These are the best power supply units you can buy for your PC in 2022

The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a critical piece of any desktop. It plays an extremely important role in supplying power to your entire system. Yet power supplies are often overlooked and aren’t discussed as frequently as some of the other star components like the processor or the graphics card. The power supply unit also determines your system’s reliability and save the parts in case something goes wrong. It’s safe to say if you’re not buying the best power supply, then you’re essentially putting your expensive PC parts at risk.

In this article, we’ll help you find the best power supply for your next desktop PC. Instead of recommending one ‘Best Overall’ pick and adding other options to go along, we’ve filtered these options based on the power capacity. You can buy the ones based on your PC’s power requirements without any hesitation since we’ve only added reliable options.

Navigate this article:

Before we jump into each individual item in the list, here are a few important things to consider while shopping for a power supply unit.

With that out of the way, it’s now time to take a detailed look at each individual item in this list:

Best 450W power supply: Corsair CX450

Corsair’s budget-oriented CX450 is one of the best low-power PSUs you can buy on the market right now, and it’s our pick for the best 450W PSU in this collection. As an entry-level offering, the CX450 doesn’t offer a ton of features but it’s still plenty considering it’s going to be used for low-powered systems like, say, an office PC. It’s rated for a maximum DC output of 450W and has an 80 Plus Bronze efficiency rating. It’s not a modular unit, which means the cables are attached to the main box and you’ll have to hide the extra ones. There aren’t too many modular PSUs in this price range, so this isn’t necessarily a con. Modularity in PSUs is more of a premium feature, usually found in high-power units that are suitable for a high-end build.

With a depth measurement of 143mm, the CX450 is a fairly compact PSU. It’s an ATX form factor unit that comes with an ATX12V v2.4 and EPS 2.92 connector. It’s rated for a continuous output temperature of 40°C and it features a 140mm fan inside to keep things cool. This particular PSU only comes with one PCIe connector, but it shouldn’t really be an issue considering you’ll really only be pairing it with just one discrete GPU anyway. Anything more than that would require you to move out of the 450W PSU range. The same is the case with SATA connectivity, which is limited to just four connectors.

One thing that’s unique about the CX450 is that it’s manufactured by two different OEMs–Great Wall (GW) and Channel Well Technology (CWT). Both manufacturers are quite popular, but most PSUs are either made by GW or CWT, not both. You can identify the manufacturer by reading the RPS numbers. CWT’s CX450 is stamped with RPS0053, while the ones Great Wall made reads RPS0063. There’s no way to tell which version you’re buying online, but fortunately, there’s not much difference between their performance. They both use unique yet modern platforms to build this particular PSU, so it’s not a deal-breaker.

Overall, the Corsair CX450 is a great budget PSU to consider for your next entry-level build. It’s not the most affordable PSU on the market though. There are other units like EVGA’s 450 BT, which sometimes sells for as little as $30. However, the CX450 offers a good mix of features and a reliable performance at a fairly affordable price of $60. Both versions of the CX450, as we mentioned earlier, are highly efficient, make less noise, and have a great build quality for being a budget option.

Alternatively, you can also check out Corsair’s VS450 power supply unit if you’re in the budget space. Both CX450 and VS450 promises reliable operation with a rated mean time between failures (MTBF) of 100,000 hours. It’s more affordable than the CX450 but it’s also based on an outdated platform, so you’re essentially paying for decreased performance and efficiency. Mainstream systems with low power requirements don’t necessarily need cutting-edge features, so feel free to explore and shop according to your budget.

Best 550W power supply: Corsair RM550x

Corsair’s RMx power supply units are essentially a more affordable version of the RMi models without the digital interface circuit and the FDB fans. It includes five PSUs with capacities ranging from 550W to 1kW. We’ve chosen the Corsair RM550x as our pick for the best 550W power supply in this collection. It’s the entry-level model with an 80 Plus Gold rating, fully modular cabling, and a 140mm bearing fan. The fan also has a zero RPM mode, which means it doesn’t spin under light and moderate loads.

