When setting up a workstation, a power supply unit (PSU) should be one of the first things you consider installing. That’s mostly because this component has to supply your computer’s internal circuitry with the exact or almost exact voltage at the right wattage for everything to work properly. Computer processors and memories are sensitive that way. So choosing the best power supply brand is not a luxury but more of a necessity.

What to Look for When Choosing the Best Power Supply Brand

For a long time, the common notion has been that buying a PSU with a higher total wattage is the best way to get better performance. The truth is that huge PSUs with something like 1800W are very useful when it comes to running computers that have multiple drives and that perform the graphics-intensive application. The problem is that they are often quite expensive.

Most computers don’t need that much power because they don’t often run at full capacity anyway. For the most part, if you are running a PC that has mid-level processors, graphics cards and RAM, you probably won’t need a PSU that has more than 600W. You can find out just how much you need by using online PSU power calculators.

That being said, here are some tips on what to look out for when shopping for the best power supply brand:

• Look at the efficiency ratings: As a rule of thumb, highly efficient PSUs often have more effective components, thus making them consume less energy while producing less heat. This makes them much cheaper to operate. Look for PSUs that have an “80 Plus” certification signifying that they are at least 80% efficient.

• Go for larger models: While they might be a little bulky, large PSUs have better cooling management and often run on advanced internal components making them more reliable.

• Buy from a trusted brand: This should be a rule of thumb with every piece of machinery you buy. While this statement isn’t a condemnation on lesser-known brands, the simple fact is that trusted brands tend to take their “household name status” more seriously. This means that they will go above and beyond to stand up to the test, and even when their components fail, as some inevitably will, these brands have better warranty terms and more robust customer service systems in place. This will greatly reduce your level of frustration and even save you from cutting your losses and running.

Now that you know what to pay close attention to, let’s take a quick look at some of the best power supply units in the market today:

EVGA SuperNOVA P2: The Best Fully Modular PSU

The EVGA SuperNOVA P2 has 1000W, is fully modular, and has an 80 Plus certification, which puts it up there with the best of them. Being a fully modular PSU, this unit allows you to route only the cables that you need to use, thus creating less clutter by offering you better cable management opportunities.

Coming to you with a 10-year warranty, this machine is not only efficient but is also quite reliable. With that kind of wattage, it can power most PCs and even some heavy-duty gaming systems.

Pros:

• It is very quiet
• It can power most PCs
• It is fully modular
• It has a 10-year warranty

Cons:

• While quiet and efficient, it does have a strange fan profile

Verdict: If you want something powerful enough to power a gaming system as well as most PCs, then this is the PSU for you. With the 10-year warranty and a reasonable enough price, the EVGA SuperNOVA P2 is an excellent buy.

Corsair RM750: The Best Low-Profile PSU

As a brand, Corsair has a long history of making wonderful PSUs. The Corsair RM750, in particular, stands out because it has that highly welcome combination of having high-end features while remaining quite affordable. This PSU has 750W and is 80 Plus Gold Certified. It can deliver up to 92% energy efficiency, which makes it one of the cheapest PSUs to operate.

Equipped with fully modular cabling, a very quiet fan, high-quality capacitors, and a highly efficient “standby support” (can have the unit up and running in under five seconds from standby). Even when fully loaded, this unit is highly energy efficient.

Pros:

• It has a low-profile, which saves space
• Has high levels of energy efficiency
• Has advanced standby support

Cons:

• Only has a 5-year warranty which is half of what most competitors offer

Verdict: The beauty of buying this PSU is that it comes from a highly respected brand name that offers some legendary technical support should you need it. Once you buy this PSU, not only will you have an excellent machine, but you will also have lifetime access to that support.

Seasonic Prime Ultra 1300w: The Best High-End PSU

The Seasonic Prime Ultra 1300w is truly a high-end PSU by any standard. For starters, it’s a 1300W machine, which makes it powerful enough to power pretty much any PC and gaming unit that you may have. It also has an 80 Plus Gold Certification and the capability to run at up to 87% efficiency at full load (it runs at 90% efficiency when at 50% of the load).

The company has also handed over some of the fan control to you the user with their Premium Hybrid Fan Control system. This allows you to lower the overall fan noise to almost negligible levels. This is the right choice for high-performance systems thanks to its stability. It has full modular cabling and comes with a 12-year warranty, which shows you just how much faith the brand has in this product.

Pros:

• It offers full modular cabling
• It has an 80 Plus Gold Certification and can run at 87% efficiency when on 100% load and 97% efficiency when at 50% load
• Comes with a 12-year warranty
• It offers state-of-the-art fan control which makes it very quiet

Cons:

• It might be too much for regular PCs

Verdict: If you are looking for a PSU that can run high-performance systems, then this is the right choice. Not only is it efficient, but it’s also highly stable and even has a 12-year warranty.

FSP Dagger 550w: The Best Mini PSU

With 550W, the FSP Dagger 550w isn’t as powerful as the other PSUs on this list, but as mentioned earlier, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you don’t need all that power, then buying a PSU of lower wattage might be the smart move to make financially.

This PSU has an 80 Plus Gold Certification and typically runs at 90% efficiency on almost all load levels. It has excellent modular cabling, is not very loud, and costs considerably less than the other options on this list.

Pros:

• It is affordable
• It is quite efficient with up to 90% efficiency on most load levels
• It’s small enough to save you a lot of space

Cons:

• Only has a 3-year warranty

Verdict: If you are looking for something that works well, is efficient, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, this is it.

These are some of the best power supply units in the market today. They all offer modular cabling, which is perfect for those who don’t like clutter; they are all very efficient machines which save you money, and some of them offer decade long (even more) warranties, which shows you how much faith the brands have in their product. The best part is that they are mostly within reasonable price points.