Even before NVIDIA shook up the PC hardware world with the official launch of the company’s 30 Series graphics cards, rumors began to circulate about the physical build of these new powerful GPUs.
Specifically, people were speculating that the power requirements for these new cards were a little bit different than what consumers were used to. Some people claimed the 30-series GPUs would take a single 8-pin power cable, some claimed one card needed three 8-pin connectors, and others threw out weird combinations of 6-pins and 8-pins. As it turns out, these rumors probably came about due to a new type of power connector NVIDIA opted to use on the cards, but we’ll get into that later.
Fortunately, the rumor mill didn’t last long, as NVIDIA released the full specs for these new cards on Sept. 17, as did the manufacturers for other 30-series cards on the market. In those newly revealed specs, the power requirements were officially confirmed, disproving some strange theories and setting the record straight. Now you can know exactly what your new card will require without having to guess.
How many 8-pin connectors do 30 Series cards need?
As it turns out, some of the new 30 Series GPUs require two of the PCIe 8-pin connections (otherwise known as “6+2” connectors), while others require three – and even within the 3080 product line specifically, the power connection needs vary depending on the specific card. We’ve broken down the most relevant information below, to help you plan out your upgrade and make the purchase that’s best for you.
Note: This information is pulled directly from NVIDIA’s official spec sheet for the new 30-series graphics cards, as well as official spec sheets from various manufacturers.
NVIDIA
| Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 Founders Edition | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3080 Founders Edition | Nvidia Geforce RTX 3090 Founders Edition |
| One PCIe 8-pin power cable (1x PCIe 8-pin) | Two PCIe 8-pin power cables (2x PCIe 8-pin) | Two PCIe 8-pin power cables (2x PCIe 8-pin) |
| GPU power: 220W | 320W | 350W |
| Required system power: 650W | 750W | 750W |
MSI
| GeForce RTX 3090 GAMING X TRIO 24G | GeForce RTX 3090 VENTUS 3X 24G | GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING X TRIO 10G | GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING TRIO | GeForce RTX 3070 VENTUS 2X |
| 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
| GPU power: 370W | 350W | 340W | TBD | TBD |
| Required system power: 750W | 750W | 750W | TBD | TBD |
ASUS
| ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3090 24G Gaming | ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 10G Gaming | ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3070 8G Gaming | DUAL RTX 3070 8G |
| 3x PCIe 8-pin | 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
| GPU Power: Not provided | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided |
| Required system power: 850W | 850W | 750W | 750W |
EVGA
| EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 XC3 GAMING | EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 FTW3 GAMING | EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 GAMING | EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 GAMING |
| 2x PCIe 8-pin | 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 3x PCIe 8-pin |
| GPU power: 350W | 350W | 320W | 320W |
| 750W | 750W | 750W | 750W |
GIGABYTE
| AORUS GeForce RTX 3090 XTREME 24G | GeForce RTX 3090 GAMING OC 24G | AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 XTREME 10G | GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING OC 10G | GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE 8G |
| 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 3x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin | 2x PCIe 8-pin |
| Not provided | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided |
| Required system power: 850W | 750W | 750W | 750W | 650W |
So there you have it. Nothing too crazy, but still, three 8-pin cables for a single graphics card might be a bit bulkier than what the average PC builder is used to. You’ll want to make sure you have the needed PSU cables on-hand before you install your card. Specifically for the NVIDIA Founders Edition cards, the company is also supplying a 12-pin adapter that can be used to make hooking your card up to power a little bit easier.
For more information on how to choose a new power supply for your build, you can read our PSU guide.
