Is a 650W Power Supply Sufficient for a Dual GPU Setup with GTX 1660 Super and RTX 4060 Ti?

When considering a dual GPU setup with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super and a GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, determining the sufficiency of a 650W power supply (PSU) depends on several key factors, including power consumption, system requirements, efficiency, and headroom. This article will explore these factors to help you make an informed decision.

Power Consumption

It's important to understand the typical power consumption of each GPU and how they interact within the system.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Expected to have a typical Thermal Design Power (TDP) of around 125W. This means that during peak usage, it might draw up to 125W.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB

Usually has a TDP of approximately 160W. During peak usage, it might draw up to 160W.

Together, under heavy load, these two GPUs could consume around 285W. However, it's crucial to consider the total power consumption of the entire system, including the CPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, and any additional components.

System Requirements

A dual GPU setup typically requires more power than a single GPU setup. As a general rule of thumb, you should add 100-150W for the additional system components. In this case, the overall requirements would have a base power draw of about 510W, as outlined below:

Individual Component Power Requirements

GTX 1660 Super: 125W RTX 4060 Ti 8GB: 160W Intel Core i7-13700K CPU: 125W Rest of the system (motherboard, RAM, storage, etc.): 100W

Total: ~510W

Additional Considerations

To ensure stability and efficiency, having some headroom in your power supply is advisable. Ideally, you want a PSU that operates at around 50-70% of its capacity for optimal performance. Given this, we can calculate the necessary headroom:

Headroom 380W (285W 80-90W CPU) - 285W (peak GPU consumption) 140W - 300W (conservative and generous estimates).

This calculation shows that even with the additional headroom, a 650W PSU might be on the edge of being sufficient.

Conclusion

While a 650W power supply might technically work for this setup, it would be better to have at least a 750W PSU to ensure stability, efficiency, and headroom for potential power spikes, especially under heavy load. If you plan to overclock or add additional components in the future, a higher wattage PSU would be a wise choice. This extra capacity ensures that your system can handle unexpected power demands without stability issues.

Remember, every system and setup is unique, and consulting the specific specifications of your hardware and doing a thorough power consumption analysis is always a good practice.