Best Power Supply Buying Guide (Jun 2020)

[crmaris]

This guide will help you find the best power supply for your gaming system, productivity PC, or workstation. We look at eight categories in total for PSU recommendations. As expected, Corsair and Seasonic are at the top of our list. We'll update this post regularly.

Show full review

 

[FreedomEclipse]

yeahboi.

Keep them corsair CX's in the lowest tier where they belong. So long as the machine is pulling barely any wattage. Those PSUs are just fine and dandy.

 

[djisas]

Cool guide on a time when there's a shortage of psus world wide it seems...
I bought a seasonic prime gx 750W last week though...

 

[ERazer]

Thank you!

cant go wrong with seasonic

 

[ObiFrost]

This list lacks more alternatives for mid-range and budget. Most luxurious for certain wattage aren't the most wisest choices frankly, because if the enthusiast can afford $115 500w platinum, that means he/she can afford a higher wattage premium unit to pair with 2070S/5700XT etc. and that steps out of the mid-range border.

 

[djisas]

Doing my own research, I could buy a seasonic focus GX750 for little over 100€ a PX850 was around 140€ and PX1KW for 170€, The TX titanium units are all upwards 200€, only worth if you already spend over 1000€ CPU and graphic card...

 

[Gmr_Chick]

Great buying guide @crmaris

I have a 750W Seasonic FOCUS+ Platinum myself. Owned it for a couple years now. Great little unit. Seriously can't go wrong with Seasonic PSUs.

 

[Argentrx]

give me a psu that tpu doesnt have a negative to say about ....

 

[Mistral]

Awww man, be quiet! nowhere to be found?

 

[Regeneration]

@crmaris

Are you reading hardware forums? There are plenty of troubleshooting threads linked to Corsair PSUs.

Recent Corsair PSUs perform badly and tend to fail quickly. Seasonic is a better choice for performance, and Antec for budget.

 

[Icon Charlie]

Do your research... Even though many of the PSU's are good quality you are also paying for that name brand recognition. I can say exactly the same thing about lesser known PSU's I've used over the years, Such as Rosewell. I have had no issues with these tier 2 types of PSU's

Many of the tier 2 PSU's are of a previous generation(s) build type. However if it gets the job done and it has lasted 5 years of wear and tear then it goes in mine and my client's rigs.

Also I personally do purchase only 80+ bronze or gold standard of PSU's as I believe you are wasting your money that can be placed elsewhere.

These are all name brand PSU's and unless there is a sale on them it won't go in my parts locker. Period.

This is the problem with the PC industry of today. For the past 5+ years They have labeled it as a "Enthusiast" Class, with sleek designs and all of the RGB gimmicks and whistles, and mother board designs that has gank up pricing up to 50% for pennies on the dollar.

We can go with "modular" PSU's and the premium tag that goes along with it. I go semi modular and save 10% to 20% on price or upgrade it to a larger wattage for the same price of a modular, low wattage PSU.

I'm not saying all Tier 2 (PSU) companies are good, but what I am saying is to do your research on all products on hand before making the build.

This review is nice but it is no good to me for myself to put additional components into my parts locker.

 

[Regeneration]

Some of the entry level Corsair PSUs are in "generic" quality, made by HEC, rebranded as Corsair.

Don't have anything against Corsair, they make awesome products, Obsidian cases are really great, but their PSUs are BAD.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Keep them corsair CX's in the lowest tier where they belong. So long as the machine is pulling barely any wattage. Those PSUs are just fine and dandy.

Really? Why? They're rated to output full power, contiuously at temperatures of up to 40°C. Aris's own tests show that.

@crmaris
Are you reading hardware forums? There are plenty of troubleshooting threads linked to Corsair PSUs.

Recent Corsair PSUs perform badly and tend to fail quickly. Seasonic is a better choice for performance, and Antec for budget.

Recent Corsair PSUs are not performing any worse or failing any more often than previously. Problem is, when you sell 10x more PSUs then the next guy, you see 10x the failure rate. It's just math.

Some of the entry level Corsair PSUs are in "generic" quality, made by HEC, rebranded as Corsair.

Don't have anything against Corsair, they make awesome products, Obsidian cases are really great, but their PSUs are BAD.

Really? Their PSUs are "bad"? HEC is "bad"? Please... do show examples. The HEC made VS series sells in the hundreds of thousands, yet the RMA rate is < .01%.

 

[Caring1]

The HEC made VS series sells in the hundreds of thousands, yet the RMA rate is < .01%.

VS series lasts a few years maybe, which is outside RMA period.
I'd rather something that can last 10 years.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

Do your research... Even though many of the PSU's are good quality you are also paying for that name brand recognition. I can say exactly the same thing about lesser known PSU's I've used over the years, Such as Rosewell. I have had no issues with these tier 2 types of PSU's

Many of the tier 2 PSU's are of a previous generation(s) build type. However if it gets the job done and it has lasted 5 years of wear and tear then it goes in mine and my client's rigs.

