GPU uses a lot of energy when not in use but running with two displays.
GPU uses a lot of energy when not in use but running with two displays.
I recently purchased the RX 6800 XT and everything seems to be working properly. However, when I connected my second monitor, the power usage of the GPU spiked from 5W to 35W and my PC's consumption rose from 65W to 100W. By turning off the primary monitor, the GPU usage dropped back to 35W and the PC to 65W. This increase in power draw when both monitors are active is unusual, even though I haven't made any changes. There are no strange settings like Eyefinity enabled, and the screen appears normal. This behavior isn’t typical. Additionally, the CPU and GPU utilization in Task Manager remain at 0%-1%, which is also unexpected.
The additional monitors demand greater power. It seems you likely rely on programs to track performance, though these tools often aren't very dependable.
How evidence-based. The reason they need extra power is clear. And regarding the Windows software, it’s a basic question.
I located the solution. Seems to be an issue with the Radeon setup. https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threa...aw.262454/ I would have chosen Nvidia instead.
This applies to RNDA1 and earlier Radeon models, while RDNA2 offers improved power efficiency across multiple monitors unless you're using high refresh rate displays. The same trend is expected for Nvidia GPUs as well.
These numbers clearly don’t match reality based on my observations. Both monitors operate at 60Hz, and the RX 6800 XT uses between 33-35W when idle—not 7W as claimed. I also ran Windows 10 on a different drive and confirmed the same performance. It’s possible it uses less power on Windows 11, but I can’t confirm. You understand? Let’s skip the details. This GPU is really disappointing!