SPL's PSU Tier List

	B	C
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2	Welcome to SPL's PSU Tier List! Current Version: 1.9 - 9/17/2025
3	Introduction This tier list is intended to be a simple, approachable, easy-to-understand quick reference guide to help users select a quality supply that fits their needs and budget. Here's how it works:
4	1. The Tiers: Please note: These recommendations are given based on hardware released over the last few years when used in balanced configurations. Recommendations for older hardware may vary. You may view the criteria used to tier each unit under the "Tiering Criteria" tab.
5	Tier A: Recommended for high-end builds.	Examples: 7900 XT, 4070Ti, 6950 XT, 3090, 4090, 5080, 5090, etc.
6	Tier B: Recommended for mid-range builds.	Examples: 4060Ti, 7700/7800 XT, 3070/4070/5070, 6800, 9070/XT, etc.
7	Tier C: Recommended for budget builds using lower-end or older hardware.	Examples: 3060/4060, 6600/XT, 7600, 2070, 5700 XT, etc.
8	Tier D: Suitable for use in home/office builds with no dedicated graphics.
9	Tier E: Not recommended for use in any systems; avoid.
10	Tier F: Unsafe for use; avoid. If already in use, disconnect and replace immediately.
11	2. The Spreadsheet: The spreadsheet contains each unit's tier rating, as well as a variety of other information on each unit for those who are interested. Please note that most power supplies with a release date of 2014 or earlier are not included in this list for practical reasons. While we do not recommend purchasing any power supplies over 10 years old, information on older or less common power supplies is available from the Cultists PSU Tier List. The form factor, topology, ODM, and platform are four of the most important pieces of information to understanding the build quality and electrical performance of any power supply. You will find definitions below:
12	Form Factor: Most units are ATX (full-size), but for smaller form factor cases, SFX and SFX-L power supplies are also available.
13	ATX Version: For the purposes of this list, PSUs labeled as ATX 3.x are PSUs advertised as ATX 3.0 or ATX 3.1 compliant and come with native 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 connections. Even though it is possible for PSUs not marketed as ATX 3.0/ATX 3.1 to meet the specification, units listed as ATX 2.x tend to have no native 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 connectors and, therefore, are not marketed or listed as such.
14	Topology: A power supply's job is to convert the "dirty" AC wall power into "clean" DC power with the correct voltages to power your computer's components. The more efficiently and safely this can be done, the better the PSU will perform when powering high-end components. This is explained below:
15	Primary Side Topology - Conversion:	Secondary Side - Voltage Regulation:
16	DF (Double Forward): An older, less efficient way of converting power now primarily used in lower-end power supplies of 1000W or less. Still considered safe, but not recommended for use with high-end GPUs due to the potential for voltage regulation issues and loud whining when under heavy stress. Because of this, PSUs bearing this design generally cannot exceed Gold tier efficiency, and are limited to no higher than tier C.	GR (Group Regulation): An extremely outdated, inefficient, and potentially dangerous method of voltage regulation where the voltage of multiple rails are regulated together. When a heavy load is applied to the 12V rail, such as when a dedicated GPU is installed, this can cause voltages to fall out of specification, which may lead to system instability, burnt wires, and, in rare cases, a fire. This technology is still used in extremely low end power supplies because of its extremely low production cost. When implemented properly on a supply with proper safety protections, it is still considered safe for use in home/office PCs without dedicated graphics. As such, units bearing this design are relegated to no higher than tier D.
17	ACRF (Active Clamp Reset Forward): A less common method of power conversion that has decreased in popularity. It was primarily developed and produced by FSP, who is the only company that still manufactures PSUs with the design. This design is considered an improvement over Double Forward, but not as good as LLC Resonant Conversion, as some units cannot deal with power spikes well. Because of this, PSUs bearing this design generally cannot exceed Gold efficiency, though a handful of Platinum models do exist. Most units using this design do not exceed 1000W, and are limited to no higher than tier B.	DMA (Double Magnetic Amplifier): A method of voltage regulation where the 12V rail is regulated independently from the 5V and 3.3V rails, developed and used by a handful of manufacturers in limited quantities. It gained popularity in the late 2000s due to being cheaper to produce than full DC-DC regulation, but quickly fell out of favor due to poor efficiency, and full DC-DC becoming much cheaper to produce. It is still used in limited quantities by a few European brands for lower-end supplies, but is rarely seen in North America.