Also I personally do purchase only 80+ bronze or gold standard of PSU's as I believe you are wasting your money that can be placed elsewhere.

These are all name brand PSU's and unless there is a sale on them it won't go in my parts locker. Period.

This is the problem with the PC industry of today. For the past 5+ years They have labeled it as a "Enthusiast" Class, with sleek designs and all of the RGB gimmicks and whistles, and mother board designs that has gank up pricing up to 50% for pennies on the dollar.

We can go with "modular" PSU's and the premium tag that goes along with it. I go semi modular and save 10% to 20% on price or upgrade it to a larger wattage for the same price of a modular, low wattage PSU.

I'm not saying all Tier 2 (PSU) companies are good, but what I am saying is to do your research on all products on hand before making the build.

This review is nice but it is no good to me for myself to put additional components into my parts locker.

Believe me, the "extra" price that comes with true, full modular PSUs is totally worth it. Once you own one, you'll never go back to even semi-modular, let alone non-modular.

 

[jonnyGURU]

VS series lasts a few years maybe, which is outside RMA period.

Oh.. Ok. I didn't realize you had the data that supported that. My bad.

Believe me, the "extra" price that comes with true, full modular PSUs is totally worth it. Once you own one, you'll never go back to even semi-modular, let alone non-modular.

True. Full modular is a hell of a cost adder (upwards of $10 to $20). But it spoils you.

 

[Rivage]

too much corsair, hmm. my adblock is a bit worry, lol. i don't trust much to their cwt oem, dunno. tho i know, that cwt both has very good and poor platforms.
and i am very happy with my seasonic gold 850W and xfx platinum 1000W (seasonic oem)

 

[PLSG08]

had a Corsair VS550 die on me when I upgraded my Rig to a 2600 and an RTX 2060. Replaced it with the CV550 for the meantime but I'll get something gold like a seasonic focus 650 or something along those lines.

I was kinda thrown off when the best midrange gaming PSU was a Seasonic Platinum. Nothing wrong with that, it is the best in that range, but not everyone can afford a seasonic plat. The Super Flower Leadex is also another hard model to come by in other parts of the world. TBH the RM550X should've been the suggestion for that range as its pretty much available in a lot of stores. Next would be the Seasonic Focus Gold 550w or an FSP Aurum Gold.

 

[jonnyGURU]

had a Corsair VS550 die on me when I upgraded my Rig to a 2600 and an RTX 2060.

Well, yeah. You don't use a VS550 with a RTX 2060. That's your fault. Not Corsair's fault.

 

[Frick]

Well, yeah. You don't use a VS550 with a GTX 2060. That's your fault. Not Corsair's fault.

Joke?

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Although I agree with this list... it sorta made me chuckle because it could have been just summed up as if you're in the market for a 500-1000W psu just makes sure its a gold rated or higher seasonic psu and you're good lmao.

 

[PLSG08]

Well, yeah. You don't use a VS550 with a GTX 2060. That's your fault. Not Corsair's fault.

I know. I saw it coming. Held out a bit and when it broke that's when I changed.

but there are a lot of other worst PSU's out there and not everyone lives in a place where they can afford or those PSUs are available to them. Hell, not a lot of people do research as well for these matters.

For me availability of the product is as important as how good the product is. I'm just saying that not everyone can get a seasonic plat for MSRP or discount prices. I'm just saying that for the most part, most stores would probably carry Corsair PSUs over other brands.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Joke?

No. You shouldn't use any double forward PSU with a newer GPU like Nvidia's Turing. Just not going to fair well.

but there are a lot of other worst PSU's out there and not everyone lives in a place where they can afford or those PSUs are available to them. Hell, not a lot of people do research as well for these matters.

Totally agree. I look at some regions that don't require certification like some Easter EU countries, some South East Asia countries, Africa, South America and I shudder. They sell some absolute crap.

 

[Vayra86]

Its not very surprising that when you pick almost exclusively Titanium rated (!!) PSUs you will end up with a best-of list. Its also completely devoid of any price consciousness.

This to me makes the round up essentially 100% worthless. We already knew these were good units, its why you pay a kidney for them.

Looking forward to a more balanced roundup next time. Much more interesting in PSUs are the Gold units that perform admirably and are probably going to last the very same 10 years and then some but at competitive price points.

 

[crmaris]

To do a best Bang for the buck article I need to have steady prices, which is not the case, especially in this period. Also Titanium and 80 P, in general, mean nothing to me, I see all performance aspects and not efficiency only. Because a manufacturer can focus on efficiency only and let aside all the rest (load regulation, ripple, transient response etc.)