The Best PSUs for Your Gaming PC

These are some of the best power supplies currently available.

Best PSU
If you’re looking for a new power supply for your PC, in this guide we’ve listed a range of suitable options across a number of categories.

So, whether you’re looking for a 1,000-watt Titanium-rated power supply to run an RTX 4090 graphics card, a small form-factor PSU for your mini-ITX build, or a quality PSU under $100, there’s an option that should work for you below.

But, if you’ve never purchased a power supply before and you’re unsure of what to look for, watch our video guide below to get a better idea of how to choose a PSU.

Watch: What to Look for in A Power Supply

Watch our Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a PSU below, or on our YouTube channel.

Quick Look: The Best Power Supplies

The table below shows our picks for the best PSU overall, the best 1000W+ unit, the best RGB power supply, the best SFX PSU, an excellent value option, and a budget-friendly option.

NAME SPECS
TOP PICK
be quiet! Dark Power 13

be quiet! Dark Power 13

  • 750-1000W
  • Titanium
  • Modular
  • 10-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

1000W+
Corsair AXi Series AX1600i

Corsair AXi

  • 860-1600W
  • Titanium
  • Modular
  • 10-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

RGB
Thermaltake TP PF1

Thermaltake TP PF1

  • 850-1200W
  • Platinum
  • Modular
  • 10-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

SFX
Corsair SF Series

Corsair SF Series

  • 750-850W
  • Platinum
  • Modular
  • 7-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

VALUE
XPG Core Reactor

XPG Core Reactor

  • 650-850W
  • Gold
  • Modular
  • 10-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

BUDGET
be quiet! Pure Power 11 600W

be quiet! Pure Power 11

  • 400-700W
  • Gold
  • Non-Modular
  • 5-year wnty.

Check Price

Read Review »

*If you want to read our full overviews on our top picks, just click the “Read Review »” button. You can also keep scrolling down to find more options based on your specific budget.

1. be quiet! Dark Power 13

The best PSU overall

TOP PICK - be quiet! Dark Power 13

CAPACITIES 1000/850/750W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Titanium
MODULAR Fully modular
WARRANTY 10-year
PRICE Amazon | BH Photo

If you’ve got a large budget and you’re looking for a top-of-the-line power supply to power a high-end graphics card (like an RTX 4080), then the be quiet! Dark Power 13 series should be one of the first options you consider.

The Dark Power 13 series is available in capacities of 1000W, 850W, and 750W, comes with the highest 80 PLUS rating possible (Titanium), and offers full modularity. In addition to that, it also comes a lengthy 10-year warranty, a unique design for optimal cooling and silence, ATX 3.0 compliance, and premium Japanese capacitors rated at 10°C.

All of the Dark Power 113 units come with a robust four-12V rail design:

  • 750W: 25A, 25A, 30A, 30A
  • 850W: 30A, 30A, 35A, 35A
  • 1000W: 32A, 32A, 40A, 40A

The 750W unit comes comes in a little over $200. The 850W option is priced jus tunder $250. And, the 1000W version is just under $270.

Ultimately, if you’ve got a good amount of money to spend and you’re putting together a high-end gaming PC build, a be quiet! Dark Power 13 power supply will offer you plenty of power and extreme efficiency.

2. Corsair AXi

The best 1000W+ power supply

EXTREME - Corsair AX1600i

CAPACITIES 1600/860W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Titanium
MODULAR Fully modular
WARRANTY 10-year
PRICE Amazon

For those of you that are planning on running a multi-GPU setup, or if you’re looking to just give yourself plenty of headroom for overclocking and a new RTX 4090, this massive unit from Corsair is a worthy option.

However, at a little over ~$600, the Corsair AX1600i should really only be picked up by experienced system builders who are looking to build an extreme gaming PC.

The Corsair AX1600i comes with an enormous 133.3A +12V rail, sports an 80 PLUS Titanium rating (94% efficiency), and comes with a fully modular design. It also features a 140mm fan that will shut off at lower loads so your system stays as quiet as possible and a 10-year warranty.

There is also the AX860i if you’re looking for a smaller and more affordable version of this power supply. It will run you about ~$230.

