Power Consumption — Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB Review: It’s Time to Challenge Turing
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Power Consumption
The principal Tom’s Hardware graphics lab continues utilizing Cybenetics’ Powenetics hardware/software solution for accurately measuring power consumption.
Powenetics, In Depth
For a closer look at our U.S. lab’s power consumption measurement platform, check out Powenetics: A Better Way To Measure Power Draw for CPUs, GPUs & Storage.
In brief, Powenetics utilizes Tinkerforge Master Bricks, to which Voltage/Current bricklets are attached. The bricklets are installed between the load and power supply, and they monitor consumption through each of the modified PSU’s auxiliary power connectors and through the PCIe slot by way of a PCIe riser. Custom software logs the readings, allowing us to dial in a sampling rate, pull that data into Excel, and very accurately chart everything from average power across a benchmark run to instantaneous spikes.
The software is set up to log the power consumption of graphics cards, storage devices, and CPUs. However, we’re only using the bricklets relevant to graphics card testing. Sapphire’s Nitro+ RX Vega 56 8G gets all of its power from the PCIe slot and two eight-pin PCIe connectors. Should it become necessary to retest one of the Limited Edition Radeon RX Vega cards with three auxiliary connectors, we can do that too.
- Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 at Amazon for $299.99
Idle
If pricing and performance are Radeon RX Vega 56’s current strengths, then power is its most glaring weakness. The 12.5-billion-transistor Vega 10 GPU manufactured on GlobalFoundries’ 14LPP node is pushed hard to keep this card competitive, and its disadvantage is apparent right out of the gate when we measure idle power consumption.
Sitting there, doing nothing for 15 minutes on the Windows desktop, Sapphire’s Nitro+ RX Vega 56 8G averages almost 16W, peaking as high as 19W. Most of that power comes from the PCI Express slot, though the pair of eight-pin auxiliary connectors are continuously active as well.
Gaming
Those idle numbers are downright tame compared to our measurements through three runs of the Metro: Last Light benchmark, though. Average power use in excess of 282W is more than 100W higher than the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Gaming OC Pro 6G we reviewed back in April. Obviously, any comparison between the two that involves efficiency is going to penalize AMD’s architecture.
Most of what Sapphire’s card needs is fed over the eight-pin auxiliary power connectors. Consumption over the PCIe slot’s +12V and +3.3V rails is much more conservative (and steady).
All four measurements combined yield the red line, which generally hovers under 300W, but does peak just over 313W in a worst-case scenario.
When we overlay the Nitro+ RX Vega 56 8G over other cards we’ve tested, Sapphire’s board appears to be in a completely different league. You’d never guess that the next contender down, in green, is another Radeon RX Vega 56.
GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition is slower across our performance benchmarks, but significantly more power-friendly. And that’s based on a previous-generation GPU.
At least Sapphire is deliberately conservative with current draw over the PCIe slot’s +12V rail. It stays under 2A through our benchmark sequence.
FurMark
The Nitro+ RX Vega 56 8G’s average power consumption rises to 292W under FurMark.
Interestingly, though, this consistent workload imposes a slightly lower peak power measurement of 312.9W.
Charting power consumption over time confirms that the variance between all four lines is significantly reduced compared to what we saw under Metro: Last Light. The only downside to this is, again, a 10W-higher average.
All four of the cards in our comparison exhibit more consistent power consumption under FurMark. But whereas the two GeForces don’t have the headroom available to use more power than they did in Metro, both Radeon RX Vega 56es increase slightly.
Current draw over the PCIe slot increases a bit versus what we saw in a real-world gaming workload. However, it still doesn’t exceed 2A. Meanwhile, both eight-pin auxiliary connectors accommodate between 10 and 12A.
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Choosing the Best PSU for AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU
Learn how to choose a power supply for AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU based on power consumption and other factors.
In this article, I’ll go over the things you should consider when choosing a power supply for your computer with an AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics card.
Check out my Recommended Power Supplies for RX Vega 56 GPUs below.
Best 750–1650 Watt PSU
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 Series 80+ Gold Full Modular ATX 3.0 PCIe Gen 5 Power Supply
Check Price on Amazon
Amazon Affiliate Link
Best 650–1000 Watt PSU
EVGA SuperNOVA G5 Series Fully Modular Power Supply (220-G5-0650-X1)
Check Price on Amazon
Amazon Affiliate Link
How to Choose a Power Supply for the RX Vega 56 GPU
The main job of a power supply is to convert the alternating current (AC) from your wall outlet into the direct current (DC) needed by the components inside your computer.
