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“Big Navi” Power Numbers Leaked

Figures Suggest An Estimated Power Consumption Of Around 355W For the Navi 21 XT AIB, 320W for the Navi 21 XT, and 290W for the Navi 21 XL

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Following leaks from Patrick Shur and others, various commentators have previously reported lower wattage figures for the upcoming Radeon graphics cards. However, Igor’s Lab,  whose GeForce RTX 3090 estimation was only 2 watts off and who generally has a good record when it comes to making these predictions, has said these figures are likely incorrect due to a misreading of the naming conventions used by AMD. By all accounts 255 watts to power an entire graphics card with the predicted performance of the Navi 21 XT is a somewhat unfeasible leap in efficiency over previous generations, yet this is what people took away from Patrick’s October 17th tweet. If we compare this against the power needs of the NVIDIA RTX 3080, which is 320W, then the figure does appear somewhat dubious.

Much more likely is that the 255 watts refers to what AMD refer to as “Graphics Power”, which specifically only includes supply voltages for the SOC controller (VDDCR_SOC) and the GFX controller (VDDCR_GFX), which are subcomponents of the GPU, and also the supply voltages for the VRAM subcomponents of the controller (VDDMEM) and the bus (VDDCI). Whilst the SOC controller and GFX controller are undoubtedly the biggest power draw for the entire card, besides these, the VDDMEM, and the VDDCI, there are several other components on the card which require power that are unaccounted for in this designation. AMD calls the power consumption of the entire card, including these other components “TBP” (Total/Typical Board Power). NVIDIA refers to the same entire power needs of the card as “TGP” (Total Graphics Power) which is perhaps where the confusion lies.

Igor breaks down his predictions in the below tables: showing the GeForce RTX 3080 first as a comparison, he then goes on to do the same breakdown for the “standard” Navi 21XT, a custom OC version of the same card, and then for the less powerful Navi 21 XL. Take note that the Radeon figures are still only estimated figures extrapolated from Patrick’s leak and Igor’s own knowledge and sources, however it seems unlikely that the final figures will differ significantly.

GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition

GTX 3080 Founders Edition Estimated Power Consumption

Navi 21 XT estimations

Navi 21 XT Power Consumption Estimate

Navi 21 XT AIB estimations

Navi 21 XT Power Consumption Estimate Custom OC Card

Navi 21 LT estimations

Navi 21 Xl Power Consumption Estimate

The Takeaway

In summary then it looks like we can expect the flagship of the Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards, currently referred to as Navi 21 XT but which will probably be designated the Radeon RX 6900 XT, to have a power consumption of approximately 320W, in line with the GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition. We can expect custom versions of the card to have higher power needs, around 355W for these so-called Navi 21 XT AIB. Finally the less-powered version of the card, the Navi 21 LT, will likely demand a wattage of around 290W.

Technology Writer AT WEPC

Aaron Ritchie

Gaming laptop reviewer, tech specialist, lifelong gamer, cantankerous wordsmith. A big fan of writing and laptops, Aaron is the in-house laptop and gaming laptop expert, dabbles in the world of tablets and keyboards, and also serves as a Senior Editor on the team, using his eye for detail to make sure our review content is up to scratch. Summary From halcyon days playing Sonic 2 on the Megadrive, to trying to work out how to make the 'TOASTY!' man appear on Mortal Kombat 3, many of Aaron’s fondest childhood memories are associated with gaming. He regrets nothing. First getting into PC gaming through exposure to Drug Lord 2.0 and then the original Half Life, he has been a fiend ever since. The only thing Aaron loves more than history, gaming, laptops, and writing is finding a good deal, so look out for his laptop deals pages this year. Experience With jobs ranging from working the tills in a bookies to running administration at a political think tank in Westminster, plus a stint in investment management, Aaron has had a varied career. What has remained constant however has been his eagerness to learn new things, his ability to do in-depth research, his eye for detail, and his talent for editing (words and video). All of these skills he utilises in his job - making sure the consumer has the very best idea as to whether a laptop is worth their time and money, and working hard to ensure no detail is missed in his in-depth reviews. Education Investment Management Certificate MA Filmmaking BA History A Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Medieval History AS Levels: Psychology, Philosophy