In the end, though, the AX1600i isn’t a great option if you’re just looking to build a standard single-GPU (non RTX 4090) setup. For the vast majority of builders, you can get by with a much smaller (and cheaper) unit.

3. Thermaltake Toughpower PF1

A PSU with RGB lighting?!

RGB - Thermaltake TP PF1

CAPACITIES 1200/1050/850W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Platinum
MODULAR Fully modular
WARRANTY 10-year
PRICE Amazon

The madness of adding RGB lights to anything and everything continues as now even power supply manufacturers are joining in on the fun. Yes, that’s right, you can get a power supply with RGB lights on it.

The Thermaltake ToughpowerPF1 ARGB lineup of power supplies all feature a 140mm RGB fan and are available in three capacities (1200W, 1050W, and 850W.) All three are available with an 80 PLUS Platinum rating. Thermaltake’s RGB PSUs are also all fully modular and come with 10-year warranties.

The units offer the following for their 12V rails:

  • 850W: 70.83A
  • 1050W: 83.33A
  • 1200W: 100A

The 850W unit will run you just under $300, the 1050W unit costs ~$350, and the 1200W edition comes in at ~$370.

The bottom line is that, if you are looking to put together a build that has as much RGB lighting possible, then you might as well get a PSU that has RGB lights on it, too. And, of the RGB power supplies out there, the Thermaltake Toughpower PF1 ARGB series is as good as any other.

4. Corsair SF Series

The best SFX power supply

SFX - Corsair SF Series

CAPACITIES 1000/850/750/600W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Platinum/Gold
MODULAR Fully modular
WARRANTY 7-year
PRICE Amazon | BH Photo

If you’re looking to build a small form-factor PC, you’ll likely need to get a smaller SFX form-factor power supply. And, of the SFX PSUs out there, none are better rated than Corsair’s SF Series.

You can get a Corsair SF power supply in 1000-watt, 850-watt, 750-watt, or 600-watt capacities. However, it is important to note that there are two different versions of the SF lineup. There is the standard SF units and there are also the SF-L units.

Both versions offer full modularity and 7-year warranties. The standard SF lineup (the 750-watt and 600-watt units) come with 80 PLUS Platinum ratings, while the 1000-watt and 850-watt units come with 80 PLUS Gold ratings.

For 12V rails, the different capacities of the SF series offer the following:

  • 600W: 50A
  • 750W: 62.5A
  • 850W: 70.8
  • 1000W: 83.3A

The reality is that there aren’t a ton of many high-end SFX power supplies to choose from. Fortunately, Corsair’s SF lineup provides an excellent small-form-factor PSU for mini-ITX systems.

5. XPG Core Reactor

The best value PSU

VALUE - XPG Core Reactor

CAPACITIES 850/750/650W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Gold
MODULAR Fully modular
WARRANTY 10-year
PRICE Amazon | BH Photo

XPG (ADATA) have not been making power supplies long, but they definitely got it right with their Core Reactor series. These power supplies aren’t going to bring extreme performance and efficiency like some of the options listed above. However, for the price they come in at, they offer excellent value for the performance and reliability they will deliver.

The Core Reactor series is available in capacities of 850W, 750W, and 650W. Both the 750W and 650W units are available for under $100, making them perfect options to put in a mid-range gaming PC build. Even the 850W unit can be had for just a little over $100.

They come with the following 12V rails:

  • 650W: 54.1A
  • 750W: 62.5A
  • 850W: 70.8A

All of the Core Reactor PSUs are fully modular, come with 80 PLUS Gold efficiency ratings, and have 10-year warranties.

Ultimately, the PSU options in the sub-$100 price range can really be hit or miss and there aren’t a lot of reliable choices availble—especially if you want to build a powerful system.

6. be quiet! Pure Power 11

The best budget-friendly PSU

BUDGET - be quiet! Pure Power 11

CAPACITIES 700/600/500/400W
EFFICIENCY 80 PLUS Gold
MODULAR Non-modular
WARRANTY 5-year
PRICE Amazon | BH Photo

Not everyone needs an 850-watt 80 PLUS Titanium-rated fully modular power supply. For some users, a mid-tier unit will be all you need to power a gaming PC capable of maxing out any game on a 1080P monitor.

And, this budget-friendly power supply lineup from be quiet! is the perfect option for gamers who are working with a restricted budget. It is available in four different capacities: 400W, 500W, 600W, and 700W.

The 600-watt and 700-watt capacity units will provide you with more than enough power to run mid-range GPUs like an RX 6700 XT or an RTX 4070—and those GPUs will give you an ideal gaming experience on a 1080P or 1440P display.

Also Read: The Best RTX 3060 Graphics Cards

And, the lower capacity units would work well in budget-oriented systems where a low powered GPU (like the RX 6500 XT) or a Ryzen APU is used.

No, this series doesn’t offer full (or even semi) modularity, which will make cable management a bit tricky. However, with a sub-$100 pricetags on all but the 700-watt unit, this series will offer room in your budget so that you have more money to put towards the components that will dictate how powerful your system is (namely, your CPU, GPU, and RAM).

Ultimately, if you’re not looking to build an extreme system, but, rather, just a solid gaming PC, then one of the PSUs from the be quiet! Pure Power series is worth checking out.

Which Power Supply is Right for You?

It would be silly to say that this is an end-all-be-all list of power supplies. There are simply too many great options on the market to list and provide a brief overview for every single one.

However, by taking price-to-performance into consideration, this list gives you a handful of very solid options to help you make choosing a quality power supply for your next build that much easier.

Ultimately, you will need a quality power supply if you are planning on building a new gaming computer. Skimping on your power supply is never a good idea. Fortunately, if you stick to this list, you can’t go wrong.

FAQ: Questions to Ask Before You Buy A Power Supply

Below, we’ve put together a list of four important questions to ask before your purchase a power supply. The answers to these questions will give you a better understanding of how to differentiate between the various power supplies that are available on the market.

1. How Many Watts Do I Need for My Gaming PC?

One of the biggest areas where first-time builders get confused is on how many watts they need for the PC they are building. In the most simplest of terms, a typical mid-range single graphics card gaming PC will require anywhere from a 500W to a 700W+ power supply in order to run. However, the exact wattage range of power supplies you should be looking at will be determined by the kind of components you will put into your system.

And, the main component that will draw the most power (and, thus, determine how big of a power supply you will need) is your graphics card. The bigger the graphics card you get, the higher the power capacity you will need from your power supply.

But it’s also important to note that a power supply’s wattage rating isn’t always a good determining factor on whether or not it will work for you. Many low-quality brands put out “800W” power supplies by bending the rules of testing their units, when in reality, their power supply might really be what other companies are calling a 500W power supply.

So, it’s important that you not only look for a power supply that will provide enough power to your components, but also one that is a quality unit that displays an accurate wattage rating. Fortunately, in the guide below, we’ve given you a bunch of different options at various wattage capacities that you can choose between.

This will allow you to rest assured that you aren’t choosing a cheap low-quality power supply that is marketed as a high-end unit.

2. What is the +12V Rail?

The +12V rail on a power supply is, in a lot of ways, a much better indicator of what kind of system that power supply can handle. This is because the +12V rail on a power supply is responsible for delivering power to your two most power-hungry components (as well as other components): your GPU and CPU.

So, one way to tell if a power supply is a cheap unit is to compare its +12V rating to other power supplies in the same price range. For instance, if an 850W power supply from an unknown manufacturer has a +12V rail of 28A, and you see that other 850W power supplies have over 70A on their +12V rail, then it’s safe to say that the unit from the unknown manufacturer is lying about the true capacity of their power supply.

The +12V rail rating of the PSU you are looking at is also a better way to determine what graphics cards it can support, rather than relying simply on wattage. Most graphics card manufacturers put out minimum power supply recommendations that are actually higher than what the graphics card will draw. And, they likely do this because there are a lot of power supplies out there that list higher wattage capacities than they can truly deliver under extreme situations.

But if you don’t want to overspend on a power supply, you can check the minimum +12V rail rating required for the graphics card you are considering purchasing And, then from there you can look for a power supply that has a +12V rail that has a higher rating than the graphics card you are looking at has.

3. What is an 80 Plus Rating?

The 80 Plus certification is a voluntary program that power supply manufacturers can use to determine the efficiency of their units. PSU manufacturers that want to get their power supplies 80 PLUS rated send in their units to an independent lab who then tests the units to determine their efficiency.

