Best Power Supplies for a Gaming PC in 2026: 5 PSUs, 500 W to 1000 W

The power supply is the one component that can take the rest of the PC with it when it fails, and the one most builders choose last. The spec sheet looks simple: a wattage, an efficiency badge and a list of cables. In practice the questions are whether it has the right connectors for your graphics card, whether its cables are modular or hardwired, whether it fits your case, and how long the maker is willing to warranty it.

We went through the 91 internal power supplies in our PC parts catalog and kept five. This is a comparison of listed specifications and owner reviews, not a load test; we did not put these units on a bench. Prices are not printed because they change often, and every button opens the live Amazon page.

How we picked

• Owner ratings of 4.4 stars or higher with at least 1,200 ratings each. Power supplies that fail early get punished in reviews quickly, so a long record matters more here than in most categories.
• Real PC power supplies only. The same catalog category holds PSU testers and industrial 24 V supplies with high ratings; they were left out.
• Five different jobs. A mid-range Gold unit, a budget unit, a fully modular 850 W unit, an SFX unit for small cases, and a 1000 W unit for heavy builds.
• Connectors and warranty from the listing. We quote the cable counts, efficiency certification and warranty term exactly as the maker lists them.

The picks

#1

Best overall for mid-range builds

Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W SLI/Crossfire Ready Continuous Power ATX 12V V2.4/EPS V2.92 Non Modular Power Supply 5 Year Warranty PS-TPD-0600NNFAGU-2

4.6 · 2,139 ratings

9.2Our score

Wattage600 W continuousEfficiency80 Plus Gold, up to 90%CablesNon-modular: 24-pin, 4+4 CPU, 2 x PCIe 6+2, 6 SATA, 3 peripheralFan120 mm dynamic bearingRailSingle 12 V, DC-to-DCWarranty5 years

This is the unit for the typical build: a mid-range processor and a card like an RTX 3060 or RX 6600 that needs one or two PCIe plugs. The GX2 is 80 Plus Gold rated at up to 90 percent efficiency, uses a single 12 V rail with a DC-to-DC design, and carries over-power, over-voltage, under-voltage and short-circuit protection. The fan is a 120 mm dynamic-bearing unit. Cables are fixed: a 24-pin, a 4+4 CPU, two PCIe 6+2, six SATA and three peripheral connectors. Thermaltake backs it for five years. Owners rate it 4.6 stars across more than 2,100 ratings; the recurring note is that the two PCIe plugs share one cable, so it is a better match for a mid-range card than a 300 W one.

Pros

• 80 Plus Gold efficiency at a budget price
• Single 12 V rail with DC-to-DC design and OPP, OVP, UVP and SCP protection
• Five-year warranty, long for this price tier
• 2,100+ ratings at 4.6 stars

Cons

• Non-modular, so unused cables have to be tucked away
• Both PCIe 6+2 connectors are on one daisy-chained cable, which owners flag for cards above about 275 W
• Only two PCIe connectors

Buy on Amazon Full specs & reviews Prices and availability change often. Check the store for the current price.

#2

Best budget

500W Power Supply, Thermaltake, PS-SPD-0500NPCWBZ-W

4.6 · 11,056 ratings

9.0Our score

Wattage500 WEfficiency80 Plus (White), up to 86%CablesNon-modular: 20/24-pin, 4+4 CPU, 2 x PCIe 6+2, 6 SATAFan120 mm with automatic speed controlRailSingle 12 V, active PFCStandardATX12V v2.3 and EPS12V

The Smart 500W is the budget power supply more of our catalog’s owners have bought than any other. It is 80 Plus certified at the base White level, up to 86 percent efficient, with active power factor correction and a single 12 V rail. A 120 mm fan adjusts its speed automatically. The fixed cable set covers a 20/24-pin main connector, a 4+4 CPU plug, two PCIe 6+2 connectors and six SATA plugs, which is enough for a budget card, a couple of SSDs and a hard drive. Owners rate it 4.6 stars across more than 11,000 ratings. Reviews describe it running home file servers and lower-end gaming machines for years, and praise how quiet the fan is. It is a basic unit for a basic build, and it has the track record to prove that is fine.