You also get a top-notch magnetic levitation fan which doesn’t affect the overall noise output. The RM550x is one of the quietest 550W PSU you can buy on the market. This is particularly impressive since the low noise operation is a rarity in this budget space. Notably, Corsair is also using Japanese electrolytic and polymer capacitors for sustained reliable operation over time. Sub-standard capacitors can deteriorate the system performance, so it’s good to see quality components being used here even for a budget PSU. Thanks to its Gold-rated efficiency, the RM550x can deliver full power continuously at up to 50°C ambient.

The RM550x comes with a single ATX, a 6+2 PCIe, and two 4+4 pin EPS12V connectors in addition to a couple of SATA, FDD adapters. All the RMx PSUs use Corsair’s “Type 4” cables that feature capacitors on the ATX, EPS, and PCIe lead to further suppress ripple, and the RM550x is no exception. We think the unit comes with plenty of connectors, although a couple more SATA connectors would’ve been a nice addition. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means but it’s worth mentioning since a lot of other PSUs in this range offer more SATA connectors.

The Corsair RM550x offers great performance and it runs quieter than other rival PSUs on the market. It’s a fantastic PSU with amazing ripple suppression, tight load regulation, and silent operation. The RM550x is the only 550W PSU in the RMx series and Corsair has managed to do justice to it. The RM550x’s price has also gone down significantly since it first came out. At $90, it offers one of the best performance per dollar ratios on the market right now. You really can’t go wrong with the RM550x if you want a reliable PSU even for an entry-level gaming rig with modest internals.

You can check out other alternatives like the Phanteks AMP series 550W PSU or the EVGA 550 G2 as well, but they have their own set of caveats that you may have to deal with later. Another advantage of the RM550x is the use of quality internal components, which isn’t commonplace in the budget space or low-capacity PSUs. We also recommend the RM550x for its quiet operation. It’s something you’ll appreciate over time, especially if you’re building a PC for silent operation. The Corsair RM500x’s price tends to fluctuate quite a bit, so be sure to follow the link given below to get the best deal online.

Best 750W power supply: Cooler Master V750 Gold V2

We think the 750W power supply hits the sweet spot for most users in the world of PC building. It’s perfect for a mid to high-end system with components with a relatively higher-end GPU. Well, if you’re in the market looking for a 750W power supply, then we can’t recommend the CoolerMaster V750 Gold V2 PSU enough. It’s one of the top-performing power supplies in the 750W Gold category. In fact, we think it’s the PSU most people should be buying for their PC build. It’s manufactured by the folks over at Gospower, and they’ve managed to deliver a well-performing PSU to compete with the rival units on the market.

The V750 Gold V2 uses a fully modular cable design and it has modest dimensions to fit inside most PC cases. With 160mm depth, it’s certainly not the most compact PSU, but it leaves enough breathing room inside the case to keep the temperatures in check. The V750 Gold V2 uses a 140mm fluid dynamic bearing fan with a relaxed speed profile to maintain the temperature. Not a lot of 750W PSUs are modular, so this is a nice addition in that regard too.

The Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 comes with two EPS and four PCIe cables, which we think is plenty for a 750W PSU. Additionally, you get ample SATA connectors and four-pin Molex connectors. What’s missing here is an FDD adapter, but that’s not really a necessity for this PSU. The cable length is also good enough to make it easier for users to build inside a relatively tall or large enclosure. And since it’s a fully modular PSU, you can use only the cables you need and leave the rest inside the box.

The V750 Gold V2 topples the competition with its reliable performance. In fact, Cooler Master tops the best 750W PSU charts with this particular unit. It promises reliable operation with a rated mean time between failures (MTBF) of over 100,000 hours, making it one of the PSUs in this collection. The 750W to 850W is a competitive range, and the fact that Cooler Master has managed to deliver a solid product in this space speaks volumes about the quality.

There’s definitely room for improvement and it’s not the perfect PSU. Cooler Master can implement tighter load regulation and even increase the distance between the peripheral connectors. That being said, there’s a lot to like about this PSU, especially at $120. There’s also the CoolerMaster V850 Gold V2, which we think is better for those looking for a slightly higher capacity. Both 750W and 850W are plenty for most PC builds, and CoolerMaster has got you covered with these solid offerings. Other notable options in this category include the Corsair RM750x and the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G6, so be sure to check them out too. Overall, we think the Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 is a solid offering and it’s plenty for most users looking to build a new PC, be it for gaming or other productivity tasks.