The efficiency of a power supply is determined by how much power is lost during the conversion from AC power (from your wall) to DC power (which goes to your components). The more power that is lost during this conversion, the less efficient the power supply is and vice-versa.

And, the test looks at how efficient the power supply is when it is under different loads. The higher load any power supply is under, the less efficient it will become. But some higher-end power supplies are able to minimize the amount of power that is lost during the conversion even at higher loads. And, those units will earn a higher 80 PLUS rating (Gold, Platinum, or Titanium).

Also Read: 80 PLUS Bronze vs Gold vs Platinum vs Titanium: Which PSU Rating do you Need?

So, the 80 PLUS rating on a power supply essentially lets you know how efficient that power supply is. It isn’t the end-all-be-all determiner of power supply quality—especially at the lower 80 PLUS ratings (like Bronze and Standard). However, if a power supply has a higher 80 PLUS rating (typically above Silver), then it is likely a solid unit.

For people who are looking to build a budget-friendly gaming PC, though, you’ll likely be forced to choose between 80 PLUS Bronze units. And, there are a lot of 80 PLUS Bronze units that aren’t the greatest options and there are other 80 PLUS Bronze units that are really good options (especially when price is factored in).

If you look through the list below you’ll see my recommendation for units like Corsair’s CXM series, which are Bronze rated units that are great options for the price.

Ultimately, though, the 80 PLUS rating will give you a little bit better idea of what kind of efficiency a power supply will bring to the table, but it isn’t a perfect indicator of power supply quality.

4. Should I Get A Modular Power Supply?

Modular power supplies come with one big upside and one downside. The upside, obviously, is that modular power supplies are easier to work with. Non-modular power supplies come with a big bundle of cables and if you build a system that doesn’t need some of those cables, you’re then forced to figure out how to hide them and get them out of the way of your build.

The downside is that modular power supplies cost more than non-modular power supplies. So, some first-time builders who are working with a tight budget may have to choose between paying more for a modular power supply or saving money and getting a non-modular power supply.

Also Read: What is A Modular Power Supply? Modular vs Non-Modular PSUs

The difference in money-saved in some cases could be the difference between the builder being able to get a better graphics card—which is going to have a bigger impact on that gamer’s in-game performance.

So, the bottom line is that, whether or not you should get a modular power supply will come down to how much you have to spend on a new build or upgrade, and if you have a tight budget, whether or not you are willing to sacrifice some convenience and aesthetics in order to put more money towards other components.

5. Do You Need A Good Power Supply for Gaming?

While a power supply won’t really have a direct impact on your in-game performance, it is an important component that will determine the quality of the system you can put together. A cheap 400W power supply will limit the kind of graphics card you can get, which, in turn, will limit the kind of in-game performance you’ll get.

So, in short, yes, you need a solid power supply if you are planning on building a gaming computer. But, that doesn’t mean that you need to spend more on your power supply than on your other components. If you are looking to put together a moderately priced gaming PC, (say, an $800 PC build), you don’t need to spend over $100 to get a high-quality 800W power supply.

At that budget range, you’ll really only be able to afford a mid-range graphics card and so you’ll be just fine spending ~$80 on a decent 600W+ power supply.

But, the bottom line is that, while a power supply won’t directly influence your frame rate and in-game performance, it will play a significant role in determining how powerful your system is. So, don’t skimp on your power supply.

6. Can You Have Too Much Wattage?

One common question first-time builders have when they are choosing a power supply is, “Is it possible to choose too big of a power supply?” The answer to that is: not really.

If you are building a system that will only require a maximum of 450-watts, you won’t need a high-end 1000W power supply. You could just as easily get a decent 550W-650W power supply.

If you’re setting up a multi-GPU system that will draw a lot more power, then a 1000W (or greater) PSU will make more sense.

So, while you can’t really have too much wattage, buying a larger power supply when it isn’t necessary will cost you more money than you could have spent and the savings difference between opting for a PSU better-suited for your system could have cost you upgrades on more important components.

Hey, I’m Brent. I’ve been building PCs and writing about building PCs for a long time. Through TechGuided.com, I've helped thousands of people learn how to build their own computers. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. On YouTube, I build PCs, review laptops, components, and peripherals, and hold giveaways.

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