RTX 2080 Power Consumption Guide

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While they’ve been surpassed by the 3080 range, the GeForce RTX 2080 is still a great graphics card if you can get hold of one. They’re powerful enough to run the latest games with zero issues, often with a respectable frame rate. They can manage 4K gaming too, though not at the smoothest quality.

If you want to build a PC around an RTX 2080 graphics card, then one thing to check is the power consumption. It’s no good building a sweet gaming setup, only to not bother checking out the power draw and end up with a PSU that’s not good enough to run the thing.

With that in mind, here’s a look at just how much electricity an RTX 2080 uses.

RTX 2080

How Many Watts Does An RTX 2080 Use?

When used either to power games or to render animations, an RTX 2080 will use 212 watts of power – which is the same wattage that it is rated for as a maximum. When idle, and you’re using the PC for other tasks, that power consumption drops significantly to 11 watts.

A graphics card is arguably the most important part of any gaming PC build, but it’s also the only main component that isn’t really used at other times. It will still consume power because it’ll control your monitor – and if you use a second display, the power draw does increase to 15 watts. But generally, the graphics card only kicks in when you’re using it for gaming.

The only exception is that it will chip in some of its power when you’re watching a video online. You don’t need a graphics card for this, but it will take some of the weight from your processor – consuming 16 watts of power while it does.

You also need to be aware of potential power spikes. These happen for all types of PC components, where it suddenly draws a burst more power than it normally would. These bursts happen for a fraction of a second, but it’s enough time to overload your power supply if you don’t have one with extra capacity. The RTX 2080 has been recorded at spikes of 243 watts (source).

How Many Watts Does An RTX 2080 Use Per Hour?

When you’re using it for gaming or animation, the RTX 2080 uses 212 watt-hours per hour, which is the same as 0.212 kilowatt-hours per hour. This means that using a graphics card for one hour – with an average electricity cost of $0.14 per kWh would cost you less than 3 cents.

The average gamer will play games for 8.5 hours a week, which makes for a total consumption of 1.802 kilowatt-hours, at a cost of just over 25 cents. For a year, that works out at 93.704 kilowatt hours, costing you $13.12 for the year.

But remember, that’s only when you’re using the PC for gaming, and it’s also only the power consumption of the graphics card. If you’re trying to work out which power supply you need, you have to total up the consumption of all the PC components, and then add an extra 20% to give you the extra capacity in case of spikes.

Read more: How Many Watts Does A Gaming PC Use?

What Is The Difference Between RTX 2080 And RTX 2080 Ti?

The RTX 2080 Ti is a higher-powered version of the RTX 2080. They were released only a week apart back in 2018, with the Ti at a higher price point and capable of smoother performance with increased frame rates.

Graphics CardIdleIdle (multi-monitor)Streaming videoGamingMax-ratedSpikes
RTX 208011 watts15 watts16 watts212 watts212 watts243 watts
RTX 2080 Ti14 watts19 watts23 watts265 watts262 watts287 watts

The RTX 2080 uses around 80% of the power of the RTX 2080 Ti, but in real terms that’s only a difference of around $3 a year. So it’s probably not worth making your decision based on energy consumption.

Instead, check the prices and availability of both cards. If you can get a Ti card without spending much extra, then it’s worth the upgrade – but you’ll need to make sure you get a power supply that can handle the extra wattage too.

What Power Supply Do I Need For An RTX 2080?

The minimum recommended power supply for an RTX 2080 is 650 watts, which is probably sufficient for most builds. Unless you’re planning on pairing it with the very latest processor and other high-demand components, you should have enough capacity with 650 watts.

You should also aim for one that’s at least 80+ Gold rated. This tells you how efficient the power supply is – basically, if it’s not efficient then it will draw a lot of extra power from the mains just to get the power supply to work. So an 80+ Bronze supply will use more electricity than an 80+ Gold one.

Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained

The Best Power Supply For An RTX 2080

The best power supply for an RTX 2080 will depend on the rest of your build, and your budget, but aim for a 650 watt 80+ Gold power supply and you should be fine. If you do plan on building a high-end gaming rig, then you may want something with a higher capacity.

Top Pick

EVGA Supernova 650 GT

Best Power Supply for RTX 2080

80 PLUS Gold certified PSU.
90% efficiency or higher under typical loads.
Fully Modular to reduce clutter and improve airflow.

This is a good choice for your power supply. It’s from a well-known brand and has a 7 year warranty, which is reassuring, and it ticks the boxes for being 650 watts and 80+ Gold. It’s also fully modular, which is a nice benefit – you only need to plug in the cables you’re using, the rest can stay in the box without cluttering up your PC.

What RTX 2080 Power Cable Do I Need?

The RTX 2080 uses a 6-pin and an 8-pin cable, so you’ll need to make sure you have these available on your power supply. Try to avoid using a single cable with a splitter – you really need two separate cables to fully power the card.

If you use one cable, it may not draw sufficient power and there’s a chance it could even damage the cables due to putting too much stress on them. It’s more likely with a 2080 Ti, but it could happen.

RTX 2080 FAQs

Can A 500W Power Supply Run A 2080?

500 watts isn’t enough to run a 2080 graphics card with any semi-decent PC. It’ll work for budget PCs – the graphics card will only use around half that capacity – but any PC with other high-draw components will overload a 500 watt supply. It may work temporarily, but would have issues.

Is 600W Enough For A RTX 2080?

A 600 watt power supply would probably be able to handle an RTX 2080 graphics card for any low to mid-range PC. As soon as you start using one of the latest i5, i7, Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 processors then it will struggle, especially when the power spikes.

Is 750W PSU enough for 2080?

A 750 watt power supply should be plenty for a typical PC build with an RTX 2080 graphics card. The graphics card would use less than a third of that capacity, giving you plenty of power for the other components, even if you have the latest high-end processor.

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