This is the most OVERLOOKED component in most PCs... 

I bought a corsair 750w bronze PSU (used!) for my first build in 2011. It's still going strong in my current PC. I know I should have upgraded some time ago, wouldn't like it suddenly failing and ruining something. I'm planning to retire it into a shelve for display, it isn't pretty but we've been through a lot together: moves, girlfriends, my try-hard Overwatch phase, unemployment, it just never quit on me.

Never skimp on the psu folks

You should always put a piece of paper with the model info into the bag of unused cables for your modular power supply. That way you can verify that you're only using the proper cables later on. Don't mix and match modular cables.

This dude's always working hard to bring us straight tech knowledge

I remember reading Custom PC Magazine (in the UK) in the early/mid 2000's. Cheap PSU's regularly exploded when they were doing PSU lab tests. It was the one component they recommended spending good money on. Thankfully these days, PSU's seem much more reliable.

I had to gut the room where my computers are for some electrical issues. So I rewired it with two 20a circuits, and I'm glad I did. But I think "overspending" on a power supply is some of the best money you can spend on a build because a really good power supply can easily last you 10 years, so long as you don't outgrow it's rated power.

This is so true. I bought a power supply about 15 years ago, a semi modular Corsair 1000W, and I stil use it today in my main rig. Yes it was very expensive but worth it.

Using a good brand late model 850w fully modular Gold PSU on my AMD 5000 series Nvidia RTX 30 Series system. My GPU recommended a 750w PSU so I chose 850w for some headroom, especially with the known RTX 30 Series GPU transient power spikes - which have occurred several times on my system. It's all working out real nice. Thanks for covering this topic, Jay!

Just upgraded from a Seasonic 550W semi modular to a Corsair HX750 to support my 3070 and 5800X and couldn't be happier with the performance. Great buy!

Totally agree, never cheaped out on the PSU and never regretted it!

Cybenetics is a good resource for good power supplies, and they report at 115 and 230V for their efficiency and stability measurements. Great resource for more of that technical information on PSUs for comparison, rather than just the efficiency rating of 80+.

I like to compare power supplies to brakes: not sexy, not flashy, you install and forget about them for a long time, but when they fail the entire car is screwed (on account of needing the nearest tree or wall to stop).

Another "part" that some people overlook, especially when on a budget, isn't actually an internal component, but the monitor. The monitor is the heart of your setup. Spending less the the PC and getting a better monitor is usually worth it

Europe standard is 230v average today. It used to be 220 here in the late 80's when I graduated as an electrician. Not really sure why they cranked it up, but my gues is it was to get a common avg between countries having 210, 220, 240 etc. But most modern PSU's very seldom have issues with +/- 10% voltage variation. In the old days it could be a major issue for Lightbulbs longevity if you happened to live right next to a tranformer station as they usually cranked up the voltage to get the specified 215-220v at the end of the suply line so you could have up to 250v in some circumstances It typically varies between 220 and 240 dependent where you live today.

When I was enlisted I was an IT MOS in the Army and my first duty station was Germany. I knew nothing about 110v VS 220v. In our workshop/work bench area we had these 220-110 converters because the military won't buy Euro-spec PC's, so we had to use Dell computers imported from the states and use 110v. I popped so many PSUs because I would forget to turn the converter on haha. Thankfully we had a good benchstock of spare PSUs from other PCs where the MOBO had failed or some other component or we'd have old broken life-cycled computers that we could gut but hearing Jay talk about 220v brought back some fond memories. Pop!!!

As a vivid gamer but with casual knowledge of the CPU components... You and PC Builder have tough me soooooo much and I finally build my second rig all based on your tutelage. I am actually doing informed buys now and workarounds thanks to you. My friend that was out of the country was kinda scared that I did not wait for him as he was supposed to build it for me... well, you saved me 100 euro for the work as I can now do it myself! Thanks!

I've had a custom NZXT build for the last 2 years now with an i9-10850K, 3080, and this NZXT C1000 Gold surprisingly enough. Never heard of it when I ordered back in 2020 but I wanted to make sure I had something rated high enough in case I ever upgraded things. Haven't had any issues with it whatsoever, still running strong!

The 1st PC I built was in 2014 and all the PC building resources I followed to build it had all suggested to not cheap out on the power supply. I went with a full modular Corsair and was practically just as excited about it as I was with all the other parts I chose. It may not ever be something I boast about but I certainly admire the electronics-engineering that went into quality brand and models of modern day PC power supplies every bit as much as I do graphics cards, MOBO's or CPU's. I am sort of a technology fanboy though and power supplies are no exception.

