Best power supply 2025

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What is the best power supply for a gaming PC? A quality power supply can make an enormous difference to the ease of use of your machine. The Power Supply Unit (PSU) converts electricity from the power outlet into usable power for your PC components, ensuring they get the power they need to function.

The best power supply for most is EVGA 1000GT while a quiet option go for the be quiet! Pure Power 12. For more options see the list below and be sure to check out the how to choose and FAQ sections for advice on what to look for and answers to all your power supply questions.

Why you can trust our advice ✔ At PCGamesN, our experts spend hours testing hardware and reviewing games and VPNs. We share honest, unbiased opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.

Best power supply for PC gaming:

1. EVGA 1000GT - best for most

2. EVGA 600 BR - budget option

3. Gigabyte UD1000GM PG5 - best 1,000W option

4. Corsair SF750 - best SFX choice

5. Corsair AX1600i - most efficient

6. be quiet! Pure Power 12 - quiet option

7. Corsair RM1200x Shift - easiest setup

EVGA 1000GT

The best power supply for most

EVGA 1000GT specifications:

Watts (W)	1,000
Form factor	ATX
Connectors	24-pin ATX (x1) / CPU 4+4-pin (x2) / PCle 6+2-pin (x6) / PCle 16-pin (x1) / SATA (x12) / 4-pin peripheral (x4)
80 Plus Certification	Gold
Cooling	135mm fluid dynamic bearing
Noise level (dB(A))	27.7
Warranty	10 year

Pros

80 Plus Gold certification
Enough power for the latest graphics cards
Great value

The EVGA 1000GT is a fantastic PSU that, while not the most powerful on the market, should serve the majority of PC gamers perfectly. Its 80 Plus Gold certification means that it's 87% efficient or higher under typical loads, only putting it behind those with Platinum or Titanium certification. This means that the power supply wastes very little energy, resulting in less excess heat and cooler operating temperatures.

It's fully modular, so you only need to route the cables necessary to power your system. It's not a flashy option but with a 10-year warranty, decent efficiency, and high power rating it's a great option for most mid to high-end systems.

EVGA 600 BR

Good value power supply

EVGA 600 BR specifications:

Watts (W)	600
Form factor	ATX
Connectors	24-pin ATX (x1) / CPU 4+4-pin(x2) / SATA (x6) / 4-pin peripheral (x3)
80 plus certification	Bronze
Cooling	120mm long sleeve bearing
Noise level (dB(A))	33 - 34
Warranty	3 years

Pros

600W for less than $65 USD
Enough juice for an Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti

Cons

Not modular
Not enough power for the Nvidia RTX 3070 or above

Costing just under $65 (£80), the EVGA 600 BR is undoubtedly one of the best-value PSUs available on the market for budget-conscious builders. Despite its cheaper price, this power supply still retains an 80 Plus Bronze certification, meaning it's by no means wasteful - just not the very most efficient option.

The EVGA 600 BR should have no trouble fitting into almost all ATX PC cases, thanks to its 150mm long shell being around the standard power supply size. A three-year warranty should help with any concerns surrounding this power supply's reliability.

Gigabyte UD1000GM PG5

Top 1,000W power supply

Gigabyte UD1000GM PG5 specifications:

Watts (W)	1,000
Form factor	ATX
Connectors	20+4-pin ATX (x1) / CPU 4+4-pin (x2) / PCle 16-pin (x1) / PCle 6+2-pin (x4) / SATA (x8)/ 4-pin peripheral (x3)
80 Plus certification	Gold
Cooling	120mm smart hydraulic bearing (HYB) fan
Noise level (dB(A))	35 - 40
Warranty	10 years

Pros

Native support for PCIe Gen 5 16-pin power connector
80 Plus Gold certification
Fully modular

Cons

Noisier than others on this list

With a plentiful 1,000W rating - enough to support an RTX 5090 - and 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating, the Gigabyte UD1000GM PG5 is a great option for those building a high-end gaming PC.

It's a fully modular supply, making for easy and clean installations while its 120mm smart hydraulic bearing fan is supposed to last 1.4x longer than a standard sleeve bearing found on some cheaper models. That's just one reason this supply comes with a massive 10-year warranty.

Corsair SF750

The best SFX power supply

Corsair SF750 specifications:

Watts (W)	400 / 600 / 750
Form factor	SFX
Connectors	20+4-pin ATX (x1) / CPU 4+4-pin (x2) / PCIe 6+2-pin (x4) / SATA (x8) / 4-pin peripheral (x3)
80 Plus certification	Platinum
Cooling	92mm fan with Zero RPM Mode Support
Noise level (dB(A))	28
Warranty	7 years

Pros

Zero RPM Fan Mode keeps things silent until the PSU hits 40% load
Included SFX-to-ATX bracket

If you're building a system in a compact PC case, then the small but mighty Corsair SF750 should be at the top of your list for potential power supplies to juice up your miniature rig. It'll work in a bigger ATX cases too, thanks to the included SFX-to-ATX bracket, but you're better off saving money on a cheaper, larger PSU for such cases.

The Corsair SF750's "Zero RPM Fan Mode" makes sure the PSU doesn't engage its fan until it has to, keeping things quiet when browsing the web and kicking things into gear when gaming. It's fully modular too, and its individually sleeved cables make routing them in your gaming PC a breeze. If your computer doesn't require 750W, consider the less-powerful but less-expensive SF600 or SF400.

Corsair AX1600i

Most efficient power supply

Corsair AX1600i specifications:

Watts (W)	1600
Form factor	ATX
Connectors	20+4-pin ATX (x1) / 4+4-pin ATX (x2) / 6+2-pin PCle (x10) / SATA (x16) / 4-pin Molex (x9)
80 Plus certification	Titanium
Cooling	140mm Patented FDB cooling fan with Zero RPM Mode
Noise level (dB(A))	27
Warranty	10 years

Pros

Highly powerful and efficient
80 Plus Titanium certification
10-year warranty

Cons

Expensive
Peripheral connectors quite close together

Though this Corsair power supply will be more powerful than most gamers need, the Corsair AX1600i is the one to go for if you're building a truly top-of-the-range gaming rig. This is the only PSU on this list to receive the Titanium 80 Plus certification for efficiency.

This comes with a high price tag, but to our mind, it does enough to warrant that. Despite being so powerful, it operates very quietly, even when set to performance mode. With plenty of connectors and a decade-long warranty, it's hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this PSU.

be quiet! Pure Power 12

Best for quiet operation

be quiet! Pure Power 12 specifications:

Watts (W)	550 / 650 / 750 / 850 / 1,000 / 1,200
Form Factor	ATX
Connectors	ATX 20+4-pin (x1), PCIe 6+2-pin (x4), SATA (x6), PATA (x2)
80 Plus certification	Gold
Cooling	Silence-optimized 120mm be quiet! fan
Noise level (dB(A))	25.7
Warranty	10 years

Pros

Fantastically quiet operation
Gold 80 Plus certification
Reasonably priced

Cons

Housing could be better

Though there may be more powerful quiet options out there, we think that the be quiet! Pure Power 12 is the option that will appeal to most gamers. It carries a reasonable price tag, and with Gold 80 Plus certification, you know you're still getting something impressive under the hood (and there are different models available from 500 - 1200w available to suit your needs).

With a ten-year manufacturer's warranty, you can count on this to be a quiet and reliable PSU for many years to come.

Corsair RM1200x Shift

The best for easy installation

Corsair RM1200x Shift specifications:

Watts (W)	750 / 850 / 1000 / 1250
Form Factor	ATX
Connectors	20+4-pin ATX (x1) / 4+4-pin ATX (x2) / 12+4-pin 12VHPWR (x1) / PCIe 6+2-pin (x4) / SATA (x12) / PATA (x8)
80 Plus certification	Gold
Cooling	140mm fan with Zero RPM Mode Support
Noise level (dB(A)) at 100% load	25 - 30
Warranty	Ten years

Pros

Easy access modular control panel
Great cable management

Cons

Slightly costly
May fit properly with certain chassis

Adjusting the earlier Corsair RM1200x range, Corsair released the Shift variant which has the modular control panel shifted to the side of the unit (while it was previously at the back). This makes it a lot easier to get this connected, up, and running in no time. Although, as some cases feature compartments to the side of the PSU, you might not be able to use it with some setups.

However, if your chassis doesn't feature a compartment like that, this is an ideal choice - particularly for anyone who's looking for a relatively simple setup process. Besides the convenience of its control panel, it is also a great option due to its power and efficiency, receiving gold 80 Plus certification.

How to choose a power supply

There are four main factors to consider when choosing a power supply unit (PSU). The first is what physical size of PSU you need.

If you're building a normal-sized PC, you will just need a normal-sized ATX PSU. However, some smaller and cheaper cases can be a bit cramped when it comes to power supply space so it's worth checking the PSU space measurements of your case first - their height and width are a fixed standard but different ATX power supplies can be different lengths.

Meanwhile, if you're building a small form factor (SFF) PC, many SFF cases do still use full-size power supplies, but the smallest use the SFX standard instead. Check your PC case's specs to find out which you need.

Once you've chosen the size you need, the next choice you have is how much power you need. Modern high-end graphics cards can demand huge amounts of power with the RTX 4090 rated to 450W and the RTX 5090 a colossal 600W. Moreover, they stipulate that you should have at least a 1,000W power supply to power these cards.

