1000W Vs 1200W Power Supply (2022)

As power requirements surges, 1000W and 1200W power supplies are becoming viable and popular among PC builders.

There are actually some scenarios where a 1200W PSU can be better than a 1000W PSU and vice versa, so let’s find out.

Quick Answer: The 1000W power supply is better for gaming as it’s cheap and affordable. 1200W is better for SLI/Crossfire, and server based systems.

1000W Vs 1200W – Gaming

For gaming, the 1000W power supply is better simply because it’s cheaper, and not many components such as GPUs and CPUs need a 1200W power supply.

The RTX 3090 TI which is a pretty power hungry graphics card only requires around a 850W-1000W power supply, so a 1200W PSU is pretty unnecessary for most gaming PCs.

From a future-proofing perspective, a 1200W PSU may be a good investