It comes down to numbers when looking for the best power supply unit for PC gaming. As one of the most important parts of your whole set-up, you should make sure you have the right power supply unit (PSU) to ensure your PC runs as smoothly as possible. There are a few things you’ll need to think about when looking around for the best power supply—it’s not just a matter of finding the biggest one you can afford and hoping it will do the job.
When looking at PSUs, pay attention to the wattage, as you will need enough to power all the components in your system. Having a larger PSU than necessary won’t negatively impact any of your components, but generating more power than is needed could increase your electricity bill and generate more heat—problems that can be eliminated with a little research.
If you’re wondering how much wattage you need, the easiest way to work it out is to locate your GPU, motherboard, and PSU power requirements and add them together. If you round up the final figure by a small margin, you should be fine. As a rough guide, 500W is typically enough in most cases but it’s always worth checking before you make your decision.
But there’s more to a PSU than wattage. If you’re hoping to upgrade your build with an extra GPU or other peripheral connections in the future, a semi-modular PSU is something you might want to consider. This type of PSU will enable you to add extra cables as the need arises while allowing you to remove cables that you won’t be using—great for freeing up valuable space.
On a final note, compatibility is totally a thing when it comes to PSUs, so unless you want to put your entire rig at risk, don’t mix and match cables with different power supplies. To make things even more complicated, not all PSU cables, even if they come from the same manufacturer, are going to be universally compatible. To avoid any unnecessary frustration, take a look at your PSUs PIN connectors and make sure your cable set has ones that match.
On a final note, compatibility is totally a thing when it comes to PSUs, so unless you want to put your entire rig at risk, don’t mix and match cables with different power supplies. To make things even more complicated, not all PSU cables, even if they come from the same manufacturer, are going to be universally compatible. To avoid any unnecessary frustration, make sure to take a look at your PSUs PIN connectors, make sure your cable set has ones to match.
Best power supply units for PC
1. Corsair RM850x
The best PSU for PC gaming
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 850W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
Reliable with great warranty
Fully modular cables
Quiet fan
Slightly pricier than competitors
Corsair’s RM-series power supplies have been an enthusiast favorite for years now. The company has developed a strong reputation as one of the leaders in reliability and warranty service for PSUs. The latest RMX line features improved components, a quiet fan and a fantastic price point. The usual features that made the series a hit are of course still present, including 80 Plus Gold certification, fully modular cables and a generous 10-year warranty.
We’ve used RMX power supplies for years here at PC Gamer and have never had an issue with any of them. Priced just slightly above competing modular 80 Plus Gold power supplies, the RM850x features up to 850 Watts of continuous power which is more than most users will need for even multi-GPU builds. Reliability and a great balance of performance and features make the RM850x our all-around top choice for power supplies.
2. Cooler Master MasterWatt 750W
The best budget power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 750W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Bronze | Modularity: Semi | Warranty: 5-year
Affordable
Fanless below 15% load
Relatively compact
Only semi-modular
When you’re on a tight budget, it can be tempting to disregard major brands and choose the cheapest power supply available. In some cases, you might even be okay doing so, but we can’t stress enough that power supplies should be given at least a little bit of thought. Spending just a few more dollars can mean the difference between just a simple power supply failure or a catastrophic one that takes down other components with it.
Cooler Master’s MasterWatt series is our favorite choice for budget builds. They aren’t the cheapest power supplies around, but they offer a whole lot more than their cheaper counterparts. 80 Plus Bronze certification, a clean design with semi-modular cables and a trusty five-year warranty make the MasterWatt a safe bet with great value for users on a budget.
3. FSP Dagger 500W
The best compact power supply for mini-ITX builds
Form factor: SFX | Capacity: 500W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
High quality capacitors
Fanless under 50% load
Fully modular for easy installation
Expensive
If you’re building a small form factor computer with a mini-ITX or otherwise compact case, using a standard ATX power supply will be either extremely cumbersome or downright impossible. That’s where SFX and compact power supplies come in handy. If your mini-ITX case doesn’t include a built in power supply, the FSP Dagger is our top recommendation.
