The GeForce RTX 2070 Super is one of the best mid-range graphics cards you can buy. If you’re looking for a balance of performance and price, this is a great choice – it’s powerful enough to run the latest games on mid to high settings without any major frame rate concerns.
There are cheaper cards out there which also do a decent job, but this is more likely to future-proof your machine for a couple more years.
Whether you’re building your PC from scratch or you’re upgrading your old rig with newer parts, you’ll definitely want to consider the RTX 2070 Super as your next graphics card, especially if the 30-series is out of your price range. But you’ll also need to consider whether your power supply can handle it.
Let’s take a look at how much power the RTX 2070 Super uses, and what type of power supply you’re going to need to handle it.
How Many Watts Does An RTX 2070 Super Use?
An RTX 2070 Super graphics card uses approximately 205 watts when you’re running games on your PC. When doing non-graphical tasks on your PC, the GPU is considered idle, and will only draw around 9 watts.
A graphics card is a vital component of a PC if you want to play games or do complicated tasks like animation. They’re responsible for creating graphics live. But if you’re not using your PC for those kinds of tasks, they only draw minimal power. It does increase a little if you’re plugging two monitors into the graphics card instead of one, drawing around 14 watts.
Also bear in mind that the 205 watt maximum for the card is based on consistent use when gaming. That’s not the absolute maximum that the graphics card may ever draw, but instead, is the maximum that it will draw consistently.
Graphics cards (and other components) can have a power draw spike. These last milliseconds but it’s worth bearing in mind that sometimes they will briefly get a little more power-hungry. The RTX 2070 Super has had recorded spikes of 232 watts (Source).
How Many Watts Does An RTX 2070 Super Use Per Hour?
An RTX 2070 Super graphics card uses 205 watt-hours per hour when your PC is running games, which is the equivalent of 0.2 kilowatt-hours per hour. Extrapolated over an average week’s gaming (8.5 hours), that means a weekly power consumption of 1.7 kilowatt-hours.
Remember though that this is the power consumption of the graphics card only, and you’ll never just power on a graphics card. You need to factor in the other components in your PC when calculating how much power it uses overall.
The graphics card is the most power-hungry component but depending on your choice of processor it may give the GPU a close run. The motherboard will also draw 40-80 watts, and that’s before adding in memory, cooling and storage.
Read more: How Many Watts Does A Gaming PC Use?
Also, when calculating the power consumption of your graphics card, remember the difference in watts that it draws when you aren’t gaming. While it uses 205 watt-hours per hour for gaming, it’s a lot lower when you’re just watching videos or writing up a report.
What Is The Difference Between An RTX 2070 And An RTX 2070 Super?
The RTX 2070 Super is a more powerful version of the RTX 2070. Released 9 months after the original RTX 2070, the Super card has more shader processors, texture mapping units, ray tracing cores and tensor cores. The result is a faster GPU that can handle more intensive graphics.
| Graphics Card | Idle | Idle (multi-monitor) | Streaming video | Gaming | Max-rated | Spikes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 2070 | 10 watts | 14 watts | 15 watts | 190-192 watts | 192 watts | 217 watts |
| RTX 2070 Super | 9 watts | 14 watts | 14 watts | 200-206 watts | 206 watts | 232 watts |
As you can see, despite being the more powerful card, there are some low-power instances where the Super is more efficient than the standard RTX 2070 – when idle or streaming video.
What Power Supply Do I Need For An RTX 2070 Super?
Nvidia recommends that you should have a 650-watt power supply for an RTX 2070 Super graphics card. Normally Nvidia’s recommendations are at the lower end and it makes sense to aim higher, but a 650 watt supply should be plenty for an RTX 2070 Super.
You may find that it works OK on a lower-rated power supply, but it may have issues in the long term, and you would be restricted from upgrading anything until you swapped out the PSU. In this instance, it’s best to stick with a 650-watt power supply – or a better one, if you can afford it.
To work out the minimum power supply for your PC, you need to add up the maximum wattage of each of your components and then add 20%, which will account for any spikes that occur.
Also, bear in mind the efficiency of the power supply. No power supply is so efficient that it only draws the required amount of watts from the mains power that the PC needs. There’s always some wasted energy due to the heating of the PSU and the need to cool it. Aim for an 80+ Gold or better if you can, to avoid wasting power.
Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained
The Best Power Supply For An RTX 2070 Super
When shopping for a power supply for your RTX 2070 Super, you’ll want one that’s 650 watts or more and that’s rated 80+ Gold or better for efficiency. It’s best to buy from a trusted brand, and a fully modular option means it’s easier to cable manage your PC.
The EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GA is a great choice. It ticks all of the boxes, with EVGA being a reliable brand. This one even comes with a 10-year warranty, so you’ve got extra peace of mind – if it fails at any point over the next decade, you can get it replaced.
Of course, in 5-7 years, it may be redundant if you’re upgrading your PC, but it’s still nice to have that reassurance.
What RTX 2070 Super Power Cable Do I Need?
An RTX 2070 Super graphics card uses an 8-pin and 6-pin connector. You’ll need to make sure both are plugged into the graphics card for it to run properly. For the 8-pin connector, make sure any 6+2 connectors are properly slotted together to avoid any loose connections before you plug it in.
RTX 2070 Super FAQs
500 watts is not enough power for the RTX 2070 Super to run properly. It may work but any power spikes will likely cause your PC to shut down or restart with no notice. Upgrade to one that’s at least 650 watts ideally.
550 watts is not enough power for the RTX 2070 Super. It may work initially, but any power spikes will likely cause your PC to shut down or restart with no notice. Instead, choose a PSU with at least 650 watts.
The best recommendation for an RTX 2070 Super is to use a 650-watt power supply, but you might be OK if you already have a 600 watt one. It will depend on the rest of your setup. If buying a new PSU, spend a little extra for 650 watts or better.
You can use an RTX 2070 Super for crypto mining. Bear in mind that a PC running with a single RTX 2070 Super graphics card won’t mine a lot of coin even when running 24/7, so you’ll need to check whether it’s profitable against the cost of the electricity you’re using.