6 Best Power Supply For Gaming PC [Top Picks]

Best Power Supply For Gaming PC

Here’s a list of the best power supply for gaming PC. Your monster PC needs energy and fuel to run its component to the fullest. This energy is supplied by the PSU also called as Power Supply Unit. PSU is really important but sometimes choosing the right one can be chaos. Finding a good PSU that feeds your powerful CPU and GPU while maintaining a good stable energy level is necessary. PSU should take care of all the things letting you enjoy your gaming.

There are plenty of cheap PSUs that should be avoided at all costs. Our list will contain PSUs that are a bit pricey but sure to satisfy your needs. Don’t worry, every penny will be worth it. Buying a good PSU means you get an efficient supply that runs smoothly, and even stays with you for the long run. Also, we have picked out some cheap but quality PSUs. Some of them are even below 100$. The price tag is not enough to determine which PSU is good and which PSU is bad. The brand itself matters a lot in this field. If you are an experienced PC gamer you know brand name matters a lot.

If you have the budget then don’t be shy to spend some money on high-quality PSU. A few years back some high-standard PSUs didn’t work quite well in heavy usage. But now, we have really efficient PSUs that you can aim for. New PSUs work well on light loads in their own capacity. Intel with their latest ATX PSU had set requirements for low load efficiency. The bar is not at 70% and 10W < 500W capacity.

After talking about low-efficiency requirements, let’s talk about Intel’s spec that includes PSU timing requirements. This also addresses the sleep mode also called ASM. This ASM lets your device turn on quickly from sleep mode. The modern standby of Microsoft is also an example of ASM. Now, even though the current motherboard doesn’t support ASM, you can still purchase PSUs with such specs because they last for years. You can get a new motherboard that supports ASM.

List Of Best Power Supply For Gaming PC

Are you still not sure which one to choose? What price range do you need? Worry no more we are here to give a list of the best power supply for gaming PC. Let’s go ahead and check out.

1. XPG Pylon 450

XPG Pylon 450

If you have a tight budget then this XPG PSU will help you a lot these days. There are very few PSUs that cost less and drive out worthwhile power. It can work for most uses. Corsair withdrew one of the most popular CX450 models. That was an expensive and modern PSU platform and because of its high price, we are keeping that one out of the list. Now, the XPG has a chance to prove its value to customers who are looking for a budget-friendly product.

Since 2022, the company has extended its warranty period to five years for all the XPG models to stay strong in the competition. Also, their bearing dynamic fan with a strong and reliable platform can stay good longer than five years, so it makes sense for them to extend it. To cut down the prices and price tag of the product, they used a bit outdated platform on the PSU.

Many users won’t be big fans of non-modular designs for cables. But having modular cables can affect the price. So, to keep the price wallet friendly they removed that feature. But the cable count is quite low, so not having a modular design does not affect much. The most attractive thing about this PSU is the warranty period. The actual product is well-built and good for usage.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – CWT
  • DC Output Max – 450 Watt
  • Form Factor – EPS 2.92, ATX 12V v2.4
  • Efficiency – Bronze 80 Plus
  • Cooling system – 120 mm Fluid dynamic bearing fan
  • Noise – Cybernetics A Rating
  • Modular – Not Modular
  • EPS connection – 1
  • PCIe – 1
  • Warranty – 5 years

Pros

  • Has an alternative mode of sleep
  • High-quality material used
  • 5 years warranty period

Cons

  • Hold-up time is lower than 17ms.
  • 2% load with less than 60% efficiency.
  • Non-modular

2. Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1000 (Best 1KW PSU)

Seasonic Prime Titanium TX-1000

Seasonic disturbed the market with its Prime series in PSU. This series has efficiency from Gold to Titanium. Many high-quality brands have used Seasonic’s base platform in PSUs. Companies like ASUS have used it in products like ROG Thor 12000W and Corsair has used it in AX Line With Antec.

If Seasonic keeps up with its work and produces more products like this then various brands will come in line to source them. Even though they have high prices we can’t deny they have impeccable quality. Unfortunately, many still prefer low quality for a low price. But if we think about it, when a company offers 12 years of warranty on their product they have total faith in it. We can assume it has high-value components.

The TX-1000 by Seasonic is one of the best power supply for gaming PC and has a high-quality build. The soldering is done with precision and the Japanese capacitors work well with polymer and electrolytic caps. The bearing dynamic fan works well to keep the temperature down.

The engineers from Seasonic have clearly worked day and night to give us such a product. They provide rocket high efficiency under most load regions while being super quiet. Not just that, but it also has increased reliability.

Talking about the performance, we can say this product deserves to sit at the top list of PSUs. It can get high loads on all the rails. It has good ripple suppression even without in-line caps. Also, it has a good hold-up time.
With that being said we have not finished yet, the rail 5vSB is efficient even at lower loads. The readings reported that the PSU has one of the highest levels of efficiency ever.

