Asus 5070 Ti high idle power consumption

[GoliamKvadrat]

Hey there! I recently got a new Asus 5070 Ti GPU, but I've found that it has consistently higher than expected power consumption. It consumes, on average, 35-40W of power at idle, with only a single SDR 1440p 180hz monitor plugged in. Frequently spikes into the 50s. Running Windows 11. Power supply is sufficient, platinum-tier and not daisy chained.

Fans are stopped at idle, so it's not from them. Not RGB, either. 

I've tried various fixes - reinstalling and updating drivers, DDUing from safe mode, switching from GameReady to Studio drivers, making sure nvidia overlay isn't recording the desktop, restarting multiple tiles. Power limiting and/or undervolting the GPU through the Asus utility also doesn't appear to solve the issue. 

As far as I'm aware, most reviewers tested the Asus 5070Ti cards at around 17-ish watts at idle. Is there a reason I'm getting double to triple that? 

I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance! 

[Nate152]

Hello GoliamKvadrat

To get the idle power consumption lower:

In the Nvidia Control Panel, make sure "Power management mode" is set to Normal. If you change it, be sure to click apply and restart your pc for the change to take effect.

Click the pic to make it bigger.

[GoliamKvadrat]

Hey! Thanks for the reply. It was already set to "Normal" as a start, I checked and tried to change this setting probably at least 10 times, since it was what I originally considered could be the issue. I posted this around several forums and got many different ideas. I even contacted nVidia and Asus customer support and got some from them, too. Unfortunately, in over a week of trying to solve this issue, I was simply unable to. 

Then, while testing an undervolt with the card, it started a fire in my (platinum) PSU. Needless to say, I shut the system off immediately, and then took out both the GPU and PSU. I've sent both back - the GPU back for a refund and the PSU for warranty. 

Now I'm back on my old GPU. On that, turning off "automatically manage colors for apps" from the windows display color profile settings worked, but it didn't on my 70Ti. 

If anyone has the same issue I had - I'd urge them to investigate it. nVidia and Asus suggested I probably had some kind of hardware issue, though it would be impossible to fully tell before they get their hands on the card. There are many models of 70Ti that idle normally around 20, 25, even 28W, but 38W was definitely out there and the reps I spoke to agreed that was outside the normal range. Considering what it did to my PSU, perhaps there was something wrong with it. 

[inge70]

If you only use one monitor, check your Hz setting under Display in Windows.
If it says 180Hz, it's probably because your 5070Ti is drawing so much power in idle mode.
The driver also plays a role.

I also have a 5070Ti, and the power consumption is around 20W, and when the PC isn't in use, it drops to around 13W according to HWInfo.
But my 1440p 165Hz monitor only runs at 60Hz in Windows. This also reduces power consumption.

But keep in mind that IDLE doesn't mean the PC isn't doing anything. IDLE is also used when you're just surfing the internet, meaning you're demanding very little power from the PC.

[GoliamKvadrat]

I've already sent the GPU back, but I should note that people with higher resolutions and higher refresh rate monitors than mine got far lower idles than I had with the exact same GPU (down to the same SKU). Moreover, the power draw didn't fall under ~33 even if I turned my monitor completely off. I even tried lowering it down to 1080p60hz and that only took off 2-3W. In my conversations with nVidia and ASUS, both indicated I could have a hardware issue. Considering it nearly burned my house down, it's likely I had a faulty GPU. 

[Silent_Scone]

Hi @GoliamKvadrat 

For reference, my 5090 Astral OC fluctuates between 18W to 40W (1440P 240HZ). This is without fans and RGB lighting, as it's waterblocked.

[GoliamKvadrat]

This sounds perfectly normal for a 5090, which usually takes 30-50W just based off the hardware it's running. Hell, it's even lower than that faulty GPU I had at the 70Ti tier. 

[GoliamKvadrat · Accepted solution]

Ok, time for a (final?) update. 

As far as the GPU is concerned - I talked to Asus, who agreed it should be returned, but also informed me they don't accept returns or warranty from customers directly and told me to contact the place I bought it from to seek a refund or warranty service there. I sent it back to Amazon (where I had bought it from) and received a full refund for the GPU. Everything happened quite quickly, there were no unnecessary delays. 

As for the PSU - I contacted Fractal, and they agreed to exchange it right away. Turns out their customer support agent is in the UK. I offered to return it, and even stated that I'd prefer if I did, so that they can check what actually went wrong with it. Fractal informed me that they don't take returns that way, and instead told me to keep it, instead asking me to intentionally damage the motherboard connector on the PSU. This, I presume, is done to avoid people simply buying one PSU and then messaging support to get a second for free. I asked if I could return the PSU regardless, but they told me to just go ahead and break the first one. So I did and sent them a picture, alongside the proof of purchase of the original. About a week later, I got a replacement in the mail. The replacement is both a newer version and a higher wattage than the one that broke in my computer. I had an original Ion+, while as the replacement was an Ion+ 2 and the original was 760W, while this one is 860W. So, Fractal actually sent me an upgrade. They covered shipping and everything, I didn't pay a dime. Very happy about that! All in all, it took me about two weeks from first message to getting the PSU in the post. Considering I had some back-and-forth on my own initiative and this included international shipping, I'm satisfied. 

So, that's it. All is well that ends well, I guess. I even got a PSU upgrade out of it. My GPU has been refunded and my PSU got not only replaced, but upgraded. The only downside is I still don't know exactly what happened. I still have the faulty PSU with me, but haven't opened it. Feels like I should maybe find someone that understands power supplies to tell me what went wrong just for my own curiosity.