Best PSU for NVIDIA RTX 3080 in 2024

NVIDIA's next-gen graphics cards (GPU) are here, and upgrading your PC with one of our picks for the best PSU for the NVIDIA RTX 3080 ensures it will have enough power to reach its full potential. Underpowered or aging power supply units (PSU) can cause crashes and system instability, which is not what you want to see when loading the first game with the new GPU. NVIDIA recommends the best PSUs to be at least 750W for the RTX 3080, which is where we will focus here.

Best PSU for NVIDIA RTX 3080

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The NVIDIA RTX 3080 continues to be hard to find nearly a year after its launch, mainly due to the ongoing global chip shortage. If you're set on buying one of these high-performance GPUs, be sure to have a look at our guide on where to buy RTX 30-series graphics cards for more information.

While NVIDIA recommends a 750W PSU for the RTX 3080, it tested a system with a 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K processor (CPU). That's a rather hefty CPU with a TDP of 125W, so depending on your personal system setup, you might be able to get away with something like 650W, especially if the PSU is new. If your PSU is showing its age, it's never a bad idea to prepare your PC for the RTX 3080 upgrade to prevent failures and damage to other parts. Yes, the new NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPUs have a 12-pin connector, but they will come with an adapter for your older connectors.

Ready to upgrade to a new PSU for your RTX 3080? We recommend checking out EVGA's 750W SuperNOVA P2. It hits the recommended NVIDIA power level, it has a high 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating meaning it sucks up less power, and its cables are fully modular. You're only going to use the cables you need, creating less clutter in your PC case. It has a 10-year warranty, and it's priced competitively.

And if you're going for full power no matter how much hardware you cram into your PC, there is the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12. Our be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 review gave it a glowing look, no doubt due to its 80 Plus Titanium efficiency rating, 10-year warranty, and fully modular cable setup. It runs quiet, and it uses only the best components. It's expensive, but if you have the budget, it should make a great choice.

Be sure to check out our overall collection of the best power supply units for gaming for a lot more options, and have a look at our best graphics card picks to see what's going on with the new NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPUs. If you're on the fence about the GPU itself, be sure to have a look at our NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 review for more information.

Cale Hunt
Contributor

Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.