Choosing the correct power supply wattage for your system can be a big headache. Power supplies are available from 450W up to 1200W, Thus, it is easy to choose the incorrect PSU for your PC. Depending on your system’s requirements, this can either damage your PC components or might be a complete waste of money. Thus, in this guide, we will share a process that will help you choose the correct power supply for your system.
Step 1: Make a list of every component in your system
You would want to make a complete list of every component in your system, This includes but is not limited to:
- Make and SKU of your CPU
- Core and thread count of your CPU
- The wattage of your CPU
- The form factor of your motherboard
- Make and SKU of your GPU
- The wattage of your graphics card
- Fan count of your graphics card
- Number of fans in your system
- Diameter of the fans in your system
- Whether the fans have any form of RGB lighting
- Number of RGB strips in your system
- Number of hard drives and/or solid-state drives in your system
- Number of optical disk drives in your system
- Number of SATA-powered PWM and/or RGB hubs in your system
This list will give you an idea of the maximum power draw of your system.
Step 2: Count the maximum power draw of your system
Counting the maximum power draw of your system can sound like a big deal. But, it is a breeze thanks to the existence of several power supply calculators online. We recommend you head over to Cooler Master’s Power Supply Calculator by following this link: https://www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator/
After you have entered all of the information, Cooler Master will display the recommended PSU wattage. We suggest you have another 100 watts over the displayed wattage and get the power supply accordingly. This extra headroom will protect the system in case of spikes in the power draw. It will also allow you to overclock your hardware to get more performance out of them.