Nvidia usefully provides the recommended "system" power for its latest graphics cards on the specs page for each card, so the RTX 5070, for instance has its power supply requirement listed here as 650W while the RTX 5070 Ti needs a 750W unit.

AMD also suggests power supply ratings on its cards' pages. For instance, it rates the RX 7900 XTX as needing an 800W power supply while the RX 7800 XT needs a 700W supply.

Another side consideration is how many extra cables your graphics card needs. High-end cards need one or more extra cables that plug into the top of the card, so you need to make sure your power supply has the right cables. Most of the time, the more powerful the supply, the more of these cables it can accommodate, so if you buy a PSU based on your graphics card's power recommendation you should be fine, but it's worth checking.

Your next choice is to decide how efficient a supply you need, which is the ratio of how much power comes into the supply and how much it can deliver to your PC - the rest is lost as heat. The 80 Plus standard stipulates several levels of efficiency that start at 80% efficiency and rise to 90-96% efficiency. The more efficient, the more you'll pay but the less energy you waste over the many-year life of the PSU. Plus, it's less heat dumped into your PC case. We generally recommend aiming for a gold or platinum rating as a good balance of efficiency and not extortionate up front cost.

You final choice - other than design factors such as color - is whether to opt for a modular, non-modular, or semi-modular design. This refers to the ability to unplug the cables from the power supply, allowing you to only fit the internal PC cables you need, saving space and making for a tidier, easier build. Fully modular supplies are the most versatile but most expensive, semi-modular only have the less-common cables removable and are a bit cheaper, while non-modular supplies have all the cables fixed in place but they tend to be the cheapest option.

PC power supply frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is a power supply?

When it comes to PCs, the main power supply unit (PSU) is the box into which you plug a mains power cable that then converts the 120V or 230V alternating current (AC) power from your wall sockets to the direct current (DC) 12V, 5V and 3.3V power required by the components of your PC.

They come in a wide range of power and efficiency ratings that tell you how much power the components of your PC can safely draw from the power supply and how much energy is lost in that conversion process. Most modern power supplies can deliver between 500-1500W and between 80-95% efficiency - 5-20% of lost energy is dispersed as heat.

What is 80 Plus Certification?

80 Plus Certification is something that manufacturers can submit their products to. If they receive the certification, it means that you can count on the product to run to a certain level of efficiency. Here's the benchmark for each certification:

Standard certification: 80 - 85% efficiency
Bronze certification: 85 - 88% efficiency
Silver certification: 85 - 90% efficiency
Gold certification: 87 - 92% efficiency
Platinum certification: 89 - 94% efficiency
Titanium certification: 90-96% efficiency

If you're thinking that the overlap of several of these certifications means that you might get a more efficient power supply with bronze certification than with the standard certification, that's not quite how it works. With any particular setup, a higher certified PSU will always run better than a lower one, the range merely reflects different levels of efficiency when using them in different types of setup.

What is form factor?

The form factor refers to the size of the motherboard in which the power supply will be housed. The majority of the PSUs that we've detailed in this list are standard ATX, which will work across most motherboards, though we've included one SFX (Small Form Factor) option for anybody working with something that isn't so big. If you're shopping for the first time, we recommend double-checking the form factor of your motherboard.

What power supply is needed for RTX 5090 and other high-end components?

The likes of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 and Intel Core i9-14900K can draw huge amounts of power, drawing over 500W from the wall each when pushed to their max. As such, you'll need at least a 1000W power supply for such high-end components, and ideally at least 1200W.

What size power supply do I need?

Size isn't the right term when most people talk about power supplies - while PSUs do range in physical size, they're mostly quite similar. Instead, 'size' refers to the power rating of the power supply, and what you need will vary based on your system.

For an entry-level gaming PC with integrated graphics or a graphics card that doesn't require an extra cable to be plugged into it (so it draws less than 70W) and a CPU that's six or fewer cores, a quality high-efficiency 500W supply will be plenty.

As you buy more powerful components, you'll have to consider upgrading your power supply, as not only do more powerful chips require more power but graphics cards in particular require specific extra cables. By the time you're buying an RTX 4070 and an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, you'll be wanting a 750W supply.

To find out just what sort of supply you'll need, check the specifications of your other components and add up the total peak power draw. It doesn't need to be exact but if your chosen CPU can draw over 350W alone, a 400W power supply won't be enough.

Many manufacturers and retailers have power calculators that can estimate how much power your system will need. Here are a few:

What type of power supply is the most efficient?

No power supply will ever be 100% efficient, because it is not possible to avoid losing power in the process of converting AC power from the wall into the DC power that your gaming PC uses to function. The highest level of efficiency that you can expect is from an 80 Plus Titanium supply rated to between 90-96% efficiency.

For more ways to upgrade the backbone components of your PC, check out our guides to the best motherboard and the best CPU cooler, and you can even literally support your own backbone with our best gaming chair guide.