New AMD RX 9000 Series graphics cards could force many gamers into an unwanted upgrade
AMD's new graphics cards might cost you more than you thought
👀 A new leak has concerned some PC gamers interested in AMD’s next GPUs
🔋 The Radeon RX 9070 XT could require an 850W-900W PSU
👏 AMD’s Azor has confirmed other cards with lower wattages will be available
🤷♂️ However, it could lead to many needing to upgrade their power supplies
We’re rapidly approaching AMD’s reveal event on February 28, but a new leak has set alarm bells ringing for some PC gamers.
According to a rather grainy photo of what appears to be a Gigabyte version of the Radeon RX 9070 XT, those who choose AMD’s new GPU may require a power supply that’s capable of 850W minimum. Worryingly, another photo suggested a 900W minimum PSU is needed for AMD’s new card.
That’s a substantial amount for a card that is widely expected to fall short of the Nvidia RTX 5080 in terms of performance, and could lead to an extra cost if you have a 650W or 750W power supply in your rig.
What makes the new requirement even more jarring is that AMD’s RX 7900XT only required a 750W PSU and the Nvidia RTX 4080, which many believe will offer comparable performance to the 9070 XT, also only needed 750W.
There’s a chance that a 750W power supply might be enough to run the RX 9070 XT without issue, especially if you don’t have a high-performance CPU. However, those who recently swapped their PSUs for AMD’s last-gen card may be aggrieved that they’re being forced into another upgrade.
Thankfully, AMD’s Frank Azor commented on one of the leaked pictures on X and said: “There will be 9070 XT cards available at launch that will require lower minimum power supply wattages as will there be plenty with 8 pin power connectors for worry-free upgrading.”
Azor’s comment confirms that some variants of AMD’s 9070 XT will indeed draw a lot of power, but lower wattage options will at least be available. However, whether those cards will offer the desired performance or come from your preferred brand remains to be seen.
We’ll soon find out more on February 28 when AMD will showcase its new GPUs to the world. The graphics cards are due to launch in early March.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.