PSU Tier List 2023 – Updated

PSU Tier List 2023 UPDATED DECEMBER 2022

PSU Tier List 2023 – Updated

When building a gaming system, you need to buy all the hardware you need. Calculate the total Power wattage and pick a suitable PSU accordingly, right?

Related: Best PC Under 1000$

WRONG!!! A lot more needs to be considered when choosing the perfect Power Supply Unit (PSU) for your gaming rig. This article will guide you about how you can pick up a suitable and long-lasting PSU.

I have also classified all the options you have into various tiers based on their specifications and characteristics.  You can rely on any of these products as they are all 80 Plus certified.

Suppose you are a beginner at PC building and have no idea what to consider when buying a PSU. You should probably read the buying guide before checking out the PSU Tier list.

And for those who already know what they are looking at, without any further delay, here is the PSU Tier List of 2023 .

PSU Tier List 2023: Value TIER

This tier consists of all the high-end Power Supply Units. They have the highest continuous power wattage as well as the highest maximum power supply capacity. This tier is best for those who are planning to use Multiple GPUs (Best GPU For Ryzen 7 2700x) in their system. If money isn’t an issue and you require a reliable powerplant for your beast, then you should choose from the list below.

80 Plus: Titanium – Platinum

TIER 1

This tier has the second-best quality PSU in the market. If you require a high-end, reliable PSU, but you already spent a lot of your budget on other components. Then this tier is the perfect choice for you. It has slightly lower price range products having all the capabilities of an S-quality PSU. You can install either a single GPU or multiple GPUs with this power supply unit. They also help you with cable management by including only ports for your required cables (Best Ethernet Cable for Gaming).

80 Plus: Platinum – Gold

TIER 2 

This tier consists of PSUs with slightly lower, 80 plus ratings. It doesn’t mean that the product isn’t reliable enough. But this tier is made up of products for users who don’t have a high-power wattage need. Picking out the PSU closest to your wattage requirements increases the overall efficiency of your system. Therefore, if you only want to install a single GPU and have no future plans to upgrade your system to multi-GPU, this tier is perfect for you.

80 Plus: Gold – Bronze

TIER 3 

This tier consists of slightly less energy-efficient PSUs. They are perfect for an average gamer. If your average gaming sessions consist of 6-8 hours daily, then this is the best budget-friendly PSU for you. These power supply units are best for single GPUs such as Nvidia GeForce series or AMD Ryzen series processing units. If you are looking for a medium-range PSU, then this tier is the best range of choices for you.

80 Plus: lower Platinum – Gold – Bronze

TIER 4

This tier is mainly for users who don’t want to install powerful AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors or GeForce 2080Ti graphic cards. If your wattage requirements range between 400watts to 600watts, then this tier consists of the best lower price PSUs for you.

80 Plus: Lower Gold – Bronze

The next tier in the list is not suitable at all for over-clockers. If you are one of those people who like to test the limits of their hardware, they should not choose only the products above this tier. This tier contains only the PSUs, which give an efficiency of 82% on 90-100% power usage. Thus there is a slim chance of tearing up the power supply if a heavy load is applied for a long time. If you like to play games at medium to high settings on normal hardware, then you can choose a power supply from this tier.

TIER 5 

This tier consists of only mid-range PSUs.   If your wattage requirements are not very high, then you can choose from this tier. These products provide pretty reliable performance to an average home user.  You can use these Power Supplies in your home unit that your kids probably use. However, this tier is not suitable for industrial units because they are meant to operate for longer shifts.

80 Plus: Bronze

TIER 6 

This is the second last category on the tier list. If you are looking for a power supply well within your budget, this can be your choice. These PSUs are known to last for long if used with proper care. They are not suitable for those who like to experiment. They give an efficiency of 80% on continuous power usage of 70-80%. These are pretty slim numbers for heavy-duty gamers, and you may experience some performance drops during the gameplay.

80 Plus: Bronze – White

TIER 7 

This is the final tier on the list. These products are suitable for those who really know what they are doing. It is best to test the power output capabilities manually before installing one of these PSUs on your system. A precise calculation of power wattage is required by your end as well. This ensures that your usage remains well within the PSU limits at all times. The products in this range are not very well-known for their reliability. There is always a chance to burn your precious hardware while trying to save a few bucks.

PSU Tier List 2023: Buying Guide

Suppose you are building a gaming PC for the first time. You probably already have been researching far and wide for your hardware components. This hardware determines which games you will be playing and what quality of graphics and FPS you will be playing on. Thus it is best always to choose the best hardware that fits your budget because you won’t be making any upgradation for a long time.

We have all wished to build our own gaming rig at one point or another. If you are fulfilling your wish and all you need to do is buy a suitable PSU according to your power requirements. There is a code of procedure that you need to follow. This ensures that you avoid burning all your hardware due to under-powering the system or spending a lot more money than required.

First of all, you need to calculate all the power wattage that you are going to need to support the hardware fully. This ensures that you get the maximum performance out of the system. On average, a gaming PC requires between 400-500 watts of power. Therefore, you will need a PSU that provides a continuous wattage of 500 Watts.

However, you can’t just pick up any PSU within your wattage needs and install it on your system. There are some factors that you need to consider before finally making your decision:

Wattage

This factor describes the power output limits of a PSU. You need to check out this factor to operate your system at its maximum performance normally. However, there are two types of wattage labeled on the PSU.

Some manufacturers write the maximum power output capacity of the unit. This doesn’t imply that this unit will give out the same wattage all the time. For example, if a PSU says that it can support a maximum load of 600Watts. It means that the continuous power wattage will always be less than that. If operated at 100% usage for a long time, your system is at a high risk of burning out.

