Don’t Cheap Out on the Best Power Supply in 2026: One Wrong Choice Can Kill the Whole PC
For most gaming PCs, buy an 850W ATX 3.1 unit with a native 12V-2x6 cable, such as the ASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO. A power supply is nobody’s idea of an exciting purchase, which is exactly why it is the part people cheap out on. Size it to your graphics card first: NVIDIA asks for 850W with an RTX 5080 and 1000W with an RTX 5090. Then buy a known model with a long warranty, because a bad power supply can take other parts with it.
Your build, your power supply:
- RTX 5070 Ti, 5080 or RX 9070 XTASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO. Why
- RTX 5060 to 5070, tighter budgetbe quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W. Why
- You want 1000Wbe quiet! Power Zone 2 1000W. Why
- RTX 5090Antec NE1200 Platinum. Why
- Quietest PCbe quiet! Dark Power 14 850W. Why
- Small caseCorsair SF750, an SFX unit. Why
- Reusing an old PSURead this first. ATX 3.1
be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W ATX Black PSU
In stock
ASUS TUF-GAMING-850G-EVO 850W ATX PSU Black
In stock
Antec NE1200 Platinum NeoEco 1200W ATX 3.1 PSU, PCIe 5.1, 80 Plus Platinum, 10-Year Warranty
In stock
be quiet! POWER ZONE 2 1000W ATX Black PSU
In stock
The best power supplies for 2026, side by side
Six picks, one line each. Find your graphics card in the wattage table first, then read across.
| Pick | Power and size | 80 Plus | Standard and GPU cable | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most gaming PCs: ASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO | 850W, ATX | Gold | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 8 years |
| Budget: be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W | 650W, ATX | Gold | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 10 years |
| 1000W: be quiet! Power Zone 2 1000W | 1000W, ATX | Platinum | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 10 years |
| RTX 5090: Antec NE1200 Platinum | 1200W, ATX | Platinum | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 10 years |
| Quietest: be quiet! Dark Power 14 850W | 850W, ATX | Titanium | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 10 years |
| Small case: Corsair SF750 | 750W, SFX | Platinum | ATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 | 7 years |
Best power supply for a gaming PC: ASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO
850W, ATX 3.1 and a native 12V-2×6 cable: the size NVIDIA asks for with an RTX 5080, with an 8-year warranty.
- Power850W, ATX
- Efficiency80 Plus Gold
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- CablesFully modular
- Warranty8 years
ASUS TUF-GAMING-850G-EVO 850W ATX PSU Black
In stock
Original price was: £142.79.£135.58Current price is: £135.58.- ASUS TUF-GAMING-850G-EVO 850 W PSU with 90YE00SA-B0NA00 MPN
- ATX 3.1 compatible with PCIe Gen 5.1 support
- 80 PLUS Gold certification for high power efficiency
- Fully-modular cabling with 16-pin, 6+2 pin, and 4+4 pin connectors
- Active cooling with 1 fan and protective PCB coating
- Check motherboard and GPU power requirements before purchase
- Good for: an RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or RX 9070 XT build
- Good for: one cable to the graphics card: the 16-pin 12V-2×6 lead comes in the box
- Skip it if: you are building around an RTX 5090: see the 1200W pick below
- Skip it if: silence is your top priority: see the Dark Power 14
The TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO covers the PC most people are building in 2026. ASUS lists ATX 3.1, one 16-pin 12V-2×6 cable for current graphics cards, three 6+2-pin PCIe cables for older ones, and fully modular cables. Cooling is a 135mm fan on dual ball bearings. It carries 80 Plus Gold, and Cybenetics, an independent test lab, rates it Platinum at 230V, the voltage of UK mains.
Best budget PSU: be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W
A 650W Gold unit with ATX 3.1, a 12V-2×6 cable and a 10-year warranty: right for an RTX 5060 Ti or RTX 5070.
- Power650W, ATX
- Efficiency80 Plus Gold
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- Fan120mm, semi-passive
- Warranty10 years
be quiet! Pure Power 13 M 650W ATX Black PSU
In stock
Original price was: £100.79.£94.73Current price is: £94.73.- 650W ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant power supply for PC builds
- 80 PLUS Gold efficiency with 92.8% rating and active PFC
- 12 cm fan with 0–1800 RPM speed and 30.2 dB noise level
- Fully-modular cabling with PCIe 12-pin and 6+2 pin connectors
- Comprehensive protection including over current, over voltage and surge
- 100,000 h MTBF with rifle bearing and semi-passive cooling
- Good for: an RTX 5060, RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 5070 or RX 9060 XT
- Good for: a mid-range PC you want to keep quiet at light loads
- Skip it if: you have an RTX 5070 Ti or faster: NVIDIA asks for 750W or more
- Skip it if: you plan a big graphics card upgrade later: buy the 850W now
NVIDIA lists 650W for an RTX 5070 and 600W for an RTX 5060 Ti, and AMD asks for at least 450W with an RX 9060 XT. The Pure Power 13 M 650W meets all three with ATX 3.1, modular cables and a native 12V-2×6 lead, by be quiet!’s spec. A 10-year warranty on a mid-priced unit is the detail that matters most here.