Best 850W power supply: Corsair RM850x

While the 750W PSUs are good for powering mid to high-end PCs, we think stepping up to an 850W PSU is not a bad call if you want to leave some headroom for, say, overclocking or future upgrades. And our pick for the best 850W PSU goes to the new Corsair RM850x. It’s an improved version of the already great RM850 PSU that came out not too long before this one landed on the market. We’re looking at improved efficiency at light loads, a new EPS connection, and a new fan for quiet operation. This is, without a doubt, one of the best 850W PSUs you can buy in the market right now. The new ML fan is a fantastic addition and it performs better than the normal rifle and fluid dynamic bearings to keep the temperatures in check.

The RM850x is the best PSU in the RMx family, making it a solid option for high-performance rigs, be it a gaming machine or a video editing workstation. This is a fully modular PSU, which means it can be used to build a clean PC without having to worry about additional cable clutter. Full modularity is a must in this category and the RM850x doesn’t disappoint. The RM850x won’t pose an issue when it comes to case compatibility either due to its 160mm length.

The Corsair RM850x is made by Channel Well Technology (CWT) and they’ve once again done a great job of delivering a quality product with this one. The build quality is excellent and the PSU uses Japanese capacitors for reliable sustained performance. Thanks to amazing tight load regulation, high efficiency, and ripple suppression, the RM850x stands tall among the competition. It achieves a better overall performance than both the competition as well as its predecessor. The use of ML, as mentioned earlier, is like icing on the cake as it’s more reliable even under high operating temperatures.

The RM850x is also equipped with three EPS and four PCIe connectors, making it better than most other offerings. The cables are also long enough to easily route them within the case. It’s tough to pick a winner in the 80 Plus Gold PSU category due to the sheer number of options that are available in this space, but the RM850x shows impressive performance across the board to become our pick for the best 850W PSU. Notable competitors of the RM850x include the XPG Core Reactor 850W and the Cooler Master V850 Gold V2 model. The Cooler Master PSU is essentially the same V750 V2 Gold PSU we saw earlier, but with more capacity.

A 750W power capacity PSU is plenty for most PC builds, but having a little more power allows you to leave headroom for future upgrades and overclocking. This also makes more sense now due to the arrival of more power-hungry components like the RTX 3090 GPU, for instance. There’s also the more affordable RM850, not to be confused with the RM850x, which is another great alternative to this one.

Best power supply over 1KW: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W

Even the most powerful PCs don’t need anything more than a 750W or an 800W PSU, but that’s not stopping manufacturers from dishing out high-capacity power supply units on the market. If you think you need a high capacity PSU — more than 1KW– then be quiet! has a fantastic option. We’re talking about the Dark Power Pro 12 which maxes out at a massive 1500W power capacity. 1500W power is more than you’ll ever need, even for a high-end build, but we’ll leave it to the enthusiast buyers to figure out the power requirements of their PC.

In typical be quiet! fashion, the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 happens to be one of the quietest PSUs on the market. It also has the best build quality of the lot, making it a premium offering in this collection.

As you can see, the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 looks a bit more sophisticated than other PSUs. It also comes in an exquisite package, unlike most other power supply units. This particular unit is made by CWT and uses a platform with digital control for most of its circuits. The company says this PSU can achieve up to 94.9% efficiency, which is impressive. It’s an 80 PLUS Titanium certified unit which also has a Cybenetics ETA-A+ efficiency rating. Cybenetics rates the Dark Power Pro 12 with a LAMBDA-A- noise rating, meaning it’s very quiet even with such a high power output.

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 has a frameless fan for increased airflow and low noise output. The fan also doesn’t take up too much space inside the power supply unit. Additionally, you can also control the fan profile digitally, which is not possible with other PSUs in this collection. Given the huge capacity of this PSU, you get a large number of cables with it. All the cables are individually sleeved and have a good amount of length. You get two EPS connectors and ten PCIe connectors with this power supply, making it perfect for an incredibly powerful gaming rig.

In terms of the performance, well, this is one of the best PSUs you can buy on the market right now. It should be able to handle just about anything you want. It’s also good at handling power but we think the Corsair AX1600i is more power-efficient. That’s because the Dark Power Pro 12 lacks some of the sophisticated internals found inside the Corsair unit. We’ve added that particular unit to our collection as well, so be sure to look around and see what’s different.

