Overview
When you’re looking for a Power supply as a miner, there are a couple of things that you want to pay close attention to so before we talk about the top 5 options, let's cover the basics first so you can understand the reasoning behind the Top 5 PSUs for GPU Mining.
How Many Watts Do You Really Need?
First, know how much wattage you need. For that, you need to keep in mind that GPU mining use less power than gaming, so you don’t need to look at the TDP. Instead, check how much wattage your GPU uses for mining, a good place to do that will be miningchamber.com you’ll find different GPUs there with how much wattage they use mining a certain algorithm. If you don’t find it here then look in whattomine.com or other resources.
Now add up how much wattage it will be for all the GPUs and then give up to 200 watts for the other parts and if you're not using any fans then giving it 100 watts max will be good. So whatever total that comes out to in wattage you want to make sure it does not surpass 80% of whatever PSU you're trying to use. So if the total is 850 watts then getting a 1200 watts PSU will be enough.
There is a safety concern in this because the calculation is based on certain overclocks and undervotes that you need to make sure to apply for your GPU and if those settings reset then you are in the danger zone because you’ll be pulling a lot more than the 850 watts.
So it is a good practice to get even more wattage but if your using a Linux-based mining OS or tested and kept a close eye on your overclocks then this is not much of a problem for you.
The Rating System
Then you have the ratings. The ratings represent the quality of the wiring that is used within the Powersupply. The higher the rating goes the safer and more efficient the PSU becomes. Generally getting Gold and above is completely fine, but if you're looking to maximize efficiency you can get platinum or diamond but the numbers are pretty small to notice. So I would recommend getting the best deals price-wise when it’s gold and above.
The Quantity Of The PCIe Cables
One of the most important factors is the number of PCI-E cables that it comes with. As a GPU Miner, you want the most PCI-E cables that you can get, also known as VGA. These will help you connect more GPUs with peace of mind. These cables come in 3 different variations. You have single 8 pins, dual 8pin, and 8 + 6 pin. The more pins the better so having dual 8 pins is always preferred.
Multiple Methods To Power Your GPUs
There are multiple ways you can utilize the PCI-E cables in your GPU Mining rig but almost always you will need splitters. Splitters basically take in a single 8-pin or 6-pin and give you 2 in return. Making it easier to effectively power more GPUs and risers.
Here are some quick different methods that you can use to power your GPUs and risers:
Method 1 is for single 8-pin cards. You can use a single 8-pin cable and connect to it either a 6-pin or 8-pin splitter and then from there power the GPU and riser with the 2 8-pins.
Method 2 is for dual 8-pin cards. This will be using a dual 8-pin cable with either a 6-pin or 8-pin splitter to dual 8-pin and it will work with any GPU except the RTX 3090s.
If you want to connect the splitter to one of your 8 pins then now you have 3 total 8 pins, 2 for GPU and one for the riser. (you can use the 6-pin part of it only)
Method 3 is also for dual 8-pin cards when you are running short on cables, this will only work on GPUs that use 150 watts or less for mining out of the wall. You will be using 2 cables of dual 8-pins and 2 splitters to power 3 GPUs. You will have a total of 6x 8-pins and then from there, you can do one and a half GPU per PCI-E Cable. Spreading the load of 3 GPUs on 2 different cables.
As for the risers you will have to use Molex cables. 2 risers per Molex or you can also add 2 more splitters and power 2 risers with them and then one riser with Molex.
Then finally for the high-power cards that use 250 watts and above while mining, you will need to use 2 full cables for them to avoid overloading your PSU cables.
Don’t power 2 GPUs with one cable unless it’s a GPU that uses less than 80 watts off the wall while mining, like a 1660 TI.
Different Handy Adapters For PSUs
There are different adapters out there that can help you work with your GPU Mining Rig more effectively. Here is the list of the most common ones:
- Splitters | Amazon, GPURisers
- CPU to GPU Splitter – Tested only with Corsair PSUs | Amazon
- Dual PSU Adapter | Amazon
- 6-pin to 8-pins | Amazon
- SATA to 6-pin – Avoid using it.
More PSUs Information
So we covered most of the basics you need to know when it comes to PSUs. This topic is very broad so there is a lot more information on them such as wattage limitation and where all the other cables go, so if you want to learn more on that then you can check out my two guides on PSUs:
- Using ATX Power supplies For Your Mining Rig FULL GUIDE
- Using Server Power supplies For Your Mining Rig FULL Guide | Ft. Cursed Mining
Top 5 PSUs
5. Alibaba Powersupplies
- Wattage: from 1200 Watts to 2000 Watts
- PCIe Cables: 1x CPU Cable ( 4+4 pin ) and usually 4 to 12 ( 6+2 pin )
depending on the model. - Voltage: 180-240V 50 – 60 Hz
4. CORSAIR - RMx Series 850W
- Wattage: 850 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: 2x CPU 8 pin (4+4) Cable, (You can use CPU to GPU splitter for one of the CPU cables.
3x PCIe 8 pin (6+2) cables, 4x for the 1000w model. - Voltage: 100 – 240V, 12A-6A, 47 – 63 Hz.
3. EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2 80+ PLATINUM
- Wattage: 1200 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: CPU 2x 8pin (4+4) GPU 6x 8pin (6+2), 2x 6pin.
- Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC, 15A, 50 – 60 Hz.
2. Server Power Supplies (2 options)
- PSUs (2 options)
- 1200 Watt HP 80+ Platinum 110-240V.
- 2400 Watts DELTA 80+ Platinum 200-240V
- Breakout Boards (3 options)
- 16x (6Pin to 8) Ports Board + PICO 24pin ATX (Pico Supported).
- 16x (6Pin to 8) Pin Ports Board (Pico NOT Supported).
- 12x (6Pin to 8) Pin Ports Board (Pico NOT Supported).
As for the PCIe Cables you can buy as many as you want, but keep in mind the number of connectors the breakout board has.
1. COOLERMASTER (4 options)
V850 Platinum
- Wattage: 850 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: CPU 1x 4+4 Pin, 1x 8 Pin GPU, 3x 6+2 Pin Cables.
- Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC, 12A-6A, 50 – 60 Hz.
V1000 Platinum
- Wattage: 1000 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: CPU 1x 4+4 Pin, 1x 8 Pin GPU, 4x 6+2 Pin Cables.
- Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC, 13A-7A, 50 – 60 Hz.
V1200 Platinum
- Wattage: 1200 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: CPU 2x 4+4 Pin, GPU 6x 6+2 Pin Cables.
- Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC, 15A-7.5A, 50 – 60 Hz.
V1300 Platinum
- Wattage: 1300 Watts.
- PCIe Cables: CPU 1x 4+4 Pin, 1x 8 Pin GPU, 6x 6+2 Pin Cables.
- Voltage: 100 – 240 VAC, 15A-8A, 50 – 60 Hz.
Conclusion
Hope the Top 5 PSUs for GPU Mining options helped you decide which PSU you need to use. Just keep in mind if any of those are not available, a different brand will work just fine.
Happy hashing!