Detailed view of gaming in Ultra HD
In Cyberpunk 2077, the graphics card reaches peak values of up to 268 watts in UHD and maximum settings. This high load is caused by the immense computing requirements without AI-supported scaling and requires a stable power supply. Although the 12V2X6 design is not fully utilized, it still places high demands on power supply stability. The power consumption and current levels are measured in 20 ms intervals to capture even fast load changes.
The first graph shows the real-time consumption as a product of current and voltage, which allows conclusions to be drawn about peak values and compliance with the PCIe specifications. The second graph focuses on the current distribution between the PEG slot and external connections such as 12V2X6. It provides information on how heavily the mainboard slot is used and in which situations external connections have to deliver more power.
The combination of both analyses provides a comprehensive view of the graphics card’s energy flows. While the power consumption evaluates the overall efficiency, the power distribution shows possible load peaks. This data is essential for developers and enthusiasts to precisely understand the power management of the card.
The next graphs analyze a single 20 ms interval with a resolution of 10 µs and show in detail the behavior of the power supply during short-term load changes. These are caused by sudden GPU requests, such as render spikes or frame changes. The first graph visualizes the power consumption in this extremely short period of time and reveals short-term peaks of up to 500 watts, which place high demands on the stability and response speed of the power supply unit.
The second graph shows the current flow through the supply cables and makes abrupt changes under dynamic loads visible. These measurements illustrate the importance of the ATX 3.1 standard, which requires a power reserve of 200% during short load peaks. As modern GPUs place extremely high demands in peak load situations, a sufficient power supply reserve is crucial in order to avoid voltage dips and ensure system stability.
Load behavior in the Torture test
Furmark is an extreme load test for graphics cards that generates an atypically constant maximum load, far above that which occurs in real applications or games. Through intensive calculations, both the shader and memory controllers are fully utilized, which leads to extreme thermal and electrical stress. This worst-case test checks the stability of the GPU and the power supply, whereby the power consumption can also significantly exceed the specified TDP of 250 watts and reach peak values of up to 261 watts.
As Furmark generates a permanent maximum load, the test is not representative for everyday use, but it is extremely useful for uncovering weak points in the cooling or power supply. Furmark thus serves as a stress test to ensure that the entire system remains stable even under extreme conditions.
The high-resolution measurements during a Furmark test provide precise insights into the behavior of the power supply and power consumption under extreme load. The continuous maximum load on the GPU results in constant thermal and electrical stress, which is analyzed at microsecond intervals. Particularly noticeable are short-term load peaks that far exceed the average power consumption and are caused by sudden changes in the load of individual GPU components.
These measurements are particularly relevant with regard to the ATX 3.1 standard, which requires power supply units to compensate for short-term peaks of up to 200% of the nominal load for up to 1 millisecond. The data shows that such peaks are not only theoretically possible, but actually occur and can severely stress the limits of power supply designs.
Summary of the load peaks and a power supply recommendation
A power supply unit with a rated output of at least 550 to preferably 650 watts that meets the requirements of the ATX 3.1 standard is a suitable choice for reliably covering the power consumption values and load scenarios described. The maximum peak loads of the graphics card, which can reach up to almost 270 watts in extreme situations such as Furmark or very demanding games, make a high power reserve necessary. Together with the load of the rest of the system, such as the CPU, RAM and other components, this results in a requirement that can be up to around 600 to 650 watts in very short peak times.
A 650 watt power supply unit not only offers sufficient headroom, but also absorbs short-term load peaks, as required by the ATX 3.1 standard with up to 200% of the nominal load for one millisecond. This means that peaks of up to 1300 watts can be handled without stability problems. The dimensioning also ensures that the power supply operates in an efficient load range between 50 and 70 %, which optimizes energy efficiency and longevity. An 80 PLUS Platinum or Titanium certification also ensures low heat generation and high efficiency. Thanks to support for modern standards such as 12V2X6, the power supply is future-proof and offers long-term stability for upcoming high-performance graphics cards and hardware upgrades.
- 1 - Introduction and details of the GB205-300
- 2 - Test system and equipment
- 3 - Gaming: Full-HD 1920x1080 Pixels (Rasterization Only)
- 4 - Gaming: WQHD 2560x1440 Pixels (Rasterization Only)
- 5 - Gaming: Ultra-HD 3840x2160 Pixels (Rasterization Only)
- 6 - Gaming: WQHD 2560x1440 Pixels, Supersampling, RT & FG
- 7 - Gaming: Ultra-HD 3840x2160 Pixels, Supersampling, RT & FG
- 8 - DLSS4 and MFG: Cyberpunk 2077 in detail
- 9 - DLSS4 and MFG: Alan Wake 2 in detail
- 10 - PCIe 5 problems, power consumption in theory and practice
- 11 - Load peaks native vs. DLSS4, PSU recommendation
- 12 - Cooler, temperatures, thermography, noise
- 13 - Summary and conclusion
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