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 also comes in a 1200W variant if that fits the bill for you. The EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2 is also a great alternative to consider, but the Dark Power Pro 12 is the better performing PSU out of the two. It goes without saying all these high-capacity PSUs are some of the most expensive PSUs you’ll find on the market, so get your credit cards ready.

Best small form factor power supply: Corsair SF750

Buying an SFX PSU for a small enclosure is quite the task. There are a lot of factors to consider and there are only a few options on the market that are worth recommending. The overall dimension of the PSU is very important for an SFF build, and so is its power efficiency. You’re probably already working with very limited space and the last thing you want is your PSU adding to the overall thermal output inside the case. Out of all the available options, we think the Corsair SF750 is the one that deserves a spot inside your SFF case.

Small form-factor is not suitable for incredibly powerful PCs, so you definitely don’t need anything more than 750W power output. Of course, there are other options with higher power output, but we think 750W is all you need, really. Anything less than that might not give you enough headroom for future upgrades, while high power output PSUs will make your build expensive. We think the SF750 is one of the best options if you want to build a gaming rig inside a small enclosure. In addition to its high capacity, the SF750 offers high-efficiency levels. It comes with an 80 Plus Platinum and a Cybenetics ETA-A certification. And due to its high power efficiency, it’s also known to make less noise inside the case.

This is also a modular PSU, which is another great feature to have for an SFX PSU. Being able to leave unwanted cables behind is really helpful, especially in an SFF enclosure with limited space. You get two EPS connectors in the box, which is more than what you get with most SFX units. Additionally, it also has enough PCIe and peripheral connectors to support a powerful system. It’s also worth pointing out that all cables are individually sleeved.

The Corsair SF750 uses a platform made by Great Wall and has high-quality components. It uses polymer caps to filter out the ripples, which means it has better tolerance to high operating temperatures. Cooling is being handled by a 92mm fan that uses a rifle bearing. Corsair says it’s enough to handle the PSU’s semi-passive operation.

The Corsair SF750 also performs better than a lot of other SFX PSUs on the market. It’s particularly impressive how a small unit like this is capable of achieving 750W power. There are hardly any other PSUs on the market capable of handling such high power output while maintaining the load. The SilverStone SX700-G is a solid alternative to the SF750, but it only comes with a single EPS connector which means it can’t possibly connect to mainboards with high CPU power requirements. The same goes for the SF600 Platinum too, which only has a single EPS connector and only two PCIe connectors.

Overall, we think the Corsair SF750 Platinum offers a good mix of features and reliable performance for most SFF builds. You can always choose to go for a low-capacity PSU, but the SF750 can easily handle the load of even the most demanding SFF needs.

Second best small form factor power supply: SilverStone SX1000 SFX-L

Just like the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12, the SilverStone SX1000 is probably overkill, but it’s the best SFX PSU money can buy right now. Its expensive price tag makes it a little hard for us to recommend it, which is why it’s a spot in our collection as the second-best PSU for SFF builds. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but it’s definitely the one to get if you want nothing but the absolute best performance for your build. It’s a fantastic and very capable PSU that takes the crown in the high-capacity SFX-L category. It’s can power even the most demanding builds, be it a compact, high-performance gaming rig or a content creator workstation.

The SFX-L, in case you don’t know, is very similar to the SFX PSUs. They just happen to have more depth to accommodate a bigger fan to cool the unit. That being said, you can install an SFX-L PSU in almost all the PC cases that can accommodate an SFX unit. The SX1000 has a 969W-per-liter power density, which is easily among the highest you’ll see in the market. It’s equipped with two EPS and six PCIe connectors, so you can connect whatever it is that you want your PC to have. You also get eight SATA connectors with this unit, which is plenty to connect a lot of peripherals. Notably, it’s a modular PSU, which means you can easily install the cables you need. We don’t recommend buying a non-modular PSU to build inside a small enclosure, which is why we haven’t added any of those in our collection.

