Get your PC ready for an NVIDIA RTX 3060 upgrade with one of these PSUs

While NVIDIA's RTX series has had some of the best graphics cards until now, the RTX 3060 is the new budget gaming champion from NVIDIA. Being the go-to upgrade budget GPU now, those upgrading to it are bound to need a new power supply unit (PSU) as well. NVIDIA recommends at least a 550 W PSU for the RTX 3060. However, considering different AIB versions of the card (some of which are overclockable) and PSU efficiency figures, you would be better off with a 650 W PSU, which is our focus here.

The Best There Is

EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2

Staff Pick

The EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2 belongs to the SuperNOVA series, which pretty much makes EVGA the winner at nearly every wattage. It's 80 PLUS Platinum rated, which means you can expect about 92% efficiency at half load. Additionally, it's fully modular and has a fan control system called ECO Mode for relatively silent operation. The 650 P2 also comes with a 10-year warranty.

$140 at Amazon

$163 at Newegg

Partially Modular Beast

be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 650W

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 650W is another solid choice for the 650 W PSU category. The brand lives up to its name with the Silent Wings 3 fan that operates with minimal noise. The Dark Power Pro 11 650 W is partially modular and comes with 80 PLUS Platinum power efficiency rating. All of this backed by a 5-year warranty makes this a sweet recommendation for the RTX 3060.

$160 at Newegg

650W Overkill

Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650W Titanium

If you want the absolute best features in a 650W PSU and don't mind paying for it, then the Seasonic PRIME Ultra 650W is for you. Seasonic makes some great PSUs, and the PRIME Ultra 650W is no exception. It's a fully modular PSU with 80 PLUS Titanium efficiency rating, which means you can be sure that it can power any RTX 3060 variant you throw at it. It also packs in top-of-the-line features like high-quality capacitors and gold-plated terminals and comes with a 12-year warranty.

$310 at Newegg

Silent performer

Corsair RM650x

Corsair makes some solid PSUs, and for a 650W PSU, the RM650x is one of the better options out there. It's 80 PLUS Gold certified, and works quietly, even at full load. Furthermore, it has a 160mm-long casing, making it a good fit for different PC form factors. The RM650x is also fully modular and is backed by a 10-year warranty.

$123 at Amazon

$120 at Newegg

Budget Fully Modular Seasonic

Seasonic Focus Plus 650

Seasonic offers a great budget option in the fully modular PSU category with the Seasonic Focus Plus 650. It's 80 PLUS Gold certified, which means you're sure to get some great efficiency figures from it. It's also a compact PSU, running 140mm long, and has Seasonic's patented silent cooling that makes this a quiet PSU as well, offering some great value for money.

$140 at Amazon

Picking the best PSU for NVIDIA RTX 3060

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 is not nearly as much of a power-hungry beast as the higher-end RTX graphics cards. The RTX 3060 has a power consumption rating of 170W. NVIDIA recommends that you use at least a 550W PSU. NVIDIA's testing for this GPU was done with an Intel i9-10900K, which is quite a power-hungry chip.

While most systems would require about 500W of power, with PSUs, it's recommended that you keep some headroom to account for the power efficiency, overclocking, and future hardware upgrades. Keeping this in mind, a 650W PSU seems like the best bet. Our pick is the EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2, which brings in the best blend of price and performance. It is a fully modular PSU, which means better cable management. Additionally, it has 80 PLUS Platinum rating to ensure decent power efficiency, while carrying a price tag that won't burn a hole in your pocket, while offering a 10-year warranty.

If you're looking for more PSU recommendations, you can check our picks of the best PSUs for gaming. It's a bit tricky to buy an NVIDIA RTX 30 GPU right now, so make sure you're not paying the inflated prices to get your hands on that RTX 3060 GPU. Happy upgrading!