Best 1000W PSU: be quiet! Power Zone 2 1000W
Platinum efficiency, a big 140mm fan and a 10-year warranty, for a high-end card with room to spare.
- Power1000W, ATX
- Efficiency80 Plus Platinum
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- Fan140mm, Cybenetics A+ for noise
- Warranty10 years
be quiet! POWER ZONE 2 1000W ATX Black PSU
In stock
Original price was: £177.59.£168.29Current price is: £168.29.- 1000 W ATX 3.1 power supply unit with 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency
- 14 cm Pure Wings 3 fan with rifle bearing and 27.2 dB noise level
- Fully-modular cabling with 1x 12V-2×6 and 3x 6+2-pin PCIe connectors
- Single +12V rail delivering 83.3 A with 1070 W peak power
- Comprehensive protection features including over current, over voltage and overheating
- Key specs check: MTBF 100,000 h, hold time 22.7 ms, operating temp 0–40 °C
- Good for: an RTX 5080 next to a 16-core processor, or a PC you will upgrade
- Good for: an RTX 5090 at NVIDIA’s 1000W minimum
- Skip it if: your card is mid-range: 1000W buys capacity you will not use
Want a 1000W power supply that stays quiet under a heavy gaming load? be quiet! lists 94.0% efficiency at half load on 230V and 6.5 dB(A) from the fan up to half load, which is close to silent. The Power Zone 2 1000W has one 12V-2×6 cable rated at 600W, three 6+2-pin PCIe leads and modular cables. Cybenetics rates its noise A+.
Best power supply for an RTX 5090: Antec NE1200 Platinum
NVIDIA asks for at least 1000W with an RTX 5090. 1200W gives a 575W card and a fast processor real headroom.
- Power1200W, ATX
- Efficiency80 Plus Platinum
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- Fan120mm, zero-RPM mode
- Warranty10 years
Antec NE1200 Platinum NeoEco 1200W ATX 3.1 PSU, PCIe 5.1, 80 Plus Platinum, 10-Year Warranty
In stock
Original price was: £153.59.£143.66Current price is: £143.66.- 1200W ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 compatibility with 12V-2×6 connector
- 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency with high-quality Japanese capacitors
- PhaseWave server-class DC-DC design for stable power delivery
- Full modular cable management for improved airflow
- 120mm FDB silent fan with Zero RPM Manager for quiet cooling
- 10-year warranty with comprehensive industrial-grade protection suite
- Compact 140mm x 150mm x 86mm size fits wider case compatibility
- Good for: an RTX 5090 with a Ryzen 9 or Core Ultra 9
- Good for: a workstation that runs flat out for hours
- Skip it if: your card is an RTX 5080 or below: the 850W and 1000W picks are enough
Antec’s spec sheet for the NE1200 Platinum lists ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1, a 16-pin 12V-2×6 cable, fully modular cables, a 120mm fluid-bearing fan that stops at low loads, and a 10-year warranty. NVIDIA rates the RTX 5090 at 575W on its own, so at 1200W the unit is not working near its limit when the processor and card peak together.
Want it quieter? The be quiet! Dark Power 14 1200W is 80 Plus Titanium with two 12V-2×6 cables, a 135mm fan and a 10-year warranty, by be quiet!’s spec.
be quiet! Dark Power 14 1200W PSU
In stock
£228.54- 1200 W 80 Plus Titanium power supply
- 13.5 cm FDB fan with 0-2100 RPM range
- Active cooling with semi-passive mode option
- ATX 3.1, EPS 2.92 compliant
- Fully modular cabling design
- 100000 h MTBF for long-term reliability
Quietest PSU: be quiet! Dark Power 14 850W (Titanium)
