Any seasoned PC building veteran is well aware that embarking on a new project entails hours of trawling enthusiast websites to track down the most suitable components.

The process quickly descends into desperate levels of dullness with sleeping hours spoiled by feverish dreams swimming in a litany of spec details, benchmark results, and models merging into an overwhelming mess of choice.

Sorting the wheat from the chaff is no simple task. It’s hard enough choosing from dozens of graphics card models, let alone diving into literally hundreds of power supply units on the market.

To make the task more bearable, we’ve classified power supply units in tiers from the top of the class to the downright useless based on price point, efficiency, and overall performance.

We hope that our heavily researched tier list can make the experience of choosing a PSU for your next build that much more tolerable.

Tier PSU 80 Plus Rating Power S Tier be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 Platinum 1200 Watts Cooler Master MasterWatt Maker 1200 MiJ Titanium 1200 Watts Seasonic PRIME Series Platinum, Titanium 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1300 Watts Antec HCP Platinum Platinum 750, 850, 1000, 1300 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower iRGB PLUS Platinum and Titanium 850, 1050, 1200, 1250 Watts Corsair AXi Series Platinum and Titanium 1200, 1500, 1600 Watts Tier 1 Bitfenix Whisper Gold 450, 550, 650, 750, 850 Watts Be Quiet! Straight Power 11 Gold 450, 550, 750, 850, 1000 Watts GIGABYTE AP850GM Aorus P850W Modular Gold 850 Watts Enermax Platimax D.F. Platinum 500, 600, 750, 850, 1050, 1200 Watts Bitfenix Formula Gold Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Mistel MX650 Fanless Platinum 650 Watts Aerocool Project 7 Platinum 650, 750, 850 Watts Corsair AXi/AX Series Platinum 760, 860 Watts Corsair HX/HXi Series Platinum 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Corsair RMi/RMx Series Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts Corsair SF Platinum 450, 600 Watts Corsair Vengeance Silver 650, 750 Watts Corsair TX-M Series Gold 550, 650, 750, 850 Watts Cooler Master V-series Gold to Platinum depending on model 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts FSP Aurum PT Series Platinum 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Riotoro Enigma Series Gold 650, 750, 850 Watts Cooler Master MasterWatt Maker Series Platinum 1200, 1500 Watts Seasonic Focus Gold Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Seasonic Focus Plus Gold Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum Platinum 550, 650, 750, 850 Watts Seasonic SnowSilent Series Platinum 750, 1050 Watts Seasonic X-Series Gold 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1250 Watts Seasonic Platinum Series Platinum 660, 760, 860, 1050, 1200 Watts XFX XTS Series Platinum 460, 520, 1000 Watts LEPA G1600 Gold 1600 Watts Silverstone Nightjar NJ600 Titanium 600 Watts FSP Hydro PTM Series Platinum 550, 650, 750 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB Series Platinum 1200 Watts EVGA G2 Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1300, 1600 Watts EVGA P2 Platinum 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200, 1600 Watts EVGA T2 Titanium 850, 1000, 1600 Watts EVGA G1 1000 Watts Gold 1000 Watts Super Flower Leadex Gold, Platinum, Titanium 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1300 Watts XFX Pro Series Gold and Platinum 1000, 1050, 1250 Watts Tier 2 Cooler Master V Semi-Modular Series Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts EVGA GS Gold 550, 650 Watts EVGA G1+ Gold 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts EVGA GQ Gold 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts EVGA G3 Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts Enermax Digifanless Platinum 550 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G Platinum and Titanium 850, 1050, 1200, 1250, 1500 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower Grand Series Platinum 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1200 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB Series Gold and Platinum 650, 750, 850, 1050 Watts FSP Hydro G Gold 850 Watts FSP Dagger SFX Gold 600 Watts Seasonic M12II Bronze 750, 850 Watts Seasonic S12G Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Seasonic G-Series Gold 360, 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Kolink Continuum Platinum 1050, 1200, 1500 be Quiet! Pure Power 11 Gold