Pros

• 11,000+ ratings at 4.6 stars, the most-reviewed power supply on this page
• Two PCIe 6+2 connectors and six SATA, enough for a budget gaming card and drives
• Flat cables and automatic fan speed control
• Owners report multi-year service in home servers and basic gaming rigs

Cons

• 80 Plus White, the lowest efficiency tier here
• Non-modular
• Warranty term is not stated in the listing

Buy on Amazon Full specs & reviews Prices and availability change often. Check the store for the current price.

#3

Best fully modular 850 W

Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 Power Supply, Fully Modular

4.4 · 2,145 ratings

8.8Our score

Wattage850 WEfficiency80 Plus Gold, 90%CablesFully modular, flat blackCPU connectors2 x EPSRated temperatureUp to 50 CFan120 mmWeight6.1 lb

When the graphics card needs two or three power plugs, or you simply want a tidy case behind a glass panel, a fully modular 850 W unit is the answer. The MWE Gold 850 V2 is 80 Plus Gold at 90 percent efficiency, delivers its full output at up to 50 degrees Celsius, and includes two EPS connectors for motherboards with dual CPU power sockets. Every cable is detachable and flat black, which makes routing behind the tray far easier than with the fixed-cable Thermaltake units. Owners rate it 4.4 stars across more than 2,100 ratings; one runs it with a Ryzen 9 5900X and an RTX 4080, another with a Ryzen 7900X. The compromises are a fan that does not switch off at idle and a lower score than the two Thermaltake units, with a small number of early failures in the reviews.

Pros

• Fully modular with flat black cables, so you plug in only what the build needs
• Two EPS connectors for boards with dual CPU power sockets
• Rated for full output at 50 C ambient
• 2,100+ ratings at 4.4 stars

Cons

• Fan does not stop at idle; one owner notes it always runs
• Lower owner rating than the Thermaltake units
• Warranty term is not stated in the listing

Buy on Amazon Full specs & reviews Prices and availability change often. Check the store for the current price.

#4

Best for small form factor

Cooler Master V750 SFX Gold ITX SFF Power Supply, PCIe 5.1 Ready

4.4 · 1,242 ratings

8.8Our score

Wattage750 W, SFX form factorEfficiency80 Plus Gold, Cybenetics Gold and Noise ACablesFully modular, short, 16 AWG PCIeGPU connectorNative 12V-2x6 (ATX 3.1, PCIe 5.1), up to 450 WSize3.94 x 4.92 x 2.5 in, 3.1 lbWarranty10 years

Small cases need small supplies, and SFX units used to mean compromises. The V750 SFX Gold is a 750 W, 80 Plus Gold unit (also Cybenetics Gold and Noise A rated) in a 3.94 by 4.92 by 2.5 inch body with a fluid dynamic bearing fan. It is ATX 3.1 compliant with a native 12V-2x6 cable ending in a 90-degree connector, rated to deliver up to 450 W to the graphics card without an adapter. Cables are fully modular, short by design and 16 AWG on the PCIe runs, and a bracket is included so it also mounts in a standard ATX case. The warranty runs ten years. Owners rate it 4.4 stars across more than 1,200 ratings, with builds in a Fractal Terra and a Cooler Master NR200 described, the latter running a 5950X and an RTX 3070 for three years.

Pros

• SFX size for mini-ITX cases, with an included bracket for ATX cases
• Native 12V-2x6 cable with a 90-degree connector for RTX 40 and 50 series cards
• Ten-year warranty, the longest here
• Owners report three years of service in a Cooler Master NR200

Cons

• Short cables may need extensions in a larger case, as the listing notes
• The most expensive unit per watt on this page
• Rating of 4.4 stars across 1,200+ ratings, fewer than the ATX picks

Buy on Amazon Full specs & reviews Prices and availability change often. Check the store for the current price.