80 Plus Titanium and a 135mm fan that be quiet! measures at 7.9 dB(A) at half load: the one to buy for a silent PC.
- Power850W, ATX
- Efficiency80 Plus Titanium
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- Fan135mm, Cybenetics A+
- Warranty10 years
be quiet! DARK POWER 14 850W PSU
In stock
£192.91- 850 W ATX 3.1 power supply with 80 PLUS Titanium certification
- Active cooling with 13.5 cm fan and FDB bearing technology
- Four +12V rails delivering 850 W total output power
- Fully modular cabling for clean build and easy installation
- Comprehensive protection: over current, over voltage, overheating, overload, short circuit, surge & inrush protection
- MTBF of 100,000 hours with 93.8% efficiency
- Good for: a silent PC for editing, music or long sessions
- Good for: a PC that runs for hours every day
- Skip it if: you want the most performance for your money: a pricier unit does not make games faster
Does a pricier unit make your games faster? No. What it buys is less heat and less noise. be quiet! lists 95.6% efficiency at half load on 230V for the Dark Power 14 850W, a Titanium rating from both 80 Plus and Cybenetics, and a 10-year warranty. For most gaming PCs, Gold is enough; pay for Titanium when silence matters to you.
Best SFX power supply for small builds: Corsair SF750
A full 750W Platinum ATX 3.1 unit in the small SFX size that most Mini-ITX cases take.
- Power750W, SFX
- Efficiency80 Plus Platinum
- StandardATX 3.1, 12V-2×6 cable
- CablesFully modular
- Warranty7 years
Corsair SF750 750W Power Supply
In stock
£160.24- 750 W ATX 3.1 fully modular SFX power supply
- 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency certification
- Active cooling with 9.2 cm fan
- Compact dimensions: 125 x 100 x 63.5 mm
- FDB bearing technology for quiet operation
- Comprehensive protection: overheating, over current, over power, over voltage, short circuit
- Good for: a Mini-ITX build with an RTX 5070 Ti or smaller, which NVIDIA sizes at 750W
- Skip it if: your case takes a normal ATX unit: SFX only matters when space is tight
- Skip it if: your card is an RTX 5080: see the SF1000 below
A full-size ATX unit simply will not fit many small cases. Check what your case takes first: SFX, or the longer SFX-L. Corsair lists the SF750 with ATX 3.1, a 12V-2×6 GPU cable, fully modular cables and a 92mm fan. Need more power in the same size? The Corsair SF1000 is also SFX, with 1000W, Platinum, ATX 3.1 and a 7-year warranty, so a high-end card can live in a Mini-ITX case. More units sit in our SFX and SFX-L range.
Corsair SF1000 1000W Power Supply
In stock
£202.27- 1000W SFX power supply for SFF PC builds
- 80 PLUS Platinum certification for high efficiency
- ATX 3.1 compliant with fully modular cabling
- 9.2 cm top-mounted fan with FDB bearing technology
- Compact dimensions: 125 x 100 x 63.5 mm
How many watts do you need? Size the PSU to your graphics card
Find your graphics card and buy at least the figure in the last column. NVIDIA’s numbers already assume a 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X, so they include room for a fast processor.
| Graphics card | Card power | Maker’s PSU figure |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 5060 | 145W | 550W |
| RTX 5060 Ti | 180W | 600W |
| RTX 5070 | 250W | 650W |
| RTX 5070 Ti | 300W | 750W |
| RTX 5080 | 360W | 850W |
| RTX 5090 | 575W | 1000W |
| RX 9060 XT 16GB | 160W | 450W |
| RX 9070 XT | 304W | 750W |
NVIDIA: total graphics power and required system power, based on a PC with a Ryzen 9 9950X. AMD: typical board power and minimum PSU. From NVIDIA UK and AMD spec pages, 13 October 2026.
Below: one example card for each graphics card in the table, cheapest first. Prefer to shop by capacity? Try 700-750W, 800-850W or 900-1000W.
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5060 WINDFORCE MAX OC V2 8GB GDDR7 Graphics Card PCIe 5.0 Black
Out of stock
750W vs 850W power supply: which do you need?
Let the graphics card decide. NVIDIA asks for 750W with an RTX 5070 Ti and AMD asks for 750W with an RX 9070 XT, so a good 750W unit is enough for either. An RTX 5080 needs 850W. If you might move up to a faster card in a year or two, buy the 850W now and you will not buy twice. The ASUS TUF Gaming 750W Gold EVO is the 750W version of our main pick, with the same ATX 3.1 spec and 8-year warranty, by ASUS’s spec.
