The Asus ROG Thor III is a massive 1600W PSU that can handle the Nvidia RTX 5090 with ease, but can be a nightmare for your power bill
Asus has announced its new ROG Thor III series PSUs built to meet the demands of emerging power-hungry components such as Nvidia’s expected RTX 5090 GPUs, which are said to consume up to 600W of power. With PCIe 5.0 connectors, ATX 3.0 compatibility, and a wattage ranging between 1000 and 1600, it’s clear that the Thor III series is more than up to the task of powering the next generation of computing components.
A standout feature is Asus’s “GPU-FIRST” voltage sensing technology. As the name suggests, this means that the PSU prioritizes the GPU over the CPU. This seems sensible, since it’s the new GPUs that can eat up the watts. This feature is accompanied by a patented “intelligent voltage stabilizer,” which Asus claims improves voltage delivery by up to 45%.
The Thor III series promises high energy efficiency and minimal power loss, with the 1000W and 1200W models rated 80 Plus at Platinum, and the 1600 model rated Titanium. It also boasts Lambda A+ acoustic ratings (the highest) – which should hopefully mean the PSUs are virtually silent, even under load. The PSUs are cooled by a 135mm axial fan, and they also feature a 0dB mode, which optimizes cooling without unnecessary noise. If you hate the sound of gaming PCs buzzing their fans when the action heats up, the ROG Thor III series PSUs could be a great investment.
For a simple, smoother installation, ROG Thor Series III features native 12VHPWR connectors, so you don’t have to worry about adapters or keeping your build neat and tidy on the inside. The PSU comes with an integrated OLED display, which allows you to monitor energy consumption in real time. The PSU also has ARGB lighting and you can customize it to your heart’s content via Aura Sync, ASUS’ lighting control software.
After leaks of Asus’ flagship ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme motherboards (which will cost over $1,000), designed to target Intel’s flagship Arrow Lake CPUs and Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU, it was clear that ASUS would release an equally powerful PSU to complement these builds. Judging by the specs, the Thor III series delivers.
PSU prices and lightning, very very scary
We don’t know yet how much this will cost you, but what we do know is that it won’t be good for your utility bills as these are designed to pump out the kind of wattage that would impress the God of Thunder. himself.
While that’s great for keeping powerful components running at full capacity, it can lead to a spike in your energy consumption, and at a time when many people’s bills are already rising, you need to think carefully about spending money when they come out. which should happen soon.