Tier S – The Crème De La Crème

Tier S PSU

The number of PSUs mentioned in this tier list is definitely the best ones available in the market because of their Platinum and better 80 Plus rating, reliability, unique features, wattage range, price, and Japanese-made components. It would be a hard task for you to find models better than these.

On the other hand, they are completely suitable for those types of enthusiasts who have a significant budget and don’t settle for less. There are a lot of NVIDIA GeForce Titan V GPUs complimenting the most recent Intel Core i9 are they are pretty much on the waiting list of these power supplies.

For an average gamer in search of a PC build reliably for playing AAA games on normal settings, all of these units turn towards the requirements and are the best.

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11
Cooler Master MasterWatt Maker 1200 MiJ
Seasonic PRIME Series
Antec HCP Platinum
Thermaltake Toughpower iRGB PLUS
Corsair AXi Series

PSU Tier 1 – Awesome Power

Tier 1 PSU

The units in Tier 1 are lower in terms of price, yet they still offer remarkable power solutions with great reliability. On the other hand, they are better for demanding powerhouse equipment with expensive components to work.

Furthermore, if you are on a budget, then there is nothing wrong happening with you in this tier, as it contains the most budget-friendly and performance filled units ever. In addition to this, it is a wise option to go for Tier 1 when you want to future-proof a build and enable extra room for the internal components with demanding power requirements.

Bitfenix Whisper
Be Quiet! Straight Power 11
GIGABYTE AP850GM Aorus P850W Modular
Enermax Platimax D.F.
Bitfenix Formula Gold
Mistel MX650 Fanless
Aerocool Project 7
Corsair AXi/AX Series
Corsair HX/HXi Series
Corsair RMi/RMx Series
Corsair SF
Corsair Vengeance
Corsair TX-M Series
Cooler Master V-Series
FSP Aurum PT Series
Riotoro Enigma Series
Cooler Master MasterWatt Maker Series
Seasonic Focus Gold
Seasonic Focus Plus Gold
Seasonic Focus Plus Titanium
Seasonic SnowSilent Series
Seasonic X-Series
Seasonic Platinum Series
XFX XTS Series
LEPA G1600
Silverstone Nightjar NJ600
FSP Hydro PTM Series
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB Series
EVGA G2
EVGA P2
EVGA T2
EVGA G1 1000 Watts
Super Flower Leadex
XFX Pro Series

PSU Tier 2 – Expensive Quality

Tier 2 PSU

The Tier 2 goes down price-wise again, and the units are perfect for veteran builders who are in search of not just a good looking, but a reliable PSU without having to spend too much from their savings. For the products in this tier, you pay for quality, and every penny is worth it.

However, first-time PSU buyers might want to stay clear with the prices because it can still be an issue for them.

Cooler Master V Semi-Modular Series
EVGA GS
EVGA G1+
EVGA GQ
EVGA G3
Enermax Digifanless
Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand Series
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB Series
FSP Hydro G
FSP Dagger SFX
Seasonic M12II
Seasonic S12G
Seasonic G-Series
Kolink Continuum
be Quiet! Pure Power 11
Corsair CX
Fractal Design Newton R3
Fractal Design Edison M
Fractal Design Tesla R2
XFX XTR Series
XFX TS Series Gold
Gigabyte XP1200M
Antec EDGE
Antec TruePower Classic
Rosewill Fortress
Rosewill Capstone
Rosewill Quark

PSU Tier 3 – Reliable Power for Price

Tier 3 PSU

In this tier, we enter into a world of PSUs that are suitable for a majority of gamers who desire a functional machine with commendable components that won’t fry or buck after heavy usage. In addition to this, the PSUs in this tier are both quality-filled and affordable as well.

Cougar GX-S
FSP Aurum CM
FSP Hydro X
Aurum Pro
Super Flower Platinum King
Riotoro Onyx
Zalman EBT
Enermax Revolution SFX
Vivo 24K
Fractal Design Integra M Series
Fractal Design Tesla R2
Rosewill Photon
Rosewill Lightning Series
Rosewill Silent Night
Rosewill Tachyon
EVGA BQ
EVGA B3
Lian Li SFX-L
XFX TS Series Bronze

XFX Pro Series

Deepcool DQST

Silverstone SFX
Silverstone Gold Evolution Series
Silverstone Strider Titanium Series
Silverstone Strider Gold S Series
PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III
PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool
SAMA Armor Gold
LEPA G Series
Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB Series
Thermaltake Smart Series
Thermaltake EVO Blue Series

PSU Tier 4 – Mid-Range Choices

Tier 4 PSU

In the fourth tier, we offer one of the most reliable models on the never-ending catalog of awesome PSUs on sale. They work fine, but they do not contain any extra features.

On the other hand, efficiency is not sacrificed in the tier. In clear words, the fourth tier represents mid-range, not-so-great PSUs that are kind of acceptable in terms of price and performance.

Enermax Revolution X’t II
Fractal Design Tesla R2
Silverstone Strider Plus
Cougar LX
Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite
Cooler Master GM Series
Cooler Master GX – CM Storm
Edition
Rosewill Capstone G
EVGA BQ
Thermaltake Toughpower Gold Series
Thermaltake Paris
Antec Neo Eco Series

Antec EarthWatts Green Series

Antec High Current Gamer Series
Inwin Classic Series
Seasonic M12II
Seasonic ECO
Seasonic S12II
Corsair Gaming Series
be Quiet! Power Zone
be Quiet! Straight Power 11

PSU Tier 5 – Budget Choices

Tier 5 PSU

From here to the end, we are afraid to say, everything is downhill. Tier 5 is basically for all the budget options, and if you are a PC gaming enthusiast, these units will definitely give you goosebumps.

However, if there are any users that are able to spend extra cash on a better CPU or GPU, then these PSUs are kind of beneficial.

Enermax NaXn
Silverstone SFX
Antec Basiq Series BP
Rosewill Glacier
EVGA-B1
XFX XT

PSU Tier 6 – Cheerful and Cheap

Tier 6 PSU

The Tier 6 PSUs are tricky ones; they may work well, but they may end up being useless. If you ask us, it is best to stay clear if your budget allows it.

It is easy for an enthusiastic PC builder to rant about the flaws of these PSUs. They offer the most basic and not-needed functions, and that’s pretty much it. In addition to this, these PSUs barely go 80 Plus rating.

FSP Raider Series
OCZ Fatal1ty
Silverstone Essential Series
EVGA W1
Corsair VS Series
Cooler Master B2 Series
LEPA MX-F1
Rosewill Hive
Rosewill ARC M
Fractal Design Integra R2
NZXT HALE 82 V2
Thermaltake Smart Series
Thermaltake Toughpower Standard
Series
Thermaltake Lite Power Series
Antec VP Series
Bitfenix BPA

PSU Tier 7 – Base of the Drum

Tier 7 PSU

The PSUs in this tier for everything they have to offer shouldn’t even be in the market. In a lot of ways, gamers should demand a price to use these units rather than actually using them because they are a waste of money.

FSP Hexa
Cooler Master Elite Series
Thermaltake TR2 Series
EVGA N1

Why is Your Power Supply Choice Important?

Here’s one very essential thing you must know:

If you purchase a low-quality PSU, then you won’t be able to switch to a high-end graphics card. In addition to this, your gaming power supply will not be strong enough to give you an enhanced gaming experience or a better frame rate, but still, a PSU is an essential component.

So, it is crucial for you to make the right choice by keeping the sole purpose of creating a high-quality gaming computer in mind.

A power supply of 800W-1000W is not enough unless you use a multiple video card configuration and get some extreme type of overclocking happening. However, you don’t need that much power to better your gaming PC.

7 Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a PSU

As mentioned above, there are some questions you need to ask yourself before you buy a PSU. If you search for the answers to the above-written questions, then you will definitely get a better clue about which PSU to get from the multiple options available to you in the market. Following are the major seven factors to consider before you purchase a PSU:

  1. Should I purchase a modular Power Supply?
  2. Is it important for me to save energy?
  3. How many Watts are needed for my gaming PC?
  4. What is meant by an 80Plus rating?
  5. What is meant by the +12V Rail?
  6. Is it possible to have excessive Wattage?
  7. Is it necessary for me to have a nice Power Supply for Gaming?

Do not worry about yourself if you are confused to answer some of these questions. By the end of this buyer’s guide, you will surely end up with accurate answers and theories to what you are going to do.

Finding the Best PC Power Supply Unit

Power supply units are considered to be the most important part of your computer, which can turn this upside-down if not chosen correctly.

If your PC is running completely fine without a Power supply unit, then that doesn’t mean that the system is okay like that. There often comes a time when your PC will demand more power than usual.

For instance, when overclocking your PC’s RAM/CPU/GPU, there will be a high rate of power consumption. In that case, it is necessary to own a high-end PSU to provide the necessary power. The process of purchasing the right PSU means to make a decision that will support your future upgrading of components effortlessly.

However, finding the best PSU is not a child’s play. It is important for you to have enough knowledge about PSUs before purchasing one. There are a number of multiple factors that you must understand.

You must be wondering, what happens if I purchase a cheap yet high-wattage PSU or just an expensive one?  The answer to that is simple; this is exactly how people fall in traps with power supplies in the first place. But you shouldn’t worry because this guide will help you a lot.

How Many Watts are needed for a PSU?

It does not make sense to buy a very powerful power supply that you are never going to need. You can understand the kind of power needed for your system to run with the help of some power consumption calculators.

There are plenty of reliable power consumption calculators available in the market, but still, we have created a list of some of the best ones that will be of help to you.

  • Cooler Master Power Calculator
  • MSI PSU Calculator
  • Seasonic Wattage Calculator

4 Necessary PSU Ratings Discussed

Power Supply Units are marked with four most important ratings, which give you an idea of what kind of outputs you will get from the PSU.

1.Efficiency

An efficient PSU means minimum electric consumption and more affordable e-bills. The more a power supply is efficient, the better outputs it can provide you with.

2.Stability

One of the most required and necessary features of a good power supply is stable. If a power supply is not stable, then it might shut down or deliver low performance under high temperatures or in other situations.

3.Safety

The safety of your PC components depends upon the kind of power supply you use. A reliable power supply is always well-manufactured and features nice safety mechanisms like UVP- Under Voltage Protector or OVP- Over Voltage Protector, etc.

4. Components used

The power supply features rectifiers, regulator circuits, filters, and transformers. Most power supplies often come with nice cooling fans. If all of these components are of good quality, then your power supply will perform as good as possible and will last for a long time.

In conclusion, these factors play a vital role in the performance of the Power Supply Unit you choose. In addition to this, power supply units have the following type of ratings:

80+, Gold, Titanium, Bronze, Gold, and Silver, but some power supplies are not equipped with any ratings at all.