18	LLC (LLC Resonant Converter): The most modern, most common power supply technology used in the production of desktop power supplies. It offers substantial improvements in efficiency, stability, and electrical performance over previous technologies, and is built to keep up with the immense demands of modern hardware.	DC-DC (D2D): The most modern, most common voltage regulation type in production. Just like the LLC Resonant Converter on the primary side, DC-DC offers substantial improvements in efficiency, safety, stability, and electrical performance over previous technologies to the secondary side, and is built to keep up with the immense demands of modern hardware by regulating the 12V rail independently from the 5V and 3.3V rails.
19	PSR (Phase Shift Resonant): An extremely rare topology no longer used in desktop power supplies. The only manufacturer to ever use it in mass production of a desktop power supply was Enermax, with a platform that released in 2012. It was designed to be a state-of-the-art technology with top electrical performance and maximum efficiency, but it has fallen out of favor since the LLC Resonant Converter was essentially perfected to deliver the same performance at a much lower cost. It is unlikely we will ever see this topology be used in a desktop power supply again.
20	ODM: Original Design Manufacturer, also called OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) - the company responsible for designing and building the unit. Most brands do not design or produce their own power supplies. Seasonic, FSP, High Power, and Super Flower are a few of the larger exceptions to this rule. In addition to producing units under their own brand name, these brands also produce power supplies as an ODM for other brands.
21	Platform Code: The company's internal codename for the platform, or the internal design of the power supply. Knowing the platform can help gauge the build quality and electrical performance of a unit, even without testing every single unit on the same platform. Accurate internal shots are still required to determine the degree of similarity between different units on the same platform, so two units sharing the same base platform does not necessarily mean they will be configured identically, perform equally, or be tiered equally as a result. Occasionally, platforms will be described as "costdown," which refers to starting with a base platform and replacing key components with ones of lesser quality to reduce the price of the unit.
22	3. Tiering Criteria: Each unit is tiered by criteria that is uniform across the board. To see the power supplies we have rated, choose "Main List" at the bottom. In the event that we do not have enough information on a PSU to reliably tier it, the unit will be placed in a separate tab known as the "Full List." This list includes "Limited Confidence" ratings for advanced users; units listed under a "Limited Confidence" rating are explicitly not recommended for purchase until further information is made available. By placing a unit in this separate tab, we are simply speculating its potential future rating based on whatever information is available, accompanied by notes if applicable. If you do not find a unit in either category, it is likely either too new, too uncommon, or more than ten years old. For those who would like to learn more about how each unit is tiered, we encourage you to read through the "Tiering Criteria" tab for more details.
23	4. The Authors: We have compiled this tier list as a simplified version that is intended to be easy to read and understand, even for less experienced users. Every unit on this list has been independently researched by our team, even in cases where information was already known or available. As a result, the information contained and recommendations given by this list may differ from other lists due to new information or different tiering criteria. The affiliate links included in SPL's PSU Tier List are not sponsored by any brand. They are simply to help us recoop for the hundreds of hours each of our authors has spent developing, updating, and maintaining this list. Because of these volunteers who selflessly give their time to updating and maintaining this project, we are able to make this valuable information freely available to a global audience. Thank you for your support of this project! The Authors:
24	SPL: Author / Analyst
25	GoboII (PSU Nitpicker Man): Analyst
26	Pika (mobo hobo): Sr. Contributor
27	mt.st.str: Sr. Contributor
28	Router Ero: Jr. Contributor
29	WriteHereWriteNow: Database Lead
30	Have questions? The authors of this tier list are all part of the Zach's Tech Turf Discord server. Please feel free to join us at discord.gg/ztt, and talk to any of the authors! You may also ask one of our Certified Build Helpers, who would be happy to help answer any build advice questions you may have. Note: Some of the power supplies may contain an affiliate link. We earn a commmission on eligible purchases without any additional charge to you.
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