SilverStone is using a double ball-bearing fan to tame the high thermal output of this particular PSU. It might be noisier than other SFX units, but it’ll be able to keep things cool even under heavy load. SFX-L PSUs with low noise output are a rarity, especially the ones with 1000W power, so this is as good as it gets right now. You don’t necessarily have to worry about the performance of this PSU since it’s arguably the most powerful SFX-L unit. In theory, it should be able to handle pretty much anything you throw at it without a hitch. It also has a fantastic build quality and it’s using top-notch components, as it should for the asking price. You only get a five-year warranty though, which is less than what you get with the Corsair SF750.

As for the competition, well, the 1000W SFX PSU category is still uncharted territory with most users leaning towards either ATX PSU or just a low-capacity SFX unit. This is why the SilverStone SX1000 doesn’t really have any competitors as such trying to take away its throne. We expect more manufacturers to come up with a better SFX-L PSU soon, but for now, this is your only option for a high-capacity PSU for your small form-factor build. You can always step down to either the 800W or even the 750W category to explore more options. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more options, so keep checking this space for more options.

Best power supply above 1250W: Corsair AX1600i

We’ve already added a ton of Corsair PSUs to this collection, but the AX1600i has got to be its most powerful power supply unit here. In fact, the AX1600i is one of the best PSUs on the market right now with only a few options that come close to its performance. The AX1600i is an upgrade to the AX1500i, a behemoth PSU with 80Plus Titanium certification. Corsair says the new PSU is more efficient and has a better performance overall. In reality, there’s only so much you can improve over a 1500W PSU, so the AX1600i brings more improvement in the efficiency department rather than the power output itself. As such, the AX1600i is equipped with Gallium Nitride (GaN) MOSFETs and a few other premium internal components that make it a better offering.

The Corsair AX1600i comes with C19 power cables. It’s better than the C13 cables that most PSUs come with and it’s also important to handle the input amperage of the AX1600i. The AX1600i features a fully modular design, which isn’t really a surprise considering the fact that this is Corsair’s top-of-the-line PSUs for high-performance builds. It would be a shame to not have modularity in a PSU this powerful and expensive, and we’d recommend you not those options. The Corsair AX1600i is one of the most advanced PSUs that’s currently available and it comes with all the bells and whistles that we’ve come to expect from a high-end power supply.

The use of Gallium Nitride (GaN) makes the parts smaller, lighter, and more importantly, more efficient than what you get with other PSUs. It’s particularly impressive how this PSU is just as big as other 800-850W PSUs despite being able to deliver twice the power. It goes without saying that this is no slouch either when it comes to the actual performance. Even the top-tier PSUs on the market have a hard time competing with the AX1600i. The voltage regulation is on-point with barely any ripple. High electrical efficiency also allows it to operate at lower temperatures, even under heavy loads.

With a price tag of $500 and a humungous power output of 1600W, the Corsair AX1600i is certainly not for everyone. Even a fully kitted high-performance PC won’t be able to take full advantage of the 1600W power output. You’ll need at least three, if not four high-end GPUs to push this PSU to its limit. If not, then at least heavily overclocked CPU. Even then you’ll be sitting with significant headroom for more upgrades. As we’ve mentioned multiple times in this article, most users will be satisfied with either a 750W or an 850W PSU.

That being said, the use of GaN components in this PSU paves way for less powerful PSUs in the stack to get the upgrade. SFX PSU can definitely use these GaN components to deliver a high power output very efficiently in a limited space. We’ll keep an eye on those PSUs to drop, but you can grab the Corsair AX1600i, if you really need one, from the link below.

Final Thoughts

Well, that concludes our list of the best power supply units you can buy on the market right now. As you can see, we’ve added a ton of different options to this collection ranging from 650W all the way up to 1500W and above. We think the Cooler Master V750 Gold V2 and Corsair RM850x hits the sweet spot for most users out there. You probably don’t need anything more than a, say, a 750W or an 800W PSU. Low-powered PC builders can also look at some entry-level units like the Corsair RM550x. But if you’re looking for a powerful PSU to run even the most sophisticated gaming PC of your dreams, then you’ll find what you need in Corsair AX1600i PSU.

As always, be sure to let us know what do you think about this collection by dropping a line below. You can always join our XDA Computing Forum to have more discussions about PC hardware, Windows 11, and more with like-minded individuals. You can also check out some of our other collections like the best monitors or even the best webcam if you’re building a new setup from group up.