ASUS TUF-GAMING 750G-EVO 750W ATX PSU Black
In stock
Original price was: £130.79.£123.98Current price is: £123.98.- 750W ATX 3.1 power supply with 80 PLUS Gold efficiency
- Fully-modular cabling for custom builds
- Active cooling with 1 top fan and DBB bearing
- Comprehensive protection against overheating, over current, over power, under voltage, over voltage and short circuit
- High-power +12V rail at 62.5 A for demanding components
- What to check: motherboard and GPU power connector requirements
Is 850W enough for an RTX 5080 or 5090?
For an RTX 5080, yes. 850W is NVIDIA’s figure, and TechPowerUp’s review puts the minimum at 750W. For an RTX 5090, no. NVIDIA and TechPowerUp both say 1000W. With a 16-core processor or an overclock, 1200W keeps the unit in its comfortable range.
TechPowerUp also explains why the extra capacity matters: graphics cards make very short power spikes, and large spikes can trip the protection on some power supplies. The symptom is a PC that suddenly turns off as a game starts or during play. If that is happening to you, see why a PC crashes while gaming.
ATX 3.1 power supply: why it matters (ATX 3.0 vs 3.1)
This is the part people get wrong when they reuse an old power supply.
- ATX 3.0 (February 2022) added the 16-pin cable that carries up to 600W to a graphics card, and a stricter rule for spikes: the PSU must ride out twice its rated output for 100 microseconds.
- ATX 3.1 replaced that connector with the 12V-2×6. Its power pins are longer and its sense pins shorter, so the card shuts off if the plug works loose. It also cut the hold-up time from 17 to 12 milliseconds.
- An older unit was never tested against the spike rule. If yours predates ATX 3.0 and you are buying a new graphics card, replace the power supply too.
NVIDIA recommends a PCIe CEM 5.1 compliant PSU for its RTX 50 cards; makers label these units PCIe 5.1, as Antec and Corsair do on the picks above. Push the 12V-2×6 plug in fully, so it sits flat with no gap. Browse our ATX 3.1 power supplies or the PCIe 5 Ready PSUs.
80 Plus ratings explained
The 80 Plus badge tells you how much of the power from the wall reaches your parts instead of turning into heat. A higher rating means less heat, a cooler case and a quieter fan.
| Rating | Efficiency at half load (115V test) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 80 Plus Bronze | 85% | Budget and office PCs |
| 80 Plus Gold | 90% | Most gaming PCs |
| 80 Plus Platinum | 92% | High-end PCs that run every day |
| 80 Plus Titanium | 94% | The quietest, coolest builds |
80 Plus 115V internal thresholds, via Wikipedia, 13 October 2026. The separate 230V EU table runs about two points higher, for example 92% for Gold at half load.
For most people, Gold is enough. Cybenetics tests units at both 115V and 230V and also rates noise, so its report for a model tells you more than the badge. Compare Gold, Platinum and Titanium units side by side.
Modular vs non-modular power supplies
- Fully modular: plug in only the cables you use. The tidiest build and the best airflow. Start with fully modular PSUs.
- Semi-modular: the main cables are fixed and the rest detach.
- Non-modular: every cable is attached for good. Fine in a budget office PC, but untidy in a glass case.
Best PSU brands and manufacturers in 2026: judge the model, not the logo
Most brands sell several ranges built to different budgets. be quiet!, for example, sells both the Gold Pure Power 13 M and the Titanium Dark Power 14. So a brand name alone tells you little. Judge each model on three things:
- Its own test report. Look up the exact model on Cybenetics for efficiency and noise.
- The warranty. Every pick on this page has 7 to 10 years. A long warranty tells you what the maker expects.
- Reviews of that exact unit, not of the brand or of an older version with a similar name.
Looking for a quiet unit for an office or a studio? be quiet! publishes noise figures at each load on its product pages, which makes models easy to compare.
Power supply buying checklist, and the mistakes to avoid
- Wattage at or above the maker’s figure for your graphics card.
- ATX 3.1 with a native 12V-2×6 cable for any current graphics card.
- 80 Plus Gold at least; Platinum or Titanium for a PC that runs all day.
- A warranty of 7 years or more.
- Fully modular cables if you care about airflow or have a small case.
Mistakes to avoid: buying on watts alone (a cheap 1000W unit is still a cheap unit), reusing a pre-ATX 3.0 unit with a new graphics card, buying 1200W for a 250W system, and living on adapters instead of a native 12V-2×6 cable.
Power supply questions
At least 1000W: that is NVIDIA’s required system power and TechPowerUp’s minimum. Our pick is the Antec NE1200 Platinum, an ATX 3.1 unit with a native 12V-2x6 cable and a 10-year warranty. For a quieter PC, the be quiet! Dark Power 14 1200W is Titanium with two 12V-2x6 cables.