Correction: The C Series Gold power supplies are not digital. They are traditional ones. The E Series line of power supplies from NZXT are the ones that are digital.

I bought a NZXT 750w a few years ago and still no issues. I also love how basic it looks. Nothing crazy and does it’s job

I've been running a Seasonic 850 +Gold for the better part of three years now and it's the one thing in the system that hasn't changed. Fantastic PSUs and really decent prices. And to your comment about Canada Jay, yes we also run 110-120 Volts same as you guys. It would be way to difficult to run something else given how interconnected our countries are on just about everything.

I used a Corsair 1,000w when building my 3090 system 2 years ago. And a year later, when building my son’s 3080ti system, I used a Seasonic platinum 1,000w. My philosophy: The PS is one of the few components of a PC that could feasibly be carried into future builds for over 10+ years, so let’s make sure it has enough power for future systems, and make sure it’s quality. I also like that overpowered power supplies tend to run quiet since they’re under-stressed.

im really digging those vlog style videos as of late. jayz just talking about topics and generating discussions is very nice.

I was quite conscious of getting the right PSU and I was really excited to get the Seasonic PRIME 1300W 80+ Platinum fully modular, 135mm FDB fan w/Hybrid fan control...its quite and a dream.

I have a corsair hx1000 I bought back in 2010 and have upgraded every part and piece but the power supply and its still running strong with good current to this day on a 11900k and a 3080. It been thru about 5 full rebuilds as I upgrade about every 2 years. Amazing psu! Good job Corsair!

Also worth mentioning if you upgrade your modular psu change out the cables that comes with the new one. I upgraded my psu and bricked the nice new one by trying to save time and leave my nicely managed cables 😑

I built my PC in march 2020 (got really lucky with the prices and timing lol) and am really thankful for channels like yours . I was going to buy a cheap unbranded ketchup/mustard-cabled psu and decided not to. Ended up buying a BeQuiet PurePower 10, 80+ Silver, pretty solid and haven't had any problems!

I love a good psu. Finding one with the right cable lengths and right type of cables. The sleeving and how the cables are made can make a huge difference in how easy or difficult it is to cable manage

when I worked in the computer department at best buy, I heard multiple stories about the store brand psus literally catching on fire, blowing sparks, and generally being a menace to new builders who didn't know better.

Seasonic or SuperFlower only for me, been running a Seasonic GX-750 for 3 years. Always check the OEM of the power supplies your looking into as they mostly don't mention it on the spec, like this NZXT C850 that has Seasonic inside.

Zenith II Extreme has 2x 8-Pin, 1x PCIe 6-Pin for OC, and for multi GPU you are encouraged to also connected the 4-Pin Molex to the bottom of the board as well.

Nice Video Much Appreciated! Always love going through the process of how parts work and the Car analogies are Work! Hope you have a great trip! Happy Holidays

I remember when Modular PSUs were new. I got really excited about my PSU when that happened and I could leave so many cables in the box and not bundled inside my case.

We need more PSU with internal monitoring via USB. One of my favorite features of all time. I'm still using my old Corsair HX850i, but they seemed to have discontinued the link feature on their newer PSU. Could you ask your Corsair rep about that next time you talk to them?

EVGA SuperNova 750W gold PSUs were dirt cheap at microcenter, so I grabbed one. It works great on my 12700k + 3070 Ti machine.

Thanks for making, yet another, brilliant video! I'm compiling a list of components for my next PC build. The last thing is the power supply. I'm fairly certain I'll be fine with the one I'm thinking of getting, but I'll have to double check. I didn't think about modern CPUs using more power, thus needing more power cabling. It's about ten years since I build my current computer. Back then we pretty much only had to worry about wattage.

I actually feel 20 amp receptacles are becoming more common with today's houses new and old as it's better to modernize an older house to all 20 amp receptacles but lights may be on a 15 amp depending on your lighting needs so 20 , but even then 2000w PSU you must have the newest CPU and GPU custom cooled and all your monitors connected to the receptacle to even reach 2000

i never cheap out on that one cause it's a crucial part

13:28 Tbh, the safest way to do it, is to flip the switch and then click the power button for the pc to drain residual power. Reason for that, is the psu's ground cable remains plugged in, which grounds the system even when off, which helps prevent ESD damage.

Great video, building my first gaming PC this Christmases for my kids, and this video was great for getting familiarized with PC's.

I always over spec on the PSU, mainly to keep the fan from spinning up since you can't control it's speed manually.

This is a long comment that you might feel is worth reading. I have some suggestions for PSUs. Before building my new over-the-wall gamer PC, I looked at every part going into the build. I made a list of the watts that each would draw. I also added my printer and sound system, as woofers draw many watts of power, etc. These may be connected to the same outlet through a power strip. I was amazed at how many watts the finished build would need. A lot. I increased the total system wattage by 20%. This step decided the PSU watt output I would need and would prevent me from 'overtasking" the PSU. This resulted in me buying a 1200-watt instead of a 1000-watt PSU. I did this because I figured that future components would draw even more watts. A wall outlet is usually connected to other outlets meaning they are all on the same power line. If you are running other electrical devices, such as a vacuum cleaner, at the same time as your PC, you might overload the circuit and trip that breaker. This is an unintentional PC power-off condition. To prevent this, I installed a 20 amp-rated wall outlet, on its own dedicated line, in my gamer room. Another, and cheaper way, to prevent this is to install childproof plugs into all other outlets connected on the same line. This procedure will remind you to NOT use those outlets for other devices. Thank you for reading, and I hope this was helpful.

This is so true. As some one who's first real bill paying job was IT and his last real PC case and power supply was purchased back in 09. My PSU and case are still gold moving forward with my 2023 pc build.

Running an 8 year old BeQuiet PSU. Haven't had an issue so far and honestly I'm impressed it still keeps working and working.

An important thing to look for when buying a PSU, is the type of capacitors. Japanese caps are longer lasting, and better quality. This make your PSU more likely to give a smoother dc output, and last longer too.

I like the fact that it's not that long ago that NZXT got shit on for their case catching on fire, some months later they sponsor the influencers once again.

Still running the Corsair TX 650 I bought in 2010, mostly powering an i52500k. It's been through maybe a dozen big power cuts, hundreds of micro-cuts, and apart from the occasional noise from the fan, is still just fine. Will definitely be changing it for my next build though.

I'm running a 750w bronze thermaltake PSU that I got back in 2011. The power switch on the back of it got jammed at one point but popping it out again and it still works like it did back then. It's been the one component that's been in every one of my PCs

I've always liked the Corsair RM850x. I have two of them and they've been rock solid and no issues. Enough power to run multi-gpu systems (I had one running three Firepro W7100's, a 3070ti, and a 1060 6gb in my small mining rig) and my main rig for many years.

I'm still running a massive Thermaltake 1200W PSU I bought in 2008 when I built my first custom PC. Way overkill back then, but I was young and naive. I just figured bigger number = more better. It's since powered three different PCs over the last 15 years, and is the only piece of the original build I still have.

That's pretty much the same car analogy I use. Love car analogies. No matter how much or how little someone knows about cars, they usually understand what I'm saying if I use a car analogy.

I remember when I bough PC Power & Cooling's first ever 500w power supply. That thing was a beast that required a special backplate as it was almost double the thickness of a normal power supply. Lasted over 12 years.

Hey Jay, it is hard to comment all videos you have, but I’ll give some words here: your videos are amazing! You really explain things is a tech-business focus so you have helped me a lot to select the right components for my new setup. Thank you so much for all the work and research you have put together on every video. I wish your approach of explaining things was spread out over the internet, since sometimes we don’t care a lot about very specific tech comparisons, but more along the line of the benefits that making the right decision bring. Again, thanks for everything you have worked in your channel and keep it up!

I went overboard for my 2600K with a a Corsair AX1200 ... my reasoning was to buy a power supply which could supply much more than ever required, meaning it was never running flat out ... still running perfectly over a decade later :)

Jay. Gotta say pal. Instructional videos are amazing. Built my first pc in 2019. Built 6 more since then. Rebuilt mine countless times. I now maintain all my mates PCs. And my family's. I'm not qualified. But everything I learnt was from your videos. Massive thanks big lad. Keep it up. Love the work. Even when you take it back to basics.

I bought a Corsair 650W fully modular 80+ Gold PSU in 2017, and it's one of only 3 parts in my system I haven't upgraded. Plus it's still under warranty since Corsair even back then had 10 year peace of mind warranties.

The absolute "highest" for a desktop I seem to be able to get as far as I can tell in the Netherlands is the Silverstone HELA 2050 Platinum (2050w). 2nd highest are a lot more brands at 1600w.

"It will probably be the last component in your system that you upgrade." So true, the last thing I had to replace was my old EVGA 1000W PSU, and not because it stopped working, but because the fan started failing and I rather not push it with a faulty fan, other than that, having a good quality PSU is a must have, and, assuming things won't change much in the future, PSU cables rarely change, at least it didn't for the longest time until now.