300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 700 Watts Corsair CX Bronze 430, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 750 Watts Fractal Design Newton R3 Platinum 600, 800, 1000 Watts Fractal Design Edison M Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Fractal Design Tesla R2 Gold 650, 1000 Watts XFX XTR Series Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1250 Watts XFX TS Series Gold Gold 550, 650, 750 Watts Gigabyte XP1200M Platinum 1200 Watts Antec EDGE Gold 550, 650, 750 Watts Antec TruePower Classic Gold 550, 650, 750 Watts Rosewill Fortress Platinum 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Rosewill Capstone Gold 450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Rosewill Quark Platinum 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Tier 3 Cougar GX-S Gold 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts FSP Aurum CM Gold 550, 650, 750 Watts FSP Hydro X Gold 650 Watts Aurum Pro Gold 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Super Flower Platinum King Platinum 450, 550 Watts Riotoro Onyx Bronze 650, 750 Watts Zalman EBT Gold 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts Enermax Revolution SFX Gold 650 Watts Vivo 24K Gold 650 Watts Fractal Design Integra M Series Bronze 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Fractal Design Tesla R2 Gold 800 Watts Rosewill Photon Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1200, 1250 Watts Rosewill Lightning Series Gold 800, 1000, 1300 Watts Rosewill Silent Night Platinum 500 Watts Rosewill Tachyon Platinum 650, 750, 1000 Watts EVGA BQ Bronze 750, 850 Watts EVGA B3 Bronze 550, 650, 750, 850 Watts Lian Li SFX-L Platinum 550, 750 Watts XFX TS Series Bronze N/A 450, 550, 650 Watts XFX Pro Series Bronze 550, 650 Watts Deepcool DQST Gold 550, 750 Watts Silverstone SFX Gold 650, 700, 800 Watts Silverstone Gold Evolution Series Gold 1000, 1200 Watts Silverstone Strider Titanium Series Titanium 600, 700, 800, 1100, 1300, 1500 Watts Silverstone Strider Gold S Series Gold 550, 650, 750, 850, 1500 Watts PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Bronze, Gold, Platinum 400, 500, 600, 750, 850, 1200 Watts PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool Gold 860 Watts SAMA Armor Gold Gold 550, 750 Watts LEPA G Series Gold 1000, 1200, 1600 Watts Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB Series Bronze 650, 750, 850 Watts Thermaltake Smart Series Bronze 550, 650 Watts Thermaltake EVO Blue Series Gold 650, 750, 850 Watts Tier 4 Enermax Revolution X't II Gold 550, 650, 750 Watts Fractal Design Tesla R2 Gold 500 Watts Silverstone Strider Plus Silver 600, 750, 850, 1000, 1500 Watts Cougar LX Bronze 500, 600 Watts Cooler Master MasterWatt Lite White 500, 600 Watts Cooler Master GM Series Bronze 450, 500, 650, 750 Watts Cooler Master GX - CM Storm Edition Bronze 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Rosewill Capstone G Gold 650, 750, 850, 1000, 1200 Watts EVGA BQ Bronze 500, 600, 650, 750 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower Gold Series Gold 550, 750, 650, 850, 1000, 1200, 1500 Watts Thermaltake Paris Gold 650 Watts Antec Neo Eco Series Bronze 520, 550, 620, 650 Watts Antec EarthWatts Green Series Bronze, Gold, Platinum 350, 380, 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts Antec High Current Gamer Series Bronze 520, 620, 750, 850 Watts Inwin Classic Series Bronze 500, 600 Watts Seasonic M12II Bronze 520, 620 Watts Seasonic ECO Bronze 430 Watts Seasonic S12II Bronze 350, 430, 520, 620 Watts Corsair Gaming Series Bronze 600, 700, 800 Watts be Quiet! Power Zone Bronze 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts be Quiet! Straight Power 11 Gold 450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts Tier 5 Enermax NaXn White 450 Watts Silverstone SFX Bronze 300, 450 Watts Antec Basiq Series BP White 350, 430, 500, 500 Watts Rosewill Glacier Bronze 500, 600, 700, 850, 1200 Watts EVGA B1 Bronze 450, 500, 600, 700 Watts XFX XT Bronze 400, 500, 600 Watts Tier 6 FSP Raider Series Silver 450, 550, 650, 750 Watts OCZ Fatal1ty Bronze, Gold 550, 750, 1000 Watts Silverstone Essential Series Bronze, Silver, Gold 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, EVGA W1 White 430, 500, 600 Watts Corsair VS Series White 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 Watts Cooler Master B2 Series White 400, 500, 600, 700 Watts LEPA MX-F1 White, Bronze 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 Watts Rosewill Hive Bronze 550, 650, 750, 850, 1000 Watts Rosewill ARC M Bronze 550, 650, 750 Watts Fractal Design Integra R2 Bronze 500, 650, 750 Watts NZXT HALE 82 V2 Bronze 550, 700 Watts Thermaltake Smart Series Bronze 750, 1000, 1200 Watts Thermaltake Toughpower Standard Series Silver 1000, 1200 Watts Thermaltake Litepower Series Non-Rated 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 650 Watts Antec VP Series White 450, 550, 630 Watts Bitfenix BPA White 400, 500, 600 Watts Tier 7 FSP Hexa White 500, 600, 700 Watts Cooler Master Elite Series Non-Rated, White 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600 Watts Thermaltake TR2 Series White, Bronze, Gold 350, 430, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 850 Watts EVGA N1 Non-Rated 400, 550, 650, 750 Watts