Another feature the Seasonic TX-1000 has is the 6 PCIe connectors. This means a heavy-duty graphics card with high power consumption will run smoothly on this PSU.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer (OEM) – Seasonic Max
  • Output DC – 1000W
  • Form Factor – EPS 2.92, ATX 12V v2.4.
  • Efficiency – 80 Plus Titanium
  • Noise – Cybernetics A-(25-30dBA)
  • Modularity – Fully Modular
  • Cooling System – 135mm Fan
  • PCle – 6 connectors
  • Warranty – 12 Years
  • EPS connectors – 2

Pros

  • Fully Modular
  • 12 years warranty
  • High performance
  • Silent working
  • High-quality components

Cons

  • 115v High inrush current flow
  • OCP setting high on minor and other rails.

3. Corsair RM750x 2021 (One of the best mid-capacity PSUs)

Corsair RM750x

This RM750x is an updated product released in 2021 that has upgraded everything from the previous versions. If you know about PSU then you probably know the RMX series from Corsair is one of the best in the market right now. They provide high quality and features at very reasonable prices. The RMX750x is a perfect example of this. The market is filled with good companies but the R&D manager at Corsair Jon Gerow, also famous as Jonnyguru, works hard to create high-quality products to set a new bar.

Only Corsair is able to provide such build quality in the PSU market. You get a levitation fan that works well for cooling and get secondary and primary caps sides that are Japanese along with FETs. All these components are built for 10 years so you don’t have to worry about them.

They have worked on their fans a lot since the last time. A good fan helps to achieve good performance even in tough conditions. Other PSU fans start to lose out after a couple of years. A PSU should always have a good cooling fan because everything depends on reliability. Getting too much heat inside the PSU will decrease its performance and it will reduce its life.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – CWT
  • Max DC Output – 750W
  • Efficiency – 80+ Gold
  • Noise – A Cybernetics (25-30dBA)
  • Form Factor – EPS 2.92, ATX12V 2.4
  • Cooling – 140mm Mag Lev fan
  • PCIe connectors – 4
  • EPS connectors – 2
  • Warranty – 10 Years

Pros

  • Magnetic Bearing Fan
  • 10 Year Warranty
  • High-Quality Material

Cons

  • Cable caps can be annoying
  • Efficiency is average. It could be better.

4. Silver Stone SX1000 Platinum (Best small form factor PSU)

Silver Stone SX1000 Platinum

With eyes closed, you can say this is the most sturdy small factor PSU out there. Even with less space, you have enough connection options that a good gaming setup will run smoothly like butter. And honestly, the specs sheet underwhelmed the abilities of this PSU. The unit is well able to reach 1500W without any issues. Obviously, we don’t recommend you do anything that the company restricts. We just did it to test the device.

SilverStone has kept the connection count quite good to deliver a good power supply without any issues. Because all cable designs are modular, you can install the device with ease and take almost no time. PCB is small and small space means less air ventilation making the device heat from inside under high tasks. To fix this issue the company gives you two bearing fans which are fast and effective to control temperature. As compared to other PSUs, you might see this one getting a bit too hot but considering the size, it is the best one out there.

As you know, most tech gadgets currently get more expensive as they get smaller and slimmer. This is the exact same case with the SX1000. It won’t shy away from ripping your pockets. All PSUs are expensive and according to their roles and abilities, they get more and more pricey. So if you get a PSU with a good rating between 250 to 300 dollars then don’t look back. These things stay running for years. Try to find a good deal but make sure you purchase a good quality PSU if you want your other PC components to living long and healthy.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – Enhance Electronics
  • DC Output Max – 1000W
  • Form Factor – SFX-L
  • Efficiency – 80+ Platinum
  • Cooling System – Double bearing ball fan of 120mm
  • Noise – Standard Cybernetics (35-40dBA)
  • EPS Connectors – 2
  • PCIe Connectors – 6
  • Modular – Fully modular design
  • Warranty – Five years

Pros

  • Highly efficient
  • Dense in power
  • Build quality extremely good
  • 6 PCIe connections with 2 EPS connections.

Cons

  • Very expensive
  • Light loads give low efficiency.

5. Be Quiet Pure Power 11 FM 550W (One of the best low-capacity PSUs)

Be Quiet Pure Power 11 FM 550W

Be quiet! Developed this unique PSU with help of Well Technology. This 11FM Pure Power PSU is fantastic in all categories. Because this beast is budget friendly and provides a whopping 550 watts of power, we have decided to keep this model on our list. Also, it won’t hunger for high-powered systems, rather your usual machine will work fine.

As you must have seen in the spec list the PSU had Gold 80 Plus and was efficiency certified as Gold Cybernetics. It has a noise rating of cybernetics A which means the device is silent even under high-pressure load. The physical dimension of this product is an average of 160mm in depth. You get a bearing rifle fan for the cooling system which is highly reliable and works like a charm.

It will be cool for a long period of time which increases the life expectancy of the product. The company gives you five years of warranty. Some might argue this is way less than what Corsair is providing for their RM550x. But comparing the price and quality, we can be satisfied with five years knowing it could run much longer than that.

