Best PSU for Intel 13th gen CPUs – our top choices
Looking for the best power supply for Intel 13th gen CPUs? Look no further.
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In this guide, we’ll help you find the best power supply for Intel 13th gen processors so your PC upgrade is not hindered by power limits. Without further ado, let’s jump into our best PSU for Intel 13th gen CPUs article. It’s a great time to pick up the 13th Gen as the Intel 14th gen has been released, which means we could well see some price cuts.
The Intel 13th Gen boasts more cores, higher boost clocks, and even increased the L3 cache when compared to its predecessor. All of this results in a performance uplift that is significant for both gaming and productivity. As performance improves, power and thermal efficiency take a bit of a hit. This is true for both AMD and Intel, and even Nvidia to a large extent. People upgrading to this generation will likely need new PSUs. As such, we’ll try to help you find the best power supply for Intel 13th Gen processors. Before we get into our top choices, there are a few things that you should be aware of before you go for the upgrade. For one, make sure you have checked out the best 13th gen motherboard.
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01Best PSU for Intel 13th genSeaSonic FOCUS GX 1000 W
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02Mid-rang PSU for Intel 13th genEVGA SuperNOVA 850 GA
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03Best Budget PSU for Intel 13th genCorsair RM850X
Corsair RM850x
Best Power Supply For Intel 13th Gen CPUs
SeaSonic Focus GX1000
Seasonic FOCUS GX-1000
Capacity
1000W
Efficiency
80+ Gold
Modularity
Fully-modular
Form factor
Standard ATX
- Quiet operation
- Generous 10-year warranty
- Enough power for any build
- Superb reliability
- Pricey for mid-range builds
Wattage: 1000W | Rating: 80+ Gold | Design: Fully Modular | Form Factor: ATX
The Seasonic Focus GX1000 is the best power supply for Intel 13th Gen processors if you’re building a high-end rig. Of course, 1000W might be a bit overkill for most gamers, but if you’re putting together an ultra-premium rig, then you want to buy the best power supply possible. Seasonic also has the Prime TX-1000 PSU. That one is also a 1000W but features an 80+ Titanium rating. However, it does cost almost twice as much as this one. Considering the Focus GX line is great on its own, there’s no real reason to go for the TX PSUs.
Furthermore, this PSU has an 80+ Gold rating, which is the best you can get in this price range. It is fully modular, features great fan control, and has excellent acoustics. You won’t find any complaints in terms of thermals and noise. Considering SeaSonic gives you a 10-year warranty, this was an easy top pick for us.
EVGA SuperNova 850 GA
EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GA
Wattage
850 W
80 Plus certification
Gold
Modularity
Fully modular
- Full modular allows for best customization and cleanliness
- Eco mode as standard
- 10 year warranty for a more trusted experience
- The more expensive option for an average spec
- A louder fan choice even with fan eco mode
Wattage: 850W | Rating: 80+ Gold | Design: Fully Modular | Form Factor: ATX
The EVGA Supernova 850 GA is our runner-up choice, and probably the more practical pick. If you think 1000W is too much for your rig, then going with 850W is the smarter choice. Of course, both EVGA and SeaSonic make 750 units as well, but you won’t save a lot of money if you go that route either way. This is an 850W PSU, with an 80+ Gold rating. It also happens to be fully modular and should fit into a majority of cases without any issues. This power supply should provide enough power to even some extremely high-end rigs. Noise is not an issue with this power supply, and it’s quite stable as well. The only minor downside is that the cables aren’t that great, but you can always go the sleeved cable route for better looks.
Corsair RM850x 2021
Corsair RM850x
Wattage
850W
80 Plus certification
Gold
Modularity
Fully Modular
- Fully modular for customization and clean building
- Features maglev fan for the quietest and longest performance
- Hybrid mode keeps the fan off until its needed
- 10 year warranty to keep your PSU realiable and long lasting
- Can be a more expensive option
Wattage: 850W | Rating: 80+ Gold | Design: Fully Modular | Form Factor: ATX
This Corsair PSU is not that far behind the EVGA one above. This is also an 850W ATX power supply with an 80+ Gold Rating. It also happens to be fully modular, just like the other two PSUs we looked at so far. The RMx series from Corsair is extremely reliable. This particular unit is a tier A power supply on LTT’s PSU tier list. It’s not too expensive either, considering what you’re getting is of high quality.
So, the only problem here is that the cables are a bit rigid, and some of them might be a bit short. That’s not too much of an issue, but the fact that they only include 2 PCIe cables is a bit disappointing. You can get a third PCIe cable from Corsair, which you’ll likely need since the more powerful GPUs these days need 3 PCIe connections from the power supply. We found this when we upgraded to an RTX 4080 – which needs 3 PCIe connectors.
Power Requirements and TDP for Intel 13th Gen Processors
There are six SKUs in total for the 13th Gen Raptor Lake lineup. Each processor consumes a little more power than its previous-generation counterparts. Of course, the TDP only goes up when you move from something like the i5 13600K to the i9 13900K. Let’s take a look at the TDP for each of these processors.
Intel 13th Gen Core i9 Power Consumption
- Intel core i9-13900K | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 253 W
- Intel core i9-13900KF | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 253 W
Intel 13th Gen Core i7 Power Consumption
- Intel core i7-13700K | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 253 W
- Intel core i7-13700KF | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 253 W
Intel 13th Gen Core i5 Power Consumption
- Intel core i5-13600K | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 181 W
- Intel core i5-13600KF | (Base) 125 W (Boost) 181 W
So, if you’re upgrading from a processor that is a few generations old, these numbers will look quite high to you. Sadly, that’s become the norm now, that’s why you likely need a new PSU. But what is the best PSU for Intel 13th gen CPUs?
Do You Need a New Power Supply for Intel 13th Gen?
The answer to this depends on whether your power supply has enough wattage for new hardware. Let’s say you just bought a brand new Core i5 13600K. If you want to pair it with something like a 4080, you’re already looking at a power consumption of around 500W. That’s without taking the rest of the components into account. You always want to have a bit of headroom before you upgrade.
So, if you are building a new PC or upgrading to new hardware, you will likely need a new power supply with a high capacity. These days 750W is the sweet spot, but if you can for 850 then that’s even better for futureproofing. To sum it up, you will need a new power supply for Intel 13th Gen if you are pairing it with a powerful GPU. However, this might not be true if you go with a GPU that consumes less power. Newegg’s power supply calculator is a great tool to figure this out.
Remember, GPUs have a huge bearing on what PSU you’ll need
Of course, what PSU you’ll need depends on the CPU you’re looking at getting. The 13900K is far more power-hungry than the 13600K, meaning you’ll need a better PSU to support it. With that being said, the GPU has a massive bearing on the PSU you require. Make sure you have all of your components lined up before purchasing a power supply.
Final word
That’s about it for this guide on the best power supply for Intel 13th Gen. Keep in mind, you can still go with a 750W power supply and be happy with it. However, considering prices and value, it’s better if you upgrade to an 850W to be on the safe side. After all, you want your new gaming rig to be stable for years to come. If you’re wanting something newer than the 13th Gen, make sure to check out the latest CPUs in our best CPUs for gaming guide.
