Editing Graphics card (section)

== Power demand ==
As the processing power of graphics cards increased, so did their demand for electrical power. Current high-performance graphics cards tend to consume large amounts of power. For example, the thermal design power (TDP) for the GeForce Titan RTX is 280 [[watt]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing The GeForce GTX 780 Ti|url=http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-780-ti|access-date=30 November 2013|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203005932/http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/introducing-the-geforce-gtx-780-ti|url-status=live}}</ref> When tested with video games, the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founder's Edition averaged 300 watts of power consumption.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-gpus-for-mining-ethereum,review-34279-3.html|title=Test Results: Power Consumption For Mining & Gaming - The Best GPUs For Ethereum Mining, Tested and Compared|date=2018-03-30|work=Tom's Hardware|access-date=2018-11-30|language=en|archive-date=2018-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201093119/https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-gpus-for-mining-ethereum,review-34279-3.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> While CPU and [[Power supply unit (computer)|power supply]] manufacturers have recently aimed toward higher efficiency, power demands of graphics cards continued to rise, with the largest power consumption of any individual part in a computer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/power-noise.html|title=Faster, Quieter, Lower: Power Consumption and Noise Level of Contemporary Graphics Cards|work=xbitlabs.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904054636/http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/power-noise.html|archive-date=2011-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000662.html|title=Video Card Power Consumption|work=codinghorror.com|date=18 August 2006 |access-date=2008-09-15|archive-date=2008-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908060043/http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000662.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although power supplies have also increased their power output, the [[Bottleneck (engineering)|bottleneck]] occurs in the [[PCI-Express]] connection, which is limited to supplying 75 watts.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/an_pk/3605
|title=Power-Supply Management Solution for PCI Express x16 Graphics 150W-ATX Add-In Cards
|author=Maxim Integrated Products
|author-link=Maxim Integrated Products
|access-date=2007-02-17
|archive-date=2009-12-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205075410/http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm/an_pk/3605
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

Modern graphics cards with a power consumption of over 75 watts usually include a combination of six-pin (75 W) or eight-pin (150 W) sockets that connect directly to the power supply. Providing adequate cooling becomes a challenge in such computers. Computers with multiple graphics cards may require power supplies over 750 watts. Heat extraction becomes a major design consideration for computers with two or more high-end graphics cards.{{Cn|date=September 2022}}

As of the [[Nvidia]] [[GeForce]] [[Nvidia RTX|RTX]] 30 series, [[Ampere (microarchitecture)|Ampere architecture]], a custom flashed RTX 3090 named "Hall of Fame" has been recorded to reach a peak power draw as high as 630 watts. A standard RTX 3090 can peak at up to 450 watts. The RTX 3080 can reach up to 350 watts, while a 3070 can reach a similar, if not slightly lower peak power draw. Ampere cards of the Founders Edition variant feature a "dual axial flow through"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introducing NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Graphics Cards |url=https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/introducing-rtx-30-series-graphics-cards/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=NVIDIA |language=en-us}}</ref> cooler design, which includes fans above and below the card to dissipate as much heat as possible towards the rear of the computer case. A similar design was used by the Sapphire Radeon RX Vega 56 Pulse graphics card.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-09-04 |title=NVIDIA GeForce Ampere Architecture, Board Design, Gaming Tech & Software |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-ampere-architecture-board-design-gaming-tech-software/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=TechPowerUp |language=en}}</ref>