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Tier S – The Crème De La Crème

The PSUs in this tier are among the best on the market due to their reliability, Platinum and above 80 Plus rating, wattage range, Japanese-made components, unique features, and price. You’d be hard-pressed to find better models.

They are, however, reserved for enthusiasts with a significant budget who won’t settle for anything other than the best. Multiple Nvidia GeForce Titan V GPUs running alongside the latest Intel Core i9 are likely candidates for any of these power supply units.

For the average gamer embarking on a PC build capable of running AAA games on decent settings, these units swing towards the necessary and are overkill.

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

Tier 1 – Amazing Power

Tier 1 units drop down the price ladder while still offering staggeringly good power solutions with unmatched reliability, but once again are better suited to demanding powerhouse machines with expensive components to run.

If you’ve got the budget, then you can’t go wrong with this tier. Buying tier 1 is also a wise way to future-proof a setup and allow extra breathing room for components with greedier 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 Platinum 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

Tier 2 – Costly Quality

Tier 2 drops down price-wise once again and the units sit as a comfortable middle ground for veteran PC builders who want a reliable PSU without spending their life savings in the process. You pay for quality, but it feels like every dollar is well spent.

First-timers on a tight budget may want to stay clear as the prices can still be eye-watering to the unversed.

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

Tier 3 – Reliable Power For A Price

We now enter territory that should suit the majority of gamers who want a functional machine with reliable components that won’t buck or fry after some serious usage. The PSUs in this tier are, therefore, more affordable, yet pack a qualitative punch.

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

Tier 4 – Mid-Range Affordability

With tier 4, we approach, without quite reaching, the more questionable models on the market, among the seemingly endless catalog of PSUs on sale. They work, but without any additional bells and whistles.

Efficiency takes a hit without being too dire. Bottom line: midrange through and through, not great, not bad, but healthy and resoundingly acceptable.

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

Tier 5 – Budget Options

From here onwards, we’re afraid to say it’s whirlingly downhill. Tier 5 is where the budget options sit, and the chances are if you are a PC gaming connaisseur, these units will send shivers down your spine.

For the ordinary mortals among us who want to pour our precious cash into a better GPU or CPU, then these units are somewhat of a boon.

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

Tier 6 – Cheap & Cheerful

Tier 6 PSUs are a gamble; they may work fine or they may prove to be utterly useless. Our advice is to stay clear if your finances allow it.

Any serious builder will happily rant at length about how awful these are. They provide the most basic functions of a PSU with absolutely nothing else to offer. These units barely reach 80 Plus Rating in most instances with a predominance of white scores.

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 Litepower Series Antec VP Series Bitfenix BPA

Tier 7 – Bottom Of The Barrel

The power supply units in this tier for all intents and purposes shouldn’t be on the market. In many ways, gamers should be paid to use these rather than waste their earnings on what is none other than packaged garbage.

Stay well clear, and if you make the mistake of tempting your luck with these PSUs, you’re in for a bad time.