When building a gaming system, all you need to do is buy all the hardware you need. Calculate the total Power wattage and pick out a suitable PSU accordingly, right? 3p481t

WRONG!!! A lot more needs to be taken into when choosing the perfect Power Supply Unit(PSU) for your gaming rig. This article will guide you about how you can pick up a suitable and long-lasting PSU.

I have also classified all the options you have into various tiers based on their specifications and characteristics.  You can rely on any of these products as they are all 80 Plus certified.

If you are a beginner at PC building and have no idea what to consider when buying a PSU. You should probably read the buying guide before checking out the PSU Tier list.

And for those who already know what they are looking at, without any further delay, here is the PSU Tier List of 2023.

Value TIER  5e2429

This tier consists of all the high-end Power Supply Units. They have the highest continuous power wattage as well as the highest maximum power supply capacity. This tier is best for those who are planning to use Multiple GPUs in their system. If money isn’t an issue and you require a reliable powerplant for your beast, then you should choose from the list below.

80 Plus: Titanium – Platinum 595ze

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS) (WATTS)
Be Quiet! Dark Power(WATTS) Pro 11	Titanium	1200
Antec H Plantium	Platinum	750, 850, 1000, 1300
Seasonic PRIME series	Platinum and Titanium	550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1300
Corsair AXi Series	Platinum and Titanium	1200, 1500, 1600

TIER 1 6z242r

This tier has the second-best quality PSU in the market. If you require a high-end, reliable PSU, but you already spent a lot of your budget on other components. Then this tier is the perfect choice for you. It has slightly lower price range products having all the capabilities of an S-quality PSU. You can install either a single GPU or multiple GPUs with this power supply unit. They also help you out in cable management by including only ports for your required cables.

80 Plus: Platinum – Gold 66nn

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
Be Quiet! Dark Power(WATTS) Pro 11	Gold	450, 550, 750, 850, 1000
Mistel MX650 fanless	Platinum	650
Corsair Vengeance	Silver	650, 750
Super flower Leadex	Gold, platinum, and titanium	550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1300
Thermaltake ToughPower(WATTS) Grand RGB Series	Platinum	1200
LEPA G1600	Gold	1600

TIER 2  3x5l40

This tier consists of PSUs with slightly lower 80 plus ratings. It doesn’t mean that the product isn’t reliable enough. But this tier is made up of products for s who don’t have a high-power wattage needs. Picking out the PSU closest to your wattage requirements increases the overall efficiency of your system. Therefore, if you only want to install a single GPU and have no future plans of upgrading your system to multi-GPU, then this tier is perfect for you.

80 Plus: Gold – Bronze 5z2bm

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
FSP Hydro G	Gold	850
Seasonic G series	Gold	360, 450, 550, 650, and 750
Kolink Continuum	Platinum	1050, 1200, 1500
Corsair CX	Bronze	430, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, and 750
Fractal Design Tesla R2	Gold	650 and 1000
Antec EDGE	Gold	550, 650, and 750
Rosewill fortress	Platinum	450, 550, 650, and 750
Rosewill Capstone	Gold	450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, and 1200
Rosewill Quark	Platinum	550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, and 1200

TIER 3  276d1w

This tier consists of slightly less energy-efficient PSUs. They are perfect for an average gamer. If your average gaming sessions consist of 6-8 hours daily, then this is the best budget-friendly PSU for you. These power supply units are best for single GPU such as Nvidia GeForce series or AMD Ryzen series processing units. If you are looking for a medium-range PSU, then this tier is the best range of choices for you.

80 Plus: lower Platinum – Gold – Bronze 4q5a1w

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
Super flower platinum king	Platinum	450 and 550
Zalman EBT	Gold	650, 750, 850, 1000, and 1200
Aurum pro	Gold	850, 1000, 1200, and
Rosewill photon	Gold	550, 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1200, and 1250
XFX pro series	Bronze	550 and 650
EVGA BQ	Bronze	750 and 850

TIER 4 b3l1q

This tier is mainly for s who don’t want to install powerful AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors or GeForce 2080Ti graphic cards. If your wattage requirements range between 400watts to 600watts, then this tier consists of the best lower price PSUs for you.

80 Plus: Lower Gold – Bronze 2m2d1p

The next tier in the list is not suitable at all for over-clockers. If you are one of those people who like to test the limits of their hardware, they should not choose only the products above this tier. This tier contains only the PSUs, which give an efficiency of 82% on 90-100% power usage. Thus there is a slim chance of tearing up the power supply if a heavy load is applied for a long time. If you like to play games at medium to high settings on normal hardware, then you can choose a power supply from this tier.

