The power supply feeds every part of the PC, and a bad one can damage them. It is the worst place to save money. Choosing is simple if you check four things: enough wattage, a good platform, the right connectors and a long warranty.
0425 W850 W
The unit works best at roughly 40–70% load and has room for short power spikes of the graphics card.
1. How many watts you need
- Add up the power of the graphics card and the processor and add about 100–150 W for the rest (board, memory, drives, fans).
- Aim for a load of about 40–70% in games: the unit is quiet, efficient and handles the short power spikes of modern graphics cards.
- Do not rely on the label alone: a 1000 W unit from an unknown brand can be weaker than a good 650 W one.
- The graphics card maker publishes a recommended wattage. Typical values for a gaming system (they follow the MSI recommended PSU table):
| Graphics card | Typical recommended PSU |
|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5090 | 1000 W |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 850 W |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 750 W |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 650 W |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti | 600 W |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 550 W |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 750–850 W |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 650–750 W |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT | 500–600 W |
Plan more if you overclock, use a top processor or want room for an upgrade.
2. What matters more than watts
- The platform and protections: OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OPP and OTP should all be listed. They save the parts when something goes wrong.
- 80 PLUS (Bronze, Gold, Platinum, Titanium) shows only efficiency: how little energy is lost as heat. Gold is a sensible choice; higher ratings cost more than they save for most people.
- Cybenetics also measures noise, which 80 PLUS does not. A noise grade A or better is quiet.
- Warranty: 7–10 years usually means the maker trusts the design. 2–3 years on a mid-range unit is a warning sign.
- Fan size: 120–140 mm fans run slower and quieter than small ones.
3. Connectors and cables
- Modern cards (RTX 40 and 50) may use the 12V-2×6 (16-pin) connector. A unit with a native ATX 3.x cable is better than an adapter.
- Push the connector in fully until it clicks, and do not bend the cable sharply right next to the plug. A loose or sharply bent connector is the main cause of overheated plugs.
- For 8-pin cards use separate cables for each plug on powerful cards instead of one cable with two plugs.
- Modular units make cable management easier; non-modular are cheaper and fine in a spacious case.
- Check the size: ATX is standard, small cases need SFX.
4. What not to buy
- Very cheap “1000 W” units from unknown brands, and old used units: the capacitors age, and after 7–10 years the real power is lower.
- A unit that exactly matches the load with no headroom.
- A unit with fewer PCIe connectors than your graphics card needs.
5. Signs that the power supply is failing
- The PC shuts down or restarts by itself under load, with no error code.
- Buzzing, whining or burning smell from the unit; a hot connector.
- Random blue screens (blue screen guide) that remain after memory and drivers are fine.
- Stop using it at once if you smell burning, and bring the PC for diagnosis.
If you want to be sure the whole build is balanced, choose the parts in our PC configurator: the power supply is selected with a margin for the chosen graphics card.