It may not be a recognizable brand to some, but FSP is actually a major manufacturer of power supplies. The company has been responsible for creating PSUs for Antec, SilverStone, Thermaltake and many others for years. FSP’s Dagger 500W is great for compact builds due to its high efficiency ratings and full modularity. These features make it easier to install while also keeping high temperatures at bay, which is important to consider with any small form factor build.
4. Gamdias Astrape P1-750G
The best RGB power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 750W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
26 RGB lighting effects
10 year warranty
RGB only controlled via button
Lighting doesn’t sync with other components
Whether you love it or hate it, RGB has just about made its way to every single component in the PC hardware space. A light up power supply is only natural if you’re one of the few builders on a mission to fill an entire case with RGB components. There aren’t a whole lot of options since most modern cases cover the entire power supply, but the Gamdias Astrape would be our main recommendation here.
The Astrape 750G features high quality Japanese capacitors, 80 Plus Gold certification and fully modular cables. The built in fan comes with addressable RGB LEDs that are loaded with 26 different lighting effects. These animations were much nicer than the other options we’ve tested, but the controls are inconveniently located behind the power supply. Gamdias isn’t the most reputable brand when it comes to power supplies, but the Astrape is built with high quality capacitors backed by a ten-year warranty.
5. NZXT E850
The best digital power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 850W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Gold | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 10-year
Digital power monitoring
NZXT CAM software integration
Sleek design
Expensive
Digitally monitored power supplies have been around for a few years now, but none have come bundled with as useful a software as NZXT’s E-series. The E850 is one of the most expensive 850 Watt Gold certified power supplies on the market, yet we can’t help but recommend it in this guide. The build quality, design and overall feature set make it a solid choice for enthusiast builds.
The E850 is powered by NZXT’s CAM software, an all-in-one hardware monitoring tool that provides valuable insight for both gamers and enthusiasts. The E-series power supplies are able to track in real-time Wattage draw from the CPU, GPU and attached peripherals. Additional insights include temperatures, power on time, voltage and fan speeds. Most users won’t find this information terribly useful, but for those concerned or curious to know exactly how much power their PC and its parts are consuming, NZXT’s E850 is the most consumer-friendly option available.
6. Seasonic Prime 1000 Titanium
The best high end power supply
Form factor: ATX | Capacity: 1000W | Efficiency rating: 80 Plus Titanium | Modularity: Full | Warranty: 12-year
12 year warranty
Titanium certification
Very quiet
Really expensive
The 80 Plus certification standard has been around for quite some time now, but only recently has the 80 Plus Titanium certification become available. Unlike the Bronze through Platinum certifications, Titanium is the only level that measures efficiency at low loads. This is particularly important since most power supplies aren’t operating at full load all of the time.
There aren’t a whole lot of options available when it comes to Titanium rated PSUs, but Seasonic’s Prime Titanium would have to be our favorite. This power supply is likely the beefiest one you’ll need. Unless you’re running a full stack of power hungry AMD gpus, 1000 Watts is more than enough for a high end machine. The Prime Titanium features everything you’d expect in a high end PSU including the highest quality internal components, fully modular cables and a suite of useful accessories.
Best of all, the power supply comes with a staggering 12-year warranty. It certainly says a lot about reliability when a company is willing to back their product for over a decade. Seasonic’s Prime Titanium may be pricey, but a high end machine deserves a high end power supply.
Choosing the best power supplies
An 80 PLUS Titanium certified power supply is more efficient than a Bronze one, meaning the internal components are subjected to less heat and are likely to have a longer lifespan. This also means fans don’t have to work as hard, and are quieter in efficient power supplies. They may cost a bit more, but higher certified power supplies do tend to be more reliable than others. Luckily, most manufacturers offer warranties.
This is why reliability, customer support, warranty and manufacturer reputations are among the first things we looked for when choosing the best power supplies. Since there isn’t exactly a single solution that makes sense for every build, we decided on a number of categories to fit the needs of more PC gamers. For each, we also took into account budgets, compatibilities, unique features and designs.
Our top selections were made based on a combination of the criteria listed above and overall efficiency ratings. While it isn’t by any means the all-telling solution for PSU performance, the 80 PLUS certification program provides some form of standardization and expectations for efficiency. More efficient PSUs mean less heat and lower energy consumption.