750W. That is NVIDIA’s required system power for the RTX 5070 Ti, based on a PC with a 16-core Ryzen 9. An 850W unit gives you room for a faster card later.
Yes. SFX units now reach 1000W: the Corsair SF1000 is SFX, 80 Plus Platinum and ATX 3.1, which covers an RTX 5080 by NVIDIA’s figure. Check your case’s PSU size and cooling first.
ATX 3.0 brought the 16-pin graphics cable and a rule that the PSU must handle spikes of twice its rated power for 100 microseconds. ATX 3.1 swapped the connector for the 12V-2x6, with longer power pins and shorter sense pins, and cut the hold-up time from 17 to 12 milliseconds. On a new build, pick 3.1.
Gold is right for most gaming PCs. Move up to Platinum or Titanium if your PC runs hard every day or you want the quietest, coolest setup.
It can. A unit with weak protection can take other parts with it when it fails. That is why the protections, the build quality and the warranty matter more than the number on the box.
The warranty is the best guide: every pick on this page carries 7 to 10 years from its maker.
An ATX 3.1 unit with a native 12V-2x6 cable, some headroom above the maker’s figure for your card, and a 10-year warranty. The be quiet! Power Zone 2 1000W is a good example.
Browse power supplies
80 Plus Platinum units first, cheapest first, then Titanium.
GIGABYTE AORUS P850W 80 PLUS Platinum PSU
In stock
be quiet! POWER ZONE 750W PSU
In stock
Antec NE1200 Platinum NeoEco 1200W ATX 3.1 PSU, PCIe 5.1, 80 Plus Platinum, 10-Year Warranty
In stock
Be quiet! POWER ZONE 850W PSU
In stock
ASUS TUF Gaming 850W 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Fully Modular ATX 3.1 Black
In stock
Antec HCG850 PRO 850W Power Supply
In stock
Antec HCG1000 PRO 1000W Power Supply
In stock
MSI MPG Ai1300TS Power Supply Unit 1300 W ATX 3.1 80 Plus Titanium Fully Modular Black
In stock
Sources
- TUF Gaming 850W Gold EVO, ASUS UK. ATX 3.1, 80 Plus Gold, Cybenetics Platinum at 230V, 16-pin 12V-2x6, fully modular, 135mm dual ball bearing fan, 8-year warranty.
- TUF Gaming 750W Gold EVO, ASUS UK. ATX 3.1, 80 Plus Gold, 16-pin 12V-2x6, 8-year warranty.
- Pure Power 13 M 650W, be quiet! (BP025EU). ATX 3.1, 80 Plus Gold, 12V-2x6, modular cables, 120mm fan, 10-year warranty.
- Power Zone 2 1000W, be quiet!. ATX 3.1, 80 Plus and Cybenetics Platinum, 94.0% at 50% load (230V), 140mm fan, 6.5 dB(A) to 50% load, Cybenetics LAMBDA A+, 10-year warranty.
- Dark Power 14 850W, be quiet! and Dark Power 14 1200W. ATX 3.1, 80 Plus and Cybenetics Titanium, 135mm fan, 7.9 dB(A) at 50% load (850W), two 12V-2x6 cables (1200W), 10-year warranty.
- NE1200 Platinum ATX3.1 spec sheet, Antec. ATX 12V 3.1, PCIe 5.1 12V-2x6, full-modular, 120mm FDB fan, zero RPM, 10-year warranty, UPC 0-761345-20218-3 (GB).
- SF750, Corsair UK and SF1000, Corsair UK. SFX, 80 Plus Platinum, ATX 3.1, 12V-2x6 cable, fully modular, 7-year warranty.
- GeForce RTX 50 series specs, NVIDIA UK. Total graphics power and required system power (based on a Ryzen 9 9950X; PCIe CEM 5.1 PSU recommended), also for the RTX 5090, 5070 and 5060 families.
- Radeon RX 9070 XT, AMD and RX 9060 XT. Typical board power and minimum PSU.
- RTX 5080 Founders Edition review, power, TechPowerUp (minimum PSU 750W, spikes can trip protection) and RTX 5090 Founders Edition review, power (minimum PSU 1000W).
- Wikipedia: ATX. ATX 3.0 spike rule and 16-pin connector; ATX 3.1 12V-2x6 and 12ms hold-up time.
- ATX 3.0 vs ATX 3.1, Corsair. Longer power pins and shorter sense pins on the 12V-2x6.
- Wikipedia: 80 Plus. 115V internal and 230V EU internal efficiency tables.
- Cybenetics. Independent efficiency and noise reports per model.
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