The PSU is the most underweighted component in most builds — and the only one whose failure can take the rest of the system with it. The Mars Score weights wattage headroom, efficiency rating, modularity, ATX 3.0/3.1 support, and warranty.

Wattage sizing: 1.5× to 2× peak load

A modern RTX 4090 / 5090 + Core i9 / Ryzen 9 system pulls 600–750 W under simultaneous CPU+GPU load. Run a 1,000–1,200 W unit to keep the PSU in its high-efficiency band and to cover transient spikes. The Corsair RM1200x SHIFT and Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 are typical of this class.

Efficiency: 80+ Gold is enough; Titanium is luxury

80+ Gold (87–90% efficiency at 50% load) is the mainstream sweet spot. Titanium (94%+) saves a few watts but takes years to repay the premium in residential electricity. Pay for Titanium if you run the PC 24/7.

ATX 3.0 / ATX 3.1 and the 12V-2x6 connector

ATX 3.0 added the 12VHPWR connector for high-power GPUs; ATX 3.1 fixed the connector to 12V-2x6 with better mechanical retention. Buy ATX 3.1 (or use a high-quality cable adapter) for any 4090/5090-class card to reduce melted-connector risk.

Full vs semi vs non-modular

Fully modular cabling (RM1200x SHIFT, PRIME TX-1300 Noctua) is now the default at $150+. Semi-modular keeps the ATX 24-pin and CPU EPS hard-wired but saves money. Non-modular is fine for compact budget builds but messy in larger cases.

Form factor: ATX, SFX, SFX-L

Standard ATX for tower builds. SFX and SFX-L (Corsair SF1000L) for ITX cases — pay attention to clearance with bulky aftermarket GPUs.

Warranty as a quality proxy

10–12 year warranties (Seasonic PRIME, Corsair RM) signal high-tier internal components. Sub-5-year warranties on no-name brands signal the opposite. Never buy a PSU based on price alone.

How vsMars scores power supplies

Each score combines wattage, efficiency rating, modularity, ATX 3.x support, and warranty length per the methodology. Cross-reference with graphics cards for matched wattage targets and gaming PCs for full-system context.

Reader questions

Frequently asked

¿Cuántos fuentes de alimentación están catalogados en vsMars?+

17 fuentes de alimentación de 8 marcas están catalogados en esta categoría, cada uno con una ficha completa y un Mars Score transparente.

¿Cómo se clasifican los fuentes de alimentación?+

Cada fuentes de alimentación se puntúa con la fórmula del Mars Score específica de la categoría — una media ponderada de specs normalizadas con los pesos publicados en la página de metodología. Sin ajustes editoriales manuales.

¿Qué fuentes de alimentación tiene el Mars Score más alto ahora mismo?+

C1500 Platinum lidera la categoría fuentes de alimentación con un Mars Score de 90.7.

¿Puedo comparar dos fuentes de alimentación lado a lado?+

Sí — elige dos fuentes de alimentación cualquiera de la lista de categoría y la página de comparación muestra las specs lado a lado, las ventajas de cada lado y un veredicto Mars Score.