Best power supply for PC gaming in 2024

The EVGA Supernova 1000G 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 also built with Japanese Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors, making this PSU an ever-reliable part of any rig. Admittedly, you’ll find a longer warranty period with other products, but three years should still be fine for most people.

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 point, this power supply doesn’t skimp on 80 Plus Bronze certification, meaning it’s by no means wasteful – just not the biggest fish in the pond.

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.

The Nvidia RTX 4000 range hasn’t yet hit the 1,000W ceiling, but there’s no telling what the AMD RDNA 3 series is hungry for until Team Red lifts the lid on Radeon 7000 GPUs. If you don’t want to find your power supply trailing behind the times in the coming years, you might need a 1,000W monster, and the Gigabyte UD1000GM PG5 is already prepared for pretty much anything that may come.

It’s already equipped with support for the latest PCIe Gen 5 16-pin power connector, which will likely eventually power every GPU that comes our way in the future. Gigabyte claims that the power supply’s 120mm smart hydraulic bearing fan should last 1.4x longer than a standard sleeve bearing found on some cheaper models. It also comes with plenty of other traits you’d expect from a top-tier power supply, such as 80 Plus Gold certification, a fully modular design, and a 10-year warranty.

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. That said, it’ll work great in a bigger ATX chassis too, thanks to the included SFX-to-ATX bracket.

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.

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 (which pushes it to its limits). With plenty of connectors and a decade-long warranty, it’s hard to imagine anyone being disappointed by this PSU.

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).

The housing perhaps feels a little flimsier than you’d find with some of the more premium options on this list, but it’s not something that I’d worry too much about. With a ten-year manufacturer’s warranty, you can count on this to be a quiet and reliable PSU for many years to come.

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 chassis 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.