Related: Reduce CPU Usage while Gaming

Many PSUs generate a lot of heat when operating above 80% capacity. The integrated fans in PSU can’t tackle this heat. It is best to manually test the continuous power provided by the unit before installing it on your system. You can use external meters to draw out a continuous power as well as the maximum power output. Heat production should also be kept in check during the testing process using a thermal gun.

Reliability

A properly labeled PSU doesn’t always mean that the unit will be operable for a long time. Power Supply is the component of the system that remains functional throughout the operation. Suppose you are engaged in a long gameplay session of 8-10 hours. Other components such as CPU or cooling fans, or GPU will be used only when required. The PSU will operate as long as the system remains turned on. Therefore, it is always advised to use a reliable PSU.

Related: Keep you GPU Cool while Gaming

There are hundreds of PSU models available in the market from various manufacturers. You should always prefer to pick out a PSU from a reliable brand such as Corsair because they are made up of durable components that can even handle a maximum power output for a long time.

A reliable PSU ensures that your system is provided with a constant and continuous supply of power throughout the session. There is always a risk of scalding the system if there is even a little fluctuation in the power supply. Therefore, even after purchasing a PSU from a reliable manufacturer. Always make sure to manually test its power fluctuations before installing it on your system.

Efficiency

The efficiency of PSU means the amount of energy provided to the PSU and the continuous output obtained from it. This describes the amount % of loss in the whole system. The efficiency of a PSU is obtained by the output/input *100 formula. The efficiency of any PSU decreases with the power output obtained from it. For example, if a PSU has 90% efficiency at 50% load, the same PSU will give an efficiency of 70% at 80-90% usage.

An efficient PSU may cost you a little more than average, but it saves you money in the long term. An efficient Power Supply draws out only the required amount of energy as input and gives out a continuous, reliable amount of energy as required by the system. This results in the minimum amount of losses as well as the least amount of heat production. This saves your system from wear and tear and saves your money in the form of electrical bills. You may save up to $100 every month by using a power-efficient PSU.

80 Plus Rating

Efficiency in any PSU system plays an important role in every aspect of the whole phenomenon. This led to the creation of standards for PSU manufacturers. Each of their products is tested on several tests before being officially certified as an 80 plus rating. Even after 80 plus certification, there are several ranks given to the PSUs on the basis of their performance. These ranks determine the quality of the product and help any user easily understand the potential of the respective PSU. These ranks are Titanium, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and finally unranked or White.

80 plus rating of any product is tested by operating the PSU at 10%. 20%, 30% up to 100% usage. An endless amount of energy is drawn out from the PSU for a specific time. That PSU’s efficiency at every level determines whether it is suitable for the next level. Such testing is used until the failure level is reached. This helps in determining the safety limits of that product.

PSUs rated between Titanium to silver can be used in industrial units as well as heavy gaming. Such products are reliable to provide a continuous energy supply without failure. These products cost a little more than the others but provide a reliable and efficient service.

Rating lower than silver all the way to white are only useful for lower power usage and home usage. Such units don’t guarantee a continuous energy output without fluctuations. You shouldn’t use any of such rating products for over-clocking purposes because you may end up with a Fried system.

Build-Quality

Build-quality of any product determines the amount of wear and tear it can manage before failure. A PSU with good build quality means that it will be durable and energy-efficient. You should always check the material of the casing, type of internal wiring, and the components of PSU before buying it. Reputable brands always use high-quality components to ensure durability and reliability. This helps the product attain a higher 80 plus rank and make its name in the market.

Corsair, for example, uses components imported from Japan. They are well-known to provide maximum efficiency and generate the least amount of heat. Therefore, the better the components used, the more performance you expect from the product.

Noise Level

An efficient PSU generates the least amount of heat even during heavy usage. On the contrary, a less efficient PSU means that a lot of heat will be produced by the power supply itself, even at medium operations. You may even need to include additional cooling fans or water-cooling systems for the PSU alone.

There are internal fans installed in the PSU by the manufacturer. These fans ensure to keep the system cool and efficient during heavy operations. But the problem is that these fans run at higher RPMs as the system heats up, increasing the overall noise levels.

Good-quality PSU ensures the minimum amount of heat generation during heavy usage. This means that the fans will operate at lower rpm all the time while maintaining system temperature at low levels. The lower the fan’s rpm, the less amount of noise will be produced. So, you can better concentrate on your gaming without any kind of disturbance.

Upgradation

When calculating your power requirements, you should keep in mind the factor of future upgrades. If you don’t plan to upgrade any of the hardware in the future, you can pick a PSU closet to your requirements because this will save you a lot of money and even make your system lighter.

If you plan on upgrading the system to the latest one, you should leave room for such expansions. It will save both your time and money in the future. The newly upgraded hardware may require more power and a PSU upgrade always costs a lot. Therefore, always purchase a PSU with at least 50-100 watts more than your requirements.

Price

This factor is an obvious one. You need to keep an eye on your budget when buying a PSU. Usually, the more 80 plus ratings, the more expensive that product will be. Therefore, you should choose a PSU nearest to your Power requirements to minimize the unit costs.

Always choose branded PSU over the others because they ensure the best quality products at a minimum price. You don’t need a heavy-duty Titanium rank PSU if you are an average user. If used within limits, your system will do just fine with a gold or bronze ranked PSU.

Conclusion

PSU is the powerplant of your system. You should take great care when choosing the perfect PSU for your system. I hope this article has increased your knowledge about PSUs and helped you in making the right choice.

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