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
Cougar LX	Bronze	500 and 600
Silverstone Strider plus	Silver	600, 750, 850, 1000, and 1500
Rosewill Capstone G	Gold	650, 750, 850, 1000, and 1200
Thermaltake Paris	Gold	650
Inwin classic series	Bronze	500 and 600
Cooler Master GM series	Bronze	450, 500, 650, and 750
Corsair gaming series	Bronze	600, 700, and 800

TIER 5  2q1p56

This tier consists of only mid-range PSUs.   If your wattage requirements are not very high, then you can choose from this tier. These products provide pretty reliable performance to an average home .  You can use these Power Supplies in your home unit that’s probably used by your kids. However, this tier is not at all suitable for industrial units because they are meant for operating for longer shifts.

80 Plus: Bronze 151h4q

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
Silverstone SFX	Bronze	300 and 450
Rosewill Glacier	Bronze	500, 600, 700, 850, 1200
EVGA B1	Bronze	450, 500, 600, and 700

TIER 6  5j304w

This is the second last category on the tier list. If you are looking for a power supply that’s well within your budget, then this can be your choice. These PSUs are known to last for a long time if used with proper care. They are not suitable for those who like to experiment. They give an efficiency of 80% on continuous power usage of 70-80%. These are pretty slim numbers for heavy-duty gamers, and you may experience some performance drops during the gameplay.

80 Plus: Bronze – White 4h2n61

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
EVGA W1	White	430, 500, and 600
Silverstone essential series	Bronze, silver, and gold	400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, and 750
Rosewill hive	Bronze	550, 650, 750, 850, and 1000
Thermaltake smart series	Bronze	750, 1000, and 1200
Antec VP series	White	450, 550, and 630
FSP Raider series	Silver	50, 550, 650, and 750

TIER 7  27176k

This is the final tier on the list. These products are suitable for those who really know what they are doing. It is best to manually test the power output capabilities before installing one of these PSUs on your system. A precise calculation of power wattage is required by your end as well. This ensures that your usage remains well within the PSU limits at all times. The products in this range are not very well-known for their reliability. There is always a chance to burn your precious hardware while trying to save a few bucks.

80 Plus: White (non-rated) 2t6u46

PSU	80 Plus Rating	Power(WATTS)
FSP Hexa	White	500, 600, and 700
Cooler Master Elite Series	Non-Rated, White	300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600
Thermaltake TR2 series	White, bronze, and gold	350, 430, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, and 850

Buying Guide: 4d562t

If you are building a gaming PC for the first time. You probably already have been researching far and wide for your hardware components. This hardware determines which games you will be playing and what quality of graphics and FPS you will be playing on. Thus it is best always to choose the best hardware that fits your budget because you won’t be making any upgradation for a long time.

We have all wished to build our own gaming rig at one point or another. If you are fulfilling your wish and all you need to do is buy a suitable PSU according to your power requirements. There is a code of procedure that you need to follow. This ensures that you avoid burning all your hardware due to under-powering the system or spending a lot more money than required.

First of all, you need to calculate all the power wattage that you are going to need to the hardware fully. This ensures that you get the maximum performance out of the system. On average, a gaming PC requires between 400-500 watts of power. Therefore, you will need a PSU that provides a continuous wattage of 500 Watts.

However, you can’t just pick up any PSU within your wattage needs and install it on your system. There are some factors that you need to consider before finally making your decision:

Wattage: 223t71

This factor describes the power output limits of a PSU. You need to check out this factor in order to operate your system at its maximum performance normally. However, there are two types of wattage labeled on the PSU.

Some manufacturers write the maximum power output capacity of the unit. This doesn’t imply that this unit will give out the same wattage all the time. For example, if a PSU says that it can a maximum load of 600Watts. It means that the continuous power wattage will always be less than that. If operated at 100% usage for a long time, your system is at a high risk of burning out.

Many PSU generates a lot of heat when operating above 80% capacity. This heat can’t be tackled by the integrated fans in PSU. It is best to manually test the continuous power provided by the unit before installing it on your system. You can use external meters to draw out a continuous power as well as the maximum power output. Heat production should also be kept in check during the testing process using a thermal gun.

Reliability: o4528

A properly labeled PSU doesn’t always mean that the unit will be operable for a long time. Power Supply is the component of the system that remains functional throughout the operation. Suppose you are engaged in a long gameplay session of 8-10 hours. Other components such as U or cooling fans or GPU will be used only when required. The PSU will operate as long as the system remains turned on. Therefore, it is advised always to use a reliable PSU.

There are hundreds of PSU models available in the market from various manufacturers. You should always prefer to pick out a PSU from a reliable brand such as Corsair. Because they are made up of durable components that can even handle a maximum power output for a long time.

A reliable PSU ensures that your system is provided with a constant and continuous supply of power throughout the session. If there is even a little fluctuation in the power supply, there is always a risk of scalding the system. Therefore, even after purchasing a PSU from a reliable manufacturer. Always make sure to manually test its power fluctuations before installing it on your system.

Efficiency: 3eyf

The efficiency of  PSU means that the amount of energy provided to the PSU and the continuous output obtained from it. This describes the amount % of loss in the whole system. The efficiency of a PSU is obtained by the output/input *100 formula. The efficiency of any PSU decreases with the power output obtained from it. For example, if a PSU has 90% efficiency at 50% load, the same PSU will give an efficiency of 70% at 80-90% usage.