Power Output
An important factor when buying a PSU is the supported wattage.
You will need to add up the power consumption of each computer component to determine the total output power requirements for your power supply.
The peak power consumption of AMD’s Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU is 210 W.
You can estimate your power requirements by using the following chart.
| Component | Peak Power Usage |
|---|---|
| RX Vega 56 GPU | 210 W |
| Top-Tier CPU (e.g., Intel Core i9 13900K) | 253 W |
| Mid-Tier CPU (e.g., Intel Core i5 13600K) | 181 W |
| Motherboard | 80 W |
| Optical Drive | 30 W |
| 3.5″ Hard Drive | 9 W |
| M.2 or 2.5″ SSD | 9 W |
| 140 mm Case/CPU Fan | 6 W |
| 120 mm Case/CPU Fan | 6 W |
| 80 mm Case/CPU Fan | 3 W |
By adding up these numbers, you can estimate peak power usage.
Check out the top-tier and mid-tier example builds below.
It’s generally a good idea to add a 100–150 W buffer to your expected usage. This buffer will give you some flexibility in case of miscalculations and will allow you to add more drives, fans, or add-in cards in the future.
In most cases, buying a little more wattage than you need is a safer choice for ensuring system stability.
Don’t forget to account for the additional power required for overclocking if you intend to overclock your CPU or GPU. Overclocking could require roughly an extra 50–100 W, depending on how much you overclock these devices.
Check another AMD GPU:
Radeon RX 7900 XTX Radeon RX 7900 XT Radeon RX 6900 XT Radeon RX 6800 XT Radeon RX 6800 Radeon RX 6700 XT Radeon RX 6600 XT Radeon RX 6600 Radeon RX 6500 XT Radeon RX 6400 Radeon RX 5700 XT Radeon RX 5700 Radeon RX 5600 XT Radeon RX 5600 Radeon RX 5500 XT Radeon RX 5500 Radeon RX 5300 XT Radeon RX 5300 Radeon VII Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Radeon RX Vega 64 Radeon RX Vega 56 Radeon RX 590 Radeon RX 580 Radeon RX 570 Radeon RX 560 Radeon RX 550 Radeon RX 480 Radeon RX 470 Radeon RX 460
Top-Tier Estimate:
| Top-Tier Components | Peak Power Consumption |
|---|---|
| RX Vega 56 GPU | 210 watts |
Top-Tier CPU (e. g., Intel Core i9 13900K) |
253 watts |
| Motherboard | 80 watts |
| 4 M.2 or 2.5″ SSDs | 36 watts |
| 3 Case Fans (120 mm) | 18 watts |
| 2 CPU Fans (120 mm) | 12 watts |
| Total Estimate: | 609 watts |
| Recommended Power Supply Wattage: | 750 watts |
Check the latest price of the 750–1650 watt Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 ATX 3.0 Power Supply on Amazon (affiliate link).
Check out my Recommended Power Supplies for RX Vega 56 GPUs below.
Featured 1000 Watt PSUs ›
Amazon Affiliate Links
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 G5, 80 Plus Gold 1000W, Fully Modular, ECO Mode with Fdb Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Compact 150mm Size, Power Supply 220-G5-1000-X1
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Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x, 1000 Watt, Gold, Fully Modular Power Supply,Black
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Mid-Tier Estimate:
| Mid-Tier Components | Peak Power Consumption |
|---|---|
| RX Vega 56 GPU | 210 watts |
Mid-Tier CPU (e. g., Intel Core i5 13600K) |
181 watts |
| Motherboard | 80 watts |
| 2 M.2 or 2.5″ SSDs | 18 watts |
| 2 Case Fans (120 mm) | 12 watts |
| 2 CPU Fans (120 mm) | 12 watts |
| Total Estimate: | 513 watts |
| Recommended Power Supply Wattage: | 650 watts |
Check the latest price of the 450–750 watt Corsair SF Power Supplies on Amazon (affiliate link).
Check out my Recommended Power Supplies for RX Vega 56 GPUs below.
Featured 750 Watt PSUs ›
Amazon Affiliate Links
EVGA 750 N1, 750W, 2 Year Warranty, Power Supply 100-N1-0750-L1
Check Price on Amazon
Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM750x, 750 Watt, Gold, Fully Modular Power Supply
Check Price on Amazon
Power Efficiency
PSUs with higher efficiency ratings use less energy and produce less heat, improving their reliability and reducing noise.