Where are days of Christmas vids??? This was always my favorite time of year on this channel

A lot of mainland Europe is 220V/230V using the 16A Type F schuko plug design with a max draw of 3680W, whereas in the UK is 230V/240V using the 3 pin 13A fused plugs which is where the confusion comes from as both is used in Europe. The max wattage we can pull in the UK from a single wall socket is 2990W on 13A at 230V.

That thumbnail made me think this was some extra long PSU or sth😂

Another advantage a good supply has that you didn't mention is when the cheap supply 'pretty much' runs OK, but the system has random crashes you can't track down the cause of, until swapping the power supply for a better one cures the crashes (ask me how I know this...).

dude i fix it ads by Jay and his crew is just amazing! im on repeat on the ad section LMAO

Been watching your videos everyday, im new to PCs and ive learned so much watching your content and i LOVE it keep it up boss!

Another commonly missed piece is to ensure air flow to the bottom of the case for the power supply. I have found that the large carpet sliders work out nicely giving a side benefit of easy case movement for the vacuum. Wood boards also work, but at the expense of potential splinters and toe hazard.

the only part that can brick an entire system, never cheap out on psu

Great info, Jay, thanks a lot! Few things I didn't know. Now I do thanks to you 👍

i bought a 1300w g2 evga back in 2014-2015 and was running sli at the time. serves me well. have no issues and its still running like a champ. tho might soon have to upgrade it for the new connectors and such.

I bought a msi a1000g just because it has a 12v connector and it was only $200. I could've got the one without the 12v plug but I don't want to have to buy another one for a little while (hopefully). Also I was very surprised at how small it was, it's literally the same size as my evga 650w g5

Not related but I would love to see a video showing how different monitor setups, monitor size, number of displays and resolutions effect gpu load👍

HUGE THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! I watched this video just in time....well...slightly late but not too late. I was so busy concentrating on calculating my PSU needs for my build, Gold rating and ARGB capability, I never even thought to see if the ports were compatible with my motherboard and GPU...I just assumed it was standard....they were not! I had ordered a Thermaltake, which I now got refunded and returned, but the big thing was I had cablemod custom cables ordered....and you only have 24 hours to cancel the order!!! Got the cancelation in in 20 hour mark!!! So now I'm going with the NZXT C750.....wish it came with RGB, but they have no models for that. More important it has 2 8pin CPU and 2 8pin PCIe ports. NZXT seems to be out of stock in a lot of products, but found one on Amazon which I just ordered. THANK YOU AGAIN!

Scary I was thinking of what new psu I was thinking of getting and this video popped up, 😳 thanks for the vid Jay

Interesting timing on this video, just as I’m considering an upgrade from 750W

PSU is the best part to buy even on a tight budget. Heck I just ordered a Thermaltake GF1 750W psu to replace/upgrade my stock ibuypower pre built psu which is having some issues here and there. So ya PSU is the biggest investment. :)

5:50 European here. I remember those voltage toggles too, back in the day. However, a classmate of mine wasn't as well informed and one day in class let his curiosity get the better of him and flipped one while the PC was on. Fortunately it didn't cause any major fire or anything, but it did let out the magic smoke, and it was a quick practical lesson about electricity.

About 10 years ago when I moved my system had a 750 watt psu in it, that if I remember correct was a NZXT. Not sure what happend durring the move, but when I plugged the system in and hit the switch on the back of the psu it went pop loudly. PSU was a gonner. Nothing else got damaged.

Hoping my 850W is enough for my 7950X and (upcoming) 7900XTX. Was looking for 1000W but the deals were wayyyy better with the 850. It's a Seasonic prime GX so hopefully it's got good capacitors for gpu transient spikes.

My current power supply (750w Fatality) is at least 10 years old. It has been through multiple upgrades, but it still works great. I'm planning on getting a replacement for it when it does eventually either die or need to be updated. Luckily (??) I cannot afford current-gen hardware, so it still works pretty well, but I dream of eventual upgrades that will draw more power...

I built my first system 10 months ago and used an EVGA 750 gold. So far it’s been great. Currently running a 4070ti and a 5800x3d, and it’s been holding up quite well.

On my first build around 2009 or 10, may be, I bought a 750w psu. It survived 3 upgrade. The main reason why I replaced last year on my most recent upgrade was because the fans were now noisy at full load and with the gpu I got it would probably run near full load. Currently, it’s being used on my work pc, were the psu fan doesn’t need to ramp up. So it’s been 12-13yrs and it’s still working(somewhat). Definitely worth every penny. I think besides psu, monitor is close second on the most neglected part. Specially for first time builders.

