How many watts (W) does a power supply need?

Published 2026-06-01

A simple way to pick the right power supply wattage from your processor and graphics card - no overpaying and no risk.

The basic rule

Add up the peak power draw (TDP) of the processor and the graphics card, then add ~150 W for everything else. After that leave 20-30 % headroom for efficiency and future upgrades.

80 PLUS and connectors

Go for at least an 80 PLUS Bronze certificate; newer graphics cards need a 12VHPWR (12V-2×6) connector. Our configurator hides units that are too weak automatically, so you cannot get it wrong.