The 80 PLUS certification program for power supplies helps to promote energy efficiency by indicating its efficiency rating.
Higher efficiency power supplies may have a higher upfront cost. However, they could potentially save you money on electricity in the long run.
Lower wattage PSUs will be more power-efficient even when idle. For this reason, you may be able to save more on electricity by getting the correct wattage of PSU than by getting the one with the best 80 PLUS rating.
| Certification Level | 10% Load | 20% Load | 50% Load | 100% Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 Plus | 80% | 80% | 80% | |
| 80 Plus Bronze | 82% | 85% | 82% | |
| 80 Plus Silver | 85% | 88% | 85% | |
| 80 Plus Gold | 87% | 90% | 87% | |
| 80 Plus Platinum | 90% | 92% | 89% | |
| 80 Plus Titanium | 90% | 92% | 94% | 90% |
Cables
Connectors
Make sure your PSU has the correct connectors to support the hardware in your system.
Cheaper PSUs may cut costs on connectors and cables by offering fewer options and shorter lengths.
Check with your motherboard and graphics card documentation to determine which connector types are needed. Buy a popular, recently-released PSU; it will likely have the necessary connectors for a new PC build. However, if you use old components or an old power supply, you may find some incompatibilities.
Here are some common connector types that power supplies support:
- 24-pin connector for the motherboard
- 4/8-pin connector for the CPU
- 6/8/16-pin connectors for graphics cards
- SATA Power connector for each SATA HDD or SDD storage device
The latest graphics cards and ATX 3.0 PSUs support a new 16-pin PCIe 5.0 connector that replaces multiple 8-pin connectors.
Modular Cables
Typical power supplies come with various cables to connect your components. However, extra unused power cables can work against you by interrupting airflow.
In comparison, modular and semi-modular power supplies allow for attaching only the cables you need. As the name implies, semi-modular power supplies have some wires soldered on, while you can optionally connect others.
Cable Lengths
Most power supplies will have cables long enough to support mid-sized towers comfortably. If you have a full-size tower, you may want to check reviews and documentation to ensure that the cables are long enough to allow good cable management.
Power Supply Form Factors
Various form factors are available for power supplies. However, a standard-size desktop PC build will use an ATX power supply.
Small form factor PSUs allow for usage in many computer case shapes, including mini-PCs.
Power Supply Features
Overvoltage protection and short circuit protection can help to save your components in the case of a surge or accident.
LED lighting is another feature you might consider, depending on your PC goals.
Choosing a Cost-Effective Power Supply for the RX Vega 56
Perhaps you live in a dorm or a family member’s house and don’t pay the power bill. Or maybe you don’t expect the computer to have heavy daily usage. In those cases, the lower upfront cost of a less efficient PSU may be the better choice.
On the other hand, if you care more about the electric bill or the environment and plan to maintain higher CPU or GPU usage, then a more efficient PSU may be better.
Don’t go too far over 150 W above your expected power needs. Rightsizing your power supply will keep electricity costs to a minimum, as higher wattage PSUs will consume some additional power, even when idle.
Recommended 750-1650 Watt ATX 3.0 PSU
- The Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 ATX 3.0 Power Supply on Amazon (affiliate link) is our recommended 750-1650 watt ATX 3.0 PSU.
- GOLD 80 PLUS efficiency ratings.
- ATX 3.0 standard for supporting newer graphics cards.
- Fully modular cabling allows you to optimize airflow and minimize clutter.
- Ultra quiet design.
- 10-year warranty.
- This series of power supplies comes in power outputs including 750, 850, 1000, 1200, 1350 and 1650 watts.
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 Series 80+ Gold Full Modular ATX 3.0 PCIe Gen 5 Power Supply
Check Price on Amazon
Amazon Affiliate Link
Recommended 650–1000 Watt PSU
- The Corsair SF Series Power Supply on Amazon (affiliate link) is our recommended 650–1000 watt PSU.
- Gold 80 PLUS efficiency ratings.
- Fully modular cabling allows you to optimize airflow and minimize clutter.
- Near silent during low usage.
- 10-year warranty.
- This series of power supplies comes in power outputs including 650, 750, 850, and 1000 watts.
