Reviewing the Best Power Supplies (PSU's) for PC Gaming Systems

Daniel Barros
Categories : Windows platform ,Computing
Tags : Computing windows platform topics hardware support

Page content

Power Hogs

Welcome back PC Hardware Afficionados - to another exciting edition of “Building the Perfect Gamer PC”. Today we’ll be looking at the best power supplies, and introducing the cheap gamer’s favorite - the budget PC power supply. You’ll recall from my last article that the most important aspect of buying a power supply is the wattage on the PSU.

Before we get to the actual winners of the top power supplies, we must consider one final thing. Connectors on the PSU are extremely important to the PC gamer - especially one connector in particular, the video card power connector. As you’ll recall from my video card article, modern video cards require increasingly larger reservoirs of power - as such, it is extremely important that the PSU you select has a PCI-e (several if you are thinking about SLI or Crossfire) power connector. The more powerful a PSU, the more easily it will be capable of supplying adequate power to your video card, allowing you to spend less time worrying about burning out the PSU and more time fragging enemies in the latest FPS.

So, without further ado, here are the winners.

Best Power Supplies For PC Gaming

1. CoolMAX CUQ-1200B

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817159067

Witness the power of the mother of all PSUs (at least for now). Bearing an immense 1200W capacity, this power supply will not let you down even in the most power-stressing situations. Capable of enough power for 9 (yes, 9) SATA devices, this power supply will carry you through even the most intense computer renovations. So go ahead - plug in 7 hard drives - this power supply should still be able to carry all those HDDs. Furthermore, CoolMAX has always been a reliable company to satisfy your power needs - the CUQ-1200B also is energy efficient, carrying the logo of the 80-Plus Standard, an industry recognized standard for wasting less energy than older power supplies.

2. PC Power & Cooling S75QB

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

Less powerful than the CUQ-1200B, but still able to keep up with the rest of the contenders is the S75QB. This PSU is readily capable of powering 6 SATA peripherals and 8 peripherals with the older IDE standard for power. Interesting to note about this particular PSU is that it is significantly more quiet than most other PSUs. If you’re the kind of person who sleeps with the computer in the same room and leaves it on overnight - a quieter PSU might just be the thing you need to get a better night’s sleep. The S75QB is an acceptable alternative to the CUQ-1200B if you’re looking for more than enough power without the hefty price tag.

3. Thermaltake PurePower W0100RU

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

Coming in a distant third is a power supply made by ThermalTake - famous for their PC cases that siphon heat away from the processor in creative and often amazingly effective ways. ThermalTake has been in the power supply business for years, and the W0100RU proves that they mean business. However, losing the 250 extra watts of the S75QB means losing 2 SATA power ports. The ThermalTake supply also runs more quietly and more efficiently than the other two, so that’s something to consider when purchasing the W0100RU.

And now, for the budget card, the winner is…

ThermalTake TR2 W0070RUC

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

Hopefully you’re reading this article close to when I publish it. Because for a short while, there is a mail-in-rebate for this PSU, making it the best cheap PSU on the market. For about $30, you can get your hands on a 430W supply unit, which can still rein in 2 SATA power connections. My recommendation if you need more SATA power connectors is to buy a IDE-to-SATA connector which allows the information to be connected to the SATA slot, but the power to still be IDE power, which this PSU carries 8 connectors for.

In conclusion, this list should help you figure out how much power you need for your rig. Join us next time when we start rounding the final corner of the race and start talking about the peripherals you’ll need to complete your gaming rig - specifically the monitor, then the mouse, and finally the keyboard.

This post is part of the series: Building the Perfect Gamer PC

Articles that will help you build the perfect gaming rig!