How Much Power Supply Headroom Do You Really Need for Gaming?

Stick with a good brand like Corsair or be quiet! I've never had issues with my Corsair power supplies. They tend to have solid reviews for handling load well. If you're on a budget, 550W can work, but landing around 750W is a sweet spot for a little extra cushion.

Using a power supply calculator can really help you figure things out. Just make sure your PSU can handle transient spikes—you don't want your power supply to strain under sudden loads. Brands like Seasonic, Corsair, and EVGA are generally reliable. You might want to consider a gold-rated PSU to balance efficiency and cost.

I've got an RTX 4070 running on a 550W PSU, which is more than enough if you're not doing anything crazy with overclocking or adding extra GPUs. The 4070 is pretty efficient, so going for a higher wattage like 650W or 750W is generally safe if you're planning future upgrades. As for platinum-rated PSUs, they're not necessary unless you're pulling a ton of watts. Just focus on getting a quality model, regardless of the brand.

If you're thinking about potential upgrades to the next-gen cards, I'd recommend at least an 850W PSU. It'll give you the headroom you need for higher power demands in the future. For now, though, if you're sticking with the 4070, a solid 750W will serve you well. Remember, quality matters more than just the watt rating!

You've got to think about the future! My rule of thumb is to aim for roughly 70-80% load when selecting a PSU, especially if you're ever considering overclocking. And don't forget to check reviews to see how well a PSU can handle claimed wattages. A little extra headroom now means you won't have to upgrade your PSU down the line.