What power supply does the Radeon RX 6700 XT need?

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is rated 230 W. How big a power supply it needs depends on the processor beside it: at their makers’ limits, processors draw anything from 81 W to 253 W. Each size below is at least a quarter more than the whole PC draws at full load.

Worth knowing

• Factory-overclocked versions can be rated above 230 W. If the card's box asks for a bigger power supply than this, go by the box.
• Many motherboards lift Intel's power limits by default. With them lifted, the Intel processors above can draw more in heavy all-core work such as rendering, though rarely in games. If yours is set that way, go one size up.

More on the Radeon RX 6700 XT

• Best CPU for the Radeon RX 6700 XT
• Radeon RX 6700 XT vs Radeon RX 7700 XT
• RTX 3060 vs Radeon RX 6700 XT
• Power supply for the GTX 1080 Ti
• Power supply for the Radeon RX 7700 XT
• Power supply for the RTX 2080
• Power supply for the Arc A770

How this is worked out

Each figure is the most the part draws at its maker’s default settings: the graphics card’s board power, and the processor’s package power limit (AMD) or maximum turbo power (Intel). About 60 W is added for the rest of the PC — motherboard, memory, drives and fans — and the size is the smallest common one at least a quarter above that total, so the power supply runs at no more than 80% of its rating even then. Games rarely load both parts fully at once, so this is the most the PC will ask for, not what it draws all the time.

The wattage on the label only means something on a good power supply: choose a maker you know, and look for a review of that exact model.