This current rig of mine was originally 'overspecced' regarding the PSU, with a 750W Gold EVGA for a i7-6700k + GTX 970. Yet it ended up being fine, and allowed me to effortlessly swap in an RX6800, and now, ~7 years after original assembly, an r5 5600. Certainly a very nice realisation when I was looking for a GPU upgrade. The only downside is that the extra cables were lost at some point, when the box with stuff went 'somewhere'. Was fun getting a SATA SSD daisy chained with the hard drive.

I just upgraded from a Corsair HX750 that I’d been using for a decade to a Corsair HX1200. The 750 was still running perfectly fine and whisper quiet, but figured since I was upgrading the case, MB and CPU, I may as well upgrade the PSU as well. Now I’m prepared for any behemoth GPU that may come along.

back in 2014 i bought a 750w xfx fully modular psu with active PFC and 80 plus gold certified, i'm still rocking it to this day, back in the day i had a gtx 970, xfx took care of it beautifully, it's still going strong in my young brother's build, and now my xfx psu is powering my new 3070, awesome psu! too bad xfx doesn't make them anymore.

That Corsair 1200W Platinum I bought for my 4790k is still running well. My 5700X arrives to finish my replacement build tomorrow. The LAST thing I ever worry about is my PSU. Not been so confident on that part for twenty years.

Currently waiting for my MSI MEG AI1300P to arrive, cant wait to put it in to my rig

I love that we're discussing power and the electrical receptacle behind Jay has no trim plate on it. Safety first!

Back when I first built my PC in late 2015 I used an EVGA 650w Supernova. I remember over-specing it because I planned to go SLI (but never did). I finally replaced it in 2022 because, after upgrading to a 3070, it would pop the AFCI breakers in my apartment for some reason. It's still going strong, though, I have it in my server now and plan to replace it when it dies.

16:02 yes. I still run a semi-modular Raidmax 1200 watt 80plus bronze power supply from 2013

I got a 750w, 80+ gold thermaltake psu for $80 when building out my 3rd desktop... My biggest criteria for finding what I ended up going with was wattage (including overhead), efficiency rating, reliability and a non fixed (non modular) design.

Brought a Corsair RM1000e for my latest build MSI X570 Gaming Plus and 5950X processor and was surprised when it was smaller than my RM850 it replaced but happy that it came with the extra leads I required to power the motherboard and like the new energy saving modes the power supply has.

I bought an EVGA T2 1000W Titanium like 9 years ago. Still using it on my 3rd build now with a 13900K and 4090. Probably my best PC component investment.

Missed the chance about ATX 3.0. I think now is a good time to warn people about waiting to buy PSU's since there's just so few with the 16 pin gpu connector and the ones that are out there are still super expensive!

I am currently using a Pc Power and Cooling Silencer 750 watt 60 amp 12v rail supply that I purchased back in 2007!! Its running a ryzen 5600x , 16gb of 3600mhz ram, 6700XT, 1tb nvme, and 2 2tb western digital blacks.And 6 120 mm fans. Its never skipped a beat in all these years.. I take it apart and blow it out once in awhile, and look for bulging caps, and test the rails with my multimeter, its always dead nuts on.

Sage advice. Back in the mid 90's when I built my first computer I didn't place much importance on the PSU. Not long after I finished the build I was playing Microsoft Indy Car racing and the PSU started smoking and the entire system shut down. Not only did it shut down but it destroyed every component in there. I basically had to start over from scratch. SCSI drives and controllers were expensive. Lol. Ever since then I don't cheap out on power supplies.

Great video and excelent way of explaining why psu choice is imortant.

I look you out for parts bro. Thank you for making it your grind.

I used a 650 for about 8 years through 3 system builds. Finally had to upgrade when I went to a Ryzen 3000 series and a 2070 super (also had a ton of spinning hard drives for storage) and started to have stability issues.

I have an old spaghetti monster Corsair tx750 that I bought on eBay 4 years ago. It had a dead fan controller. Big whoop. I took it apart and replaced the fan and ran the cable out to the motherboard. All good. No zero rpm mode though.

i've always ran evga 80plus gold. Love them. Love the 0db fan option and fully moduler.

I'm getting ready to build my first ever PC, using many of your recommendations, to be able to start learning video editing for a hobby, using my Gopro camera. I want to learn Davinci. I am undecided on the proper components still, because it is so confusing to me. I want to go with a good Lian Li tower, but I am still not sure which processor and motherboard I should use. I've decided I like the Intel line up from some of your testing that I watched but the rest is still in the air for me. Any recommendations at this time are truly welcome. I am trying to keep this simple, because of my lack of understanding at this time. With that said, should I just buy the biggest and best power supply for future proofing? I have a $3000+ budget. Thank you for all of the info you provide, it has helped take the fear out of doing this.