The 11FM Pure Power 550 under testing and usage shows it can run smoothly even in high-loading tasks and gives close competition to companies like Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic, Cooler Master, and much more. With this price range, it surprises us how well it performs.

The closest competition to this PSU is the Platinum Focus Plus 550W from Seasonic. But in benchmarking and testing, the 11FM Pure Power 550W wins any day of the week.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – CWT
  • Efficiency – 80+ Gold
  • Output Max – 550W
  • Noise – Cybernetics A (20-25dBA)
  • Form Factor – EPS 2.92, ATX12V v2.4
  • Modularity – Full Modular Design
  • Cooling System – 120 mm Rifle Bearing Fan
  • PCIe Connectors – 4
  • EPS Connectors – 1
  • Warranty – Five Years

Pros

  • Silent Working
  • High Power
  • Good build quality
  • Is compatible with alternative modes for sleep.

Cons

  • There are only two Molex 4-pin connectors.

6. Corsair AX1600i (One of the best PSU over 1KW)

Corsair AX1600i

This is the first PSU for PCs that uses high-tech equipment. The AX1600i by Corsair is very futuristic. The technology is so good that even after years other PSU companies are trying to copy their design model. Talking in technical language the AX1600i by Corsair uses a converter of Totem-Pole PFC which makes complete use of GaN MOSFETs. All of this offers almost 99% of efficiency rather than 96% the average in this price range. Other APFC PSU converters only reach 96%. If you didn’t understand these technical details let us tell you that PSUs can hardly reach such a level of efficiency.

Besides these converters being more than perfect, the Corsair AX1600i utilizes 2 signal digital controllers to maintain and manage its circuits. To have a good communication bridge between PSU and the system they use MCU (Single Microcontroller). This lets you control some of the features of the PSU for example speed of the fan for cooling and also you can select between single or multiple rails. Monitoring the task system also helps you to understand it better.

Before the AX1600i, the previous model called the AX1500i was dominating the market. Both these devices are made by Flextronics. Using just good technology is not enough. They provide good performance while being very strong. With good efficiency, the 1600i model can also take heavy loads with ease. It has a lengthy holdup time and amazing ripple suppression.

Even though it can handle such high wattage and heavy tasks it still manages to stay silent. The relaxed fan and good-quality build help to keep the temperature low. The software that comes with this product lets you choose between fan modes which are three. There is the balanced mode, performance mode, and quiet mode. You can change the settings according to your work and needs. The overall performance is just great. You can not find any other PSU that matches this one. If you have the budget make sure you go for this PSU.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – Flextronics
  • DC Output Max – 1600W
  • Form Factor – EPS 2.92, ATX 12V v2.4
  • Efficiency – 80+ Titanium
  • Noise – Cybernetics A (20-25dBA)
  • Modular – Fully Modular design
  • Cooling System – Dynamic Fluid Bearing Fan of 140 mm
  • EPS Connectors – 2
  • PCIe Connectors – 10 (on 8 cables)
  • Warranty – 10 Years

Pros

  • High build quality
  • Software control available
  • Silent working
  • Performs very well in all sections under all situations.

Cons

  • Peripheral connectors have very less distance between them.
  • Very expensive

How to know which PSU Wattage your PC needs?

Don’t worry, these things are not too complicated. You can usually learn these things with simple research and help from friends. You don’t have to have a Ph.D. to understand what wattage your system requires. To be on the safe side, you can start your learning from your graphics card. Check your current graphics card requirement list to know which wattage is needed.

If you are going to purchase a new GPU soon then follow that spec sheet. But to be accurate, use an online calculator for power assumption. It will help to give you a figure which you can aim for. If you want, you can check online to see which GPU you have and what kind of PSU people are using. Watching review videos on YouTube will also help to make your decision.

What are the efficiency ratings in PSU?

Hunting a good PSU might lead you to see a lot of gold, silver, and bronze terms. What exactly do they say? After wattage, you will need to decide which efficiency rating you want and which one you can actually afford. If you look in the market you will see all the companies are giving their products a rating of 80 Plus.

Here are the five stages of rating.

  • Bronze
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Titanium

A Plus 80 TItanium PSU compared to an 80 Plus Bronze PSU is always a better choice. Bronze is the lowest in quality as compared to Titanium. The highest quality has materials that waste minimum power while the DC and AC conversion. These conversions are measured in majorly three levels 100%, 50%, and 20%. The best conversion measurement is 50%. That is why no matter what the Titanium rated PSUs are better.

Good efficiency means your internal parts of the PSU remain cool and due to this, their overall life increases greatly. Yes, these types cost a lot but they will stick around for a decade without losing their performance. With good companies, you get a long warranty period.

Conclusion

Many people often overlook the Power Supply Unit while building a PC. Processor and Graphics card units are given more importance than other things. Don’t just purchase a PSU and save your money. Try to understand the logic behind it and make sure you give your PC the best device it needs. They will run for years and go beyond their warranty.

Hopefully, now you know much more than before about PSUs. This was our list of best power supply for gaming PC.