EVGA SuperNOVA G5 Series Fully Modular Power Supply (220-G5-0650-X1)
Check Price on Amazon
Amazon Affiliate Link
Other Considerations When Building a PC
Want to brush up on other new technologies to consider when building a computer? Check out these articles:
- Cases:
- How to Choose the Best PC Case
- CPUs:
- The Best CPUs for Gaming
- Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 5.
0? - Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 4.0?
- LGA 1700 CPU List
- LGA 1200 CPU List
- Look up an Intel or AMD CPU on TechReviewer for related recommendations:
- CPU Coolers:
- What is the Best Type of CPU cooler for a Gaming PC?
- How to Choose a CPU Cooler for Your PC
- Best LGA 1700 CPU Cooler for Intel’s 12th Gen Core Processors
- Best AM4 CPU Cooler for AMD Processors
- Storage:
- Can an SSD Improve PC Gaming Performance? and Does an SSD Increase FPS for PC Gaming?
- Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs
- Memory:
- How to Choose the Best RAM for Your PC
- How Much RAM Do You Need for Gaming? and Is 32 GB of RAM Worth It for Gaming?
- DDR4 vs. DDR5? Which You Should Buy
- Is DDR5 Worth It? The Benefits of DDR5 and What Is DDR5?
- Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support DDR5?
- PCI-Express:
- Is PCIe 5.
0 Worth It?
- Is PCIe 5.
- Motherboards:
- Which Motherboards Support PCIe 5.0?
- Which Motherboards Support PCIe 4.0?
- Which Motherboard Should You Buy for Intel’s 13th Gen CPUs?
- Which Motherboard Should You Buy for Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs?
- Graphics Cards:
- Which Graphics Cards Support PCIe 4.0?
- Power Supplies:
- How to Choose the Best Power Supply for a Gaming PC
- How to Choose a PC Power Supply
- Keyboards:
- Best Mechanical Keyboard for Gaming
- Monitors:
- How to Choose a Gaming Monitor
Have a suggestion or correction for this article? Send us an email at:
You can also contact the author at:
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
→
Iron →
Video card →
Video cards speed and specifications → AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
| General information | ||
| Developer | AMD | |
| Output | 2017 9000 | Category |
| Interface | PCIe 3. 0 |
|
| Frequency of the nucleus | 1156 — 1471 MHZ | |
| universal shader blocks | 3584 | |
| Rasteurization blocks (ROP) | 64 | |
| 94.1 GPixel/s | ||
| Texture fillrate (texel fillrate) | 329.5 GTexel/s | |
| Min. Requirements for power supply | 600 W | |
| Contractions of additional power | 8-pin + 8-pin | |
| Supported API and Technology | ||
| DirectX | 12.1 | |
| 4.5 | ||
| OpenCL | 2.0 | |
| Shader Model0003
Read more Measuring the power consumption of AMD video cards. PowerColor Radeon AXRX VEGA 56 8GBHBM2-3DH reference This content has been written by a website visitor and has been rewarded. This article will measure the power consumption of the PowerColor Radeon AXRX VEGA 56 8GBHBM2-3DH graphics card, the card will be powered by a separate Corsair HX1000i power supply with Corsair Link Digital support that allows you to monitor power settings. The test stand is shown below. recommendations In this article, I do not refute the official specifications for the 210 W video card power consumption, but only show that the AMD driver does not give out the full consumption of the video card. You can see a more visual connection of a video card to a separate power supply in the previous article The whole truth about the power consumption of AMD video cards. ASUS Radeon RX 470 DirectCU II. Contents:
3Dmark TIme Spy ExtremeVega 56 Silent Bios 150 W
The GPU ASIC Power [W] parameter at maximum consumption will only show the TDP Limit set in the video card BIOS.
With an increase in the consumption limit by 50%, the following powers were obtained: 1 test segment average — 279 W, maximum — 328 W, minimum — 226 W, 2 test segment average — 278 W, maximum — 313 W , minimum — 220 W. Vega 56 Bios 165 W
Now Bios with a consumption limit of 165 W, in the first test segment, the average power consumption was 209W, maximum — 242 W, minimum — 169 W. In the second test segment, we see the same situation as the silent bios 150 W, 322 W peak at the beginning of the segment, the average is 210 W, the minimum is 184 W.
With an increased power consumption limit + 50%, the measurements showed: in the 1st test segment, the average is 311 W, the maximum is 344 W, the minimum is 205 W, in the 2 test segment, the average is 308. Vega 56 Bios 64 220 W
Vega 56 with flashed BIOS from 64 reference: in test segment 1, average — 270 W, maximum — 299 W, minimum 194 W, in test segment 2, average 270 W, maximum — 299 W, minimum 193 W.
With an increased power consumption limit + 50%, the measurements showed: in the 1st test segment, the average is 400 W, the maximum is 437 W, the minimum is 355 W, in the 2 test segment, the average is 392 W, the maximum is 440 W, the minimum is 326 W . FurMarkVega 56 Silent Bios 150W The Furmark AAx0 averaged 190W, max 208W, min 172W. The screenshot below shows the peak power consumption of the video card 370 W, which of course can cause the protection of the power supply to trip. Furmark AAx8 has the following power consumption results: average 185W, maximum 205W, minimum 172W Furmark AAx0 with power limit increased by 50% produced the following power consumption results: average 286W, maximum 315W, minimum 259W. Furmark AAx8 with power limit increased by 50% has the following power consumption results: avg 277W, max 299W, min 256W limit in Furmark AAx0, the power consumption of the video card was: average 213 W, maximum 232 W, minimum 154 W. Furmark AAx8 achieved the following results: 209 W average, 230 W maximum, 194 W minimum 278 W The Furmark AAx8 +50% Power Limit results in 310 W average, 329 W max, 115 W min. Vega 56 Bios 64 220 W
Vega 56 with BIOS from Vega 64 flashed in Furmark AAx0 the following results were obtained: average 275W, maximum 301W, minimum 187W. Vega 56 (64) in Furmark AAx8 the following results were obtained: average 272 W, maximum 314 W, minimum 250 W. Vega 56 (64) in a Furmark AAx0 with +50% consumption limit, the results were: average 427W, maximum 467W, minimum 178W. Vega 56 (64) in a Furmark AAx8 with a +50% consumption limit, the results were: average 344W, maximum 355W, minimum 326W. Company of Heroes 2Vega 56 Silent Bios 150 W
When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 278 W 2:10.
In Company of Heroes 2 FHD with consumption limit +50%, the results are: average 259 W, maximum 377 W, minimum 79 W.
In Company of Heroes 2 3840×2160 the results are 190W average, 266W max, 60W min. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 227 watts.
In Company of Heroes 2 3840×2160 with +50% consumption limit, the results are: average 286W, maximum 380W, minimum 256W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 302 watts. Vega 56 Bios 165W
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 165W FHD results are: average 190W, maximum 248W, minimum 39W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 181 watts.
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 165W FHD with consumption limit +50% results are: average 245W, maximum 347W, minimum 90W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 213 watts.
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 165W 3840×2160 results are: average 210W, maximum 233W, minimum 109W. With uniform loading of the video card, there are practically no peaks.
In Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 165W 3840×2160 with +50% consumption limit, the results are: average 259W, maximum 377W, minimum 79W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 356 watts. Vega 56 Bios 64 220W
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 (64) FHD with consumption limit +50% results are: average 303W, maximum 436W, minimum 45W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 346 watts.
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 (64) results are: average 271W, maximum 332W, minimum 121W. When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 308 watts.
Company of Heroes 2 Vega 56 (64) 3840×2160 with consumption limit +50% results are: average 412W, maximum 460W, minimum 205W. | ||
In the first test segment of 3Dmark Time Spy Extreme, the average power consumption of the video card was 185 W, the maximum — 220 W, the minimum — 163 W. In the second test segment, a very unpleasant peak of 322 W was noticed, which occurred at the very beginning of the test scene, and with a peak in the power consumption of other equipment, the power supply protection may trip. This peak may have a long duration for the protection of the power supply against overpower (short circuit) to operate. In Hwinfo64, polling sensors costs 100 ms, but monitoring writes logs in the range of 200-400 ms, but even this made it possible to fix a peak, perhaps this peak will not occur during other launches. For those who do not believe, I have included a screenshot from the benchmark recording below, as well as a video of the benchmark itself. The average power consumption of the video card in the second test was 187 W, the maximum was 322 W, and the minimum was 160 W. 
8 W, the maximum is 344 W, the minimum is 274 W . 
This peak was not caught immediately due to the relatively long measurement time. 
On the screen above, a peak of 418 watts was measured. 
When loading the menu with the result of the benchmark, the peak consumption was 356 watts. 
