Building a new PC is a process that presents numerous challenges, but choosing an appropriate PSU (power supply unit) is often overlooked. Power supply calculators tell you exactly what you need to know to make the correct choice when buying a PSU.
Keep reading to discover which calculator you should employ.
PSUs are often overlooked because they aren’t very costly, and there is a broad variety of them, so people approach this subject with an air of indifference.
Many believe that getting a 500-600W unit will be sufficient and don’t give it much more thought.
The issue here is more complicated than that, and choosing the right PSU for your computer should be considered as important as getting the right GPU and CPU. As with those, there are tiers that relate to various budgets, but reliability and efficiency are what you should focus on.
In the old days (well, perhaps ten or fifteen years ago), the would-be PC builder was responsible for manually calculating how much power their new gaming setup would require.
You would have had to calculate the usage of the graphics card, processor, RAM, and fans. It was a prolonged task.
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Enter Power Supply Calculators
Fortunately, some ingenious people devised an innovative solution: a power supply calculator. We can now simply enter the models of each component we plan to use in our computer to receive an exact figure of how much power it will require.
Some people have gone even further and added a suggestion for the precise model that will suit your build. However, this was taken advantage of by some PSU manufacturers who would only suggest their own models. Despite this, there are still some good power supply calculators created by those companies, so they are included in this list.
There are a few other key areas where these calculators don’t offer accurate guidance. In fairness, it isn’t their job to do this. These areas include information such as the actual dimensions of a PSU.
When building a PC, you should be aware that the PSU will likely occupy the largest amount of space inside your rig, so you need to take that into consideration.
With that said, PC case manufacturers were also aware of this, so most contemporary cases include a designated PSU space.
However, having space for the PSU is only one part of the equation. You also need to be aware that the PSU generates heat. When added to all the other warm components inside the case, ventilation is essential to keep in mind.
Another aspect to consider is the varied types of power connectors. With the release of the RTX 3000 series, we have now witnessed a 12-pin GPU connector. However, for now, this is simply an adapter, not a cable that is supplied with PSUs.
These are just some things worth paying attention to when choosing a PSU, but that doesn’t mean power supply calculators are not useful. In fact, they are still a really superb solution for this issue and should certainly be used when building a new PC or upgrading your existing one.
Let’s examine a few of the main power calculators out there.
OuterVision
What makes OuterVision fascinating is its exclusive focus on computing device’s power consumption. Therefore, it typically produces optimal outcomes. A remarkable feature of this tool is its ability to automatically discover and provide a link to purchase the appropriate PSU through Amazon.
This website has an almost flawless interface. It’s very simple to use, offers a broad range of options, and has two separate PCU calculators, one for experts and another for novices.
Another handy thing about this calculator is that it also provides overclocking calculations. If you know from the start that you are going to overclock your components, this is the perfect tool for you.
PCPartPicker
Although the name doesn’t mention it, PCPartPicker is actually a truly excellent power calculating website, especially if you have any prior experience.
As the name suggests, they deal primarily with choosing new components for your PC. This can be a fantastic tool when building a PC for the first time.
As it is not purely a power calculator, it offers plenty of other advantages, such as a compatibility check between the different parts of your computer. This is incredibly beneficial, as ensuring all your components are compatible is one of the most intimidating tasks when building a PC.
However, to help you pick the optimal PSU, you first have to choose a PSU, and then the website tells you whether or not it’s compatible. This means you might feel a bit perplexed if you don’t already have knowledge and experience in PC building.
Newegg
This is a very well-known name among computer enthusiasts. You might have heard of it because it offers fantastic deals on PC components (among other things), and it also offers an exceptional PC-building tool.
Although this PC component picking tool isn’t as good as, for example, pcpartpicker.com, it’s still probably one of the top 3 automated solutions.
The issue with their PSU calculator is that it’s relatively basic and doesn’t account for additions like fans or peripherals. Admittedly, these aren’t significant power consumers, but it would still be nice to have them taken into consideration.
Newegg only shows the recommended wattage, which is still favorable, but the issue comes with the proposed PSUs that are offered when you calculate the required power consumption.
For example, if their calculator tells you that your computer requires 595 Watts and you click the ‘Show PSUs’ button, you will be taken to their search page with PSU parameters already inputted. However, those parameters will be ‘500-599W’, so you might be shown a 500W power supply when your electrical demand is 595W.
Seasonic
If your initial thought is that this is a PSU brand, you’re correct. However, they also offer a rather useful tool on their website to assist you calculate exactly how much power your PC will require.
In fact, their power calculating tool is likely on par with the most exceptional power calculators out there, but the one clear drawback is that it only suggests Seasonic PSUs. Depending on how you look at it, this might not be so bad, as Seasonic is a rather reliable PSU manufacturer.
However, as PC building aficionados, we like to have as numerous options as feasible.
be quiet!
This is another brand-based calculator that will offer you a straightforward approach. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you can effectively calculate all your power needs. However, it would still be better if you had the option to select additional power consumers.
As with Seasonic, you will only receive PSU suggestions from their brand. Again, as ‘be quiet!’ is a quite reliable PSU manufacturing company, you shouldn’t be excessively worried.
Cooler Master
Power supply calculators from brands aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the solution offered by Cooler Master is definitely as good as some independent calculators and perhaps even better than others.
The options are relatively elementary, but they offer a really neat feature that allows you to customize which PSU you want after the recommendation is made. You can select the type of cable management you have in mind and the kind of efficiency rating you’re seeking.
