PC upgrade (Phase I)

The biggest announcement by Nvidia is just around the corner (tomorrow in fact as of this writing) and it is without any surprise that they are going to announce a whole new lineup of GPUs based on the 7nm Ampere architecture that we have all been patiently waiting for. It will come as no surprise that the flagship model is going to be a beast, so powerful that they are recommending more power hungry PSUs for those looking to upgrade.

Rumors have been swirling that you need a PSU in your PC outputting at least 750 watts to sustain the TGP of 350 watts for the top end GPU, namely the 3090.

I have not yet decided whether I should go for the 3090 or step down from the lineup, the 3080. Considering the mammoth price they are rumored to be tagged to the 3090, at least USD 1400 at launch. That is a steep price to pay, and if the rumors were true, I will be very hesitant in taking the plunge at the flagship model with such a steep price.

But anything can happen and I am keeping my hopes up that those rumors are false. I am also taking into consideration the overall performance gain between models and between generations to see how much of an improvements in performance I am potentially getting when upgrading from 1080ti and also 3080 vs 3090.

The 1080ti, a classic GPU, one that has served me well. I will be sad indeed to finally pull it off my PC. It is the one GPU that I will never forget.

For now, as the countdown begins to the official announcement and launch of the new 3000 series GPUs, I have taken the liberty at prepping my current PC so as to be ready when the GPU actually arrives. One of the things that I need to upgrade immediately is the PSU. 650 watts just will not cut it. It is simply insufficient to power the beast that is 3090 (assuming I am getting that).

And so I just bought a 1000 watt PSU from Seasonic, just to be safe. Besides PSUs last a long time, so the one from Seasonic will definitely be with me for many future generation of PC that I will build in the future. With a 1000 watt power output, I can be assured that there will be plenty of headroom for many more peripherals and more power hungry GPUs in the future.

This upgrade will be Phase I of my PC upgrade. Phase II will of course be the GPU itself. I will only know when the official release and launch dates of those graphics cards tomorrow. When I know I will be sure to keep a look out on the best and fastest way to procure one.