An efficient PSU may cost you a little more than average, but it saves your money in the long-term. An efficient Power Supply draws out only the required amount of energy as input and gives out a continuous, reliable amount of energy as required by the system. This results in the minimum number of losses as well as the least amount of heat production. This not only saves your system from wear and tear but also saves your money in the form of electrical bills. You may save up to $100 every month by using a power-efficient PSU.

80 Plus Rating: 3ae5p

The importance of efficiency in any PSU system plays an important role in every aspect of the whole phenomenon. This led to the creation of standards for PSU manufacturers. Each of their products is tested on several tests before being officially certified as an 80 plus rating. Even after 80 plus certification, there are several ranks given to the PSUs on the basis of their performance. These ranks determine the quality of the product and help any to understand the potential of the respective PSU easily. These ranks are Titanium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and finally unranked or White.

80 plus rating of any product is tested by operating the PSU at 10%. 20%, 30% up to 100% usage. A continuous amount of energy is drawn out from the PSU for a specific time. The amount of efficiency of that PSU at every level determines whether it is suitable for the next level. Such testing is used until the failure level is reached. This helps in determining the safety limits of that product.

PSUs rated between Titanium to silver can be used in industrial units as well as heavy gaming. Such products are reliable to provide a continuous energy supply without failure. These products cost a little more than the others but provide a reliable and efficient service.

Rating lower than silver all the way to white are only useful for lower power usage and home usage. Such units don’t guarantee a continuous energy output without fluctuations. You shouldn’t use any of such rating products for over-clocking purposes because you may end up with a Fried system.

Here I have provided a table of 80 plus ratings on the basis of efficiency for clarification purposes:

80 PLUS Certification	115V Internal Non-Redundant	115V Industrial
% of Rated Load	10%	20%	50%	100%	10%	25%	50%	100%
80 PLUS	—	80%	80%	80% / PFC .90	—
80 PLUS Bronze	—	82%	85% / PFC .90	82%	—
80 PLUS Silver	—	85%	88% / PFC .90	85%	80%	85% / PFC .90	88%	85%
80 PLUS Gold	—	87%	90% / PFC .90	87%	82%	87% / PFC .90	90%	87%
80 PLUS Platinum	—	90%	92% / PFC .95	89%	85%	90% / PFC .95	92%	90%
80 PLUS Titanium	90%	92% / PFC .95	94%	90%	—

Build-Quality: 1d34k

Build-quality of any product determines the amount of wear and tear it can manage before failure. A PSU with good build-quality means that it will be durable and energy-efficient. You should always check the material of the casing, type of internal wiring, and the components of PSU before buying it. Reputable brands always use high-quality components to ensure durability and reliability. This helps the product attain a higher 80 plus rank and make its name in the market.

Corsair, for example, uses components imported from Japan. They are well-known to provide maximum efficiency and generate the least amount of heat. Therefore, the better components used, the more performance you should expect from the product.

Noise Level: 1l486

An efficient PSU generates the least amount of heat even during heavy usage. On the contrary, a less efficient PSU means that a lot of heat will be produced by the power supply itself, even at medium operations. You may even need to include additional cooling fans or water-cooling systems for the PSU alone.

There are internal fans installed in the PSU by the manufacturer. These fans ensure to keep the system cool and efficient during heavy operations. But the problem is that these fans run at higher RPMs as the system heats up, increasing the overall noise levels.

Good-quality PSU ensures the minimum amount of heat generation during heavy usage. This means that the fans will operate at lower rpm all the time while maintaining system temperature at low levels. The lower the fan’s rpm, the less amount of noise will be produced. So, you can better concentrate on your gaming without any kind of disturbance.

Upgradation: 5o5qu

When calculating your power requirements, you should keep in mind the factor of future upgrades. If you don’t plan on upgrading any of the hardware in the future, then you can pick a PSU closet to your requirements. Because this will save you a lot of money and even make your system lighter.

If you plan on upgrading the system to the latest one, you should leave room for such expansions. It will save both your time and money in the future. The newly upgraded hardware may require more power and a PSU upgrade always costs a lot. Therefore, always purchase a PSU with at least 50-100 watts more than your requirements.

Price: q3z5r

This factor is an obvious one. You need to keep an eye on your budget when buying a PSU. Usually, the more 80 plus ratings, the more expensive that product will be. Therefore, you should choose a PSU nearest to your Power requirements to minimize the unit costs.

Always choose branded PSU over the others because they ensure the best quality products at a minimum price. If you are an average , you don’t need a heavy-duty Titanium rank PSU. Your system will do just fine with a gold or bronze ranked PSU if used within limits.

Conclusion: 4c5l6c

PSU is the powerplant of your system. You should take great care when choosing the perfect PSU for your system. I hope this article has increased your knowledge about PSUs and helps you in making the right choice.