Choosing the best power supply unit for your PC build can be overwhelming. There are critical factors to consider, like form factor, modularity, and efficiency rating!
The process gets even harder for entry-level to mid-range PC builds. You’ll often be building with a low-end to mid-range CPU and GPU combination at this range.
The components for such a build will often have an estimated wattage of 250 to 400 watts. Thus, picking a 500W PSU gives it decent headroom for future upgrades!
We have handpicked the best 500W PSUs for gaming, home, and office PC builds. It includes ATX and SFX-L units of all modularities and budget ranges!
Best 500W PSUs for Gaming
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Cooler Master G500 Gold—Overall Best 500W PSU
The Cooler Master G500 Gold is an affordable but reliable 500W power supply that suits entry-level to mid-budget builds. It has an 80+ Gold certification with over 90% efficiency under typical loads.
G500 Gold is a non-modular unit with flat, all-black fixed cables that provides easy cable management. It has two EPS connectors for universal compatibility with all current-generation motherboards.
- It comes at an affordable price with over 90% efficiency.
- It has flat black cables for easy cable routing.
- The 120mm HDB fan allows for quiet operation.
- Built-in Active PFC that supports 100 to 240V AC.
- A high-temperature resistance of up to 40 degrees Celsius.
- Built-in OVP, UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP, and OCP protections.
- It’s non-modular, so all cables come attached to the unit!
The Cooler Master G500 Gold is a reliable 500W power supply that suits entry-level to mid-range PC builds. It meets Intel ATX 2.52 performance requirements and has a 5-year warranty for your peace of mind!
EVGA 500 GD—Best 500W PSU for Value for Money
EVGA has a trustworthy reputation in the power supply market with high-end, high-performance units like the EVGA Supernova G2 and P6 series. The EVGA 500 GD is one of their budget-friendly units with proven reliability.
It is non-modular, so all the cables come attached to the unit. The all-black cables are long enough for easy routing and management for a clean build. They are also all-black and sleeved for excellent aesthetics on a budget.
- It’s well-priced with great features for great value!
- An 80+ Gold rating with over 90% efficiency on typical loads.
- Built-in Active PFC that supports 110 to 240V AC.
- It uses a Japanese main capacitor for reliability.
- An intelligent auto-fan that runs near-silent on low loads.
- Built-in OVP, OCP, OPP, SCP, and OTP heavy-duty protections.
- A single +12V. Rail, DC-DC Converter to improve 3.3V/5V stability.
- The 120mm sleeve-bearing fan becomes noisy under high loads.
The EVGA 500 GD offers superior built quality for reliability, safety, and performance. It has a 5-year warranty and comes at an affordable price, making it the best 500W PSU for value for your money!
Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White—Best Budget 500W Power Supply
The Thermaltake Smart 500W 80+ White is a highly rated, low-budget 500W PSU that will appeal to first-time builders on a tight budget. It has a high efficiency of up to 86% under typical loads.
Despite its budget pricing, it has a 120mm ultra-quiet fan for excellent airflow and near-silent operation on low loads. It’s also non-modular, so all the cables are fixed on the power supply unit.
- Extremely low-budget pricing with great features.
- An 80+ standard rating with up to 86% efficiency.
- It’s built with high-quality components for stability.
- A high-temperature resilience of up to 40 degrees Celsius.
- A powerful single +12V rail for superior performance.
- Built-in heavy-duty OVP, OPP, and SCP protections.
- It meets Intel ATX 12V V2.3 specifications.
- The fans get louder when spinning fully at high loads.
- The cables lack nice aesthetics, unlike the competition.
The Thermaltake Smart 500W sells at under half the price of the Cooler Master G500 Gold, which we recommend as the overall best 500W PSU. Yet, you still get a 5-Year warranty with superior build quality for stability and reliable performance.
Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 500W—Best Semi-Modular 500W Power Supply
The Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 500W is this list’s only semi-modular power supply unit. It has the 20+4 ATX-Motherboard and 4+4 CPU cables attached. They are all-black and sleeved for excellent aesthetics!
It has two PCIe 6+2 and three drive slots for attaching the included modular cables. The included PCIe cables are pigtailed, and while the design is expected for a low-budget unit, it is not ideal for better cable management.
Pure Power 11 500W has an 80+ Gold certification with up to 92% efficiency under regular loads. It has built-in full-suite heavy-duty protections for safety, including OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, and UVP.
- A semi-modular PSU at a great budget price!
- A 120mm silence-optimized rifle-bearing fan.
- It has two strong 12V rails for signal stability.
- The cables are long enough for easy routing.
- It has two PCIe connectors for multi-GPU support.
- Built-in innovative technologies for stable operation.
- It meets Intel ATX 12V V2.4 specifications.
- The modular cables are not sleeved!
- The included PCIe cables are pigtailed!
The Be Quiet! Pure Power 11 500W is built with high-quality, reliable components and great safety features for stability. It offers silent cooling, a 5-Year warranty, and affordable pricing, making it a great value!
Cooler Master MWE Bronze 500—Best Non-Modular 500W PSU
The Cooler Master MWE Bronze 500 is yet another non-modular 500W PSU on the list. It has an 80+ Bronze certification with up to 85% efficiency at 50% loads.
The unit is built with quality components for stable and reliable performance. It has high-quality capacitors for durability and high-temperature resistance.
MWE Bronze 500 comes with a Cooler Master 120mm Silencio FP fan. The fan combines sealed LDB bearings and quiet fan blades for near-silent cooling.
- An affordable price tag with decent feature sets.
- It’s built with high-quality components for reliability.
- The cables are sleeved for easy cable management.
- An IPX6-rated self-lubricating, dustproof design.
- It has a best-in-class 160,000-hour life expectancy!
- The cables are long for easy routing in a large ATX case.
- Built-in Active PFC that supports 100 to 240V AC.
- It meets Intel ATX 12V V2.31 specifications.
- A lower efficiency score compared to the alternatives!
- The 3-Year warranty is lower than the competition.
- The cables might be too colorful for a minimalist build.
The Cooler Master MWE Bronze 500 has high-quality components for stable, reliable performance and a longer lifespan. Yet, it still sells at an affordable price to suit entry-level to mid-budget builds.
Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 RGB 500W—Best 500W PSU with RGB
The Toughpower GX1 RGB 500W Gold by Thermaltake is a budget power supply that comes with advanced features and stunning RGB aesthetics. It’s a non-modular unit and should appeal to entry-level to mid-budget builders!
It features a 120mm hydraulic bearing fan with built-in 10 RGB LEDs controlled by one RGB lighting button. They provide brilliant lighting with great color options, including an LED off and built-in memory function.
Toughpower GX1 RGB 500W Gold can display seven different colors. These include Red, White, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, and Light Blue. It also has three illumination modes—Pulse, Full-lighted, and 256-color RGB Cycle.
- A high-quality, affordable unit with 10 RGB LEDs.
- An 80+ Gold certification with up to 90% efficiency.
- A built-in memory function to save your favorite color.
- It’s built with a high-quality Japanese main capacitor.
- A low ripple noise for exceptional power supply stability.
- The sleeved cables are long enough for easy routing.
- Built-in Active PFC that supports 100 to 240V AC.
- It has OVP, SCP, and OPP heavy-duty protections.
- A 5-Year warranty for your peace of mind!
- The cables are too colorful; all-black could be better!
The Thermaltake Toughpower GX1 RGB 500W Gold suits builders who want stunning RGB aesthetics on a budget. It’s well-built with high-quality components for reliable performance and meets Intel ATX 12V V2.4 specifications.
Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 550W—Best Fully Modular ATX 3.0 Compatible
Finding a decent-built fully-modular power supply at 500 watts and lower is hard! But since 550 watts is still in the same range, the Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 550W makes an excellent choice for mid-range PC builds.
Despite its attractive pricing of under $100, the unit is ATX 3.0 compliant. The package includes one PCIe 5.0 12VHPWR 300W and two PCIe 6+2 cables! And the next-gen features are covered by a massive 10-Year warranty.
- An 80+ Gold certification with up to 92.8% efficiency.
- The cables are modular, long, and sleeved for easy routing.
- An extensive 10-year warranty for your peace of mind.
- An exceptionally silent 120mm rifle-bearing fan.
- Built-in OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, UVP, and SIP protections.
- It has two strong 12V rails for signal stability.
- The 160mm length is quite long for compact ATX cases.
The Pure Power 12 M 550W has the best-in-class build quality of all the power supplies on the list. It combines superior feature sets with next-gen GPU support to suit mid-range PC builds on a budget!
SilverStone Technology SX500-LG—Best 500W SFX-L PSU for SFF Builds
The SilverStone Technology SX500-LG is among the best 500W SFX-L power supplies for SFF builds. It has a solid construction with high-quality components for top-notch performance.
It’s a fully-modular unit with an 80+ Gold certification and up to 90% efficiency under typical loads. It has flat and flexible cables that easily fold for easy routing and management.
SX500-LG features a silent running 120mm fan with an intelligent semi-fanless operation. It offers excellent airflow with low noise under low loads to suit home and office PC builds.
- A robust build design for reliability and durability.
- It’s built with all Japanese capacitors for reliability.
- Built-in OPP, OVP, OTP, UVP, and SCP protections.
- It includes an SFX to ATX bracket for use in ATX cases.
- A high-temperature resistance of up to 40℃.
- It’s built with a class-leading single 12V rail design.
- Built-in Active PFC that supports 90 to 264V AC.
- It supports dual PCIe 8/6-pin GPU connectors.
- The cable lengths could be better for easy routing.
- For its pricing, the 3-year warranty could be better!
- The SFX-L design is slightly larger for some mini-ITX cases.
The SilverStone Technology SX500-LG is an exceptionally built 500W SFX-L power supply. It features high-quality all-Japanese capacitors for reliability and stability. The unit suits SFF gaming, home, and office PCs for near-silent operation!
SilverStone Technology SX500-G—Best 500W SFX PSU for HTPCs & Compact SFF Builds
The SilverStone Technology SX500-G is built with premium internal components for stability. It is the best 500W PSU for a reliable power supply to high-performance HTPCs, and compact SFF builds.
The unit has an 80+ Gold certification with an efficiency level of up to 90% under typical loads. It’s fully modular and extremely compact. It has long, flexible, all-black flat cables for easy routing and management.
- A premium build quality for safety and stability.
- A 92mm FDB fan for effective low-noise cooling.
- It’s built with all-Japanese capacitors for reliability.
- Built-in Active PFC to support 90 to 264V AC inputs.
- It has OCP, OPP, OVP, SCP, and UVP protections.
- A high operating temperature of up to 40°C.
- A compact design that measures 125 x 100 x 63.5mm.
- It comes at a high-end price tag.
- The three-year warranty could be better!
SX500-G has high-quality internal components for unwavering stability and durability. It has a high-efficiency score of up to 90% for a reliable power supply to your high-end HTPC and gaming PC components!