#5

Best 1000 W for heavy builds

EVGA 210-GQ-1000-V1,1000 GQ, 80+ GOLD 1000W, Semi Modular, EVGA ECO Mode, 5 Year Warranty, Power Supply,Black

4.7 · 1,548 ratings

9.4Our score

Wattage1000 WEfficiency80 Plus Gold, 90% at 115 V, 92% at 220 to 240 VCablesSemi-modular: 24-pin fixed, 2 x 8-pin EPS, 10 x PCIe 6+2, 12 SATACapacitors100% JapaneseFan135 mm fluid dynamic bearing, ECO modeWarranty5 years

A 1000 W supply is overkill for most gaming PCs and exactly right for a few: a top-tier card, a workstation with many drives, or a build you expect to upgrade for years. The EVGA 1000 GQ is 80 Plus Gold, 90 percent efficient at 115 V and 92 percent at 220 to 240 V, with 100 percent Japanese capacitors and protection against over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, over-power, short circuit and over-temperature. It is semi-modular: the 24-pin is fixed, and the ten PCIe 6+2, two EPS and twelve SATA connectors detach. The 135 mm fan runs in ECO mode and stays off at low load. Owners rate it 4.7 stars across more than 1,500 ratings; one has run it since 2016, another in a dual-Xeon workstation. It predates ATX 3.0, so a new NVIDIA card will use its bundled adapter.

Pros

• Ten PCIe 6+2 connectors and twelve SATA plugs for multi-GPU or many-drive builds
• 100 percent Japanese capacitors and a full protection set (OVP, UVP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OTP)
• ECO mode keeps the fan off at low load
• 1,500+ ratings at 4.7 stars, the highest score here

Cons

• Semi-modular: the 24-pin cable is hardwired
• No native 12V-2x6 cable, so RTX 40 and 50 series cards use the adapter in their box
• Large at 7.09 inches deep and 7 lb

Buy on Amazon Full specs & reviews Prices and availability change often. Check the store for the current price.

Compare the picks

What to look for in a power supply

Size the wattage to the graphics card, then add margin. A mid-range card and processor sit comfortably on 500 to 600 W; an RTX 4080-class card wants 850 W, which is what one MWE Gold 850 owner runs. A supply loafing at half load is quieter and more efficient than one at its limit. Our budget graphics card guide lists the listed power draw of each card.

Count the PCIe connectors and how they are cabled. The two Thermaltake units each have two 6+2 plugs, and on the GX2 both sit on a single daisy-chained cable. For a card above roughly 275 W, owners recommend separate cables, which the 850 W and 1000 W units provide. New NVIDIA cards use a 12V-2x6 connector: only the V750 SFX includes one natively, and the others need the adapter supplied with the card.

Gold is worth it, White is acceptable. 80 Plus Gold units convert around 90 percent of wall power into DC; the 80 Plus White Smart 500W manages up to 86 percent. The difference is a few watts of heat and a few dollars a year on the bill, which is why the Smart 500W remains a sensible budget pick.

Modular cables save time and airflow. Non-modular units ship with every cable attached. Fully modular units (MWE Gold 850 V2, V750 SFX) let you leave unused cables in the box. Semi-modular units (EVGA 1000 GQ) fix only the 24-pin.

Check the form factor and depth. Standard ATX supplies here run from the compact GX2 (140 mm deep) to the EVGA at 7.09 inches. Mini-ITX cases usually need an SFX unit like the V750, which also ships a bracket for ATX mounting.

Warranty is a confidence signal. Terms here range from five years (GX2, 1000 GQ) to ten years (V750 SFX). The Smart 500W and MWE Gold listings do not state a term, so check before you order.

Browse the rest of the build in our PC parts shop, including the gaming motherboard guide and RAM kit guide.

Bottom line

The Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W is the right power supply for most mid-range gaming builds: Gold efficiency, a five-year warranty and 2,100+ owners at 4.6 stars. Drop to the Thermaltake Smart 500W for a basic build on a tight budget, step up to the Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 for a big card and clean modular cabling, pick the Cooler Master V750 SFX Gold for a mini-ITX case or a native 12V-2x6 cable, and choose the EVGA 1000 GQ when the build needs ten PCIe connectors and a decade of headroom.

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