of a stretch to assume that the RTX 5090 could be quite power-hungry indeed — but Segotep disagrees.

MSI RTX 4090 Suprim X on a pink background.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

If the Chinese PSU maker is to be believed, the RTX 5090 will not require dual 16-pin connectors. The information comes from a conversation on Bilibili, shared by VideoCardz. One user reached out to ask whether Segotep’s power supply could feature two 16-pin connectors instead of one, asking the company: “What if the 5090 requires dual 16-pin connectors?”

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

Segotep was quick to dismiss the claim, saying: “There’s no such possibility.” The company also said that it already has the data for the RTX 5090 and added, “See you in January.”

This little piece of information is promising for two reasons. One: The power draw claims, which we’ve also gone through with the RTX 4090 prior to its launch, might once again turn out to be exaggerated. Two: This marks yet another confirmation that the RTX 50-series is likely to be announced at CES 2025.

Of course, using two power connectors doesn’t have to equal the RTX 5090 going above 600W. It’s a choice Nvidia might have made in order to spread the load among two connectors. After all, following the various instances of the 12VHPWR connector melting, it’s not out of the question. However, all signs so far point to a single connector, and let’s hope it stays that way.

Monica J. White
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Microsoft to finally fix everyone’s biggest complaint about Teams
Microsoft said that Teams has received a ground-up redesign, which will “empower customers to navigate the challenges of the evolving modern workplace.”

Microsoft Teams is reportedly testing a new design that merges the app's channels and text chat into one user interface, a lot like Slack. This could potentially streamline text communication for organizations and businesses, as The Verge's Tom Warren mentioned in his Notebook newsletter post.

The newsletter mentioned that Microsoft is currently testing a change combining the text chat and channels into one UI. An internal Microsoft message said: "Our new experience brings chats and channels together to get you to what matters faster."

Read more
The best Mac apps for 2024: top software for your Mac
The app store open on a MacBook Pro.

If there's one thing macOS is known for, it's a thriving ecosystem of unique, high-quality apps. Whether you're looking for something to boost your productivity, increase your security, edit your photos and videos, or dive into the world of AI chatbots, you're bound to find some great options, either in the App Store or elsewhere on the web.
Best Mac apps to change your interface
Alfred

Think of Alfred as Spotlight with a dash of Siri. It's an application launcher, but it can do a lot more than just that. With Alfred, you can quickly perform calculations, execute web searches, and find word definitions, among many other functions.

Read more
How to use Microsoft Teams
how to change your background in microsoft teams

Learning how to use Microsoft Teams properly can save you heaps of time. It has a built-in whiteboard, video chat functionality, team organization tools, and integrates well with the Microsoft 365 productivity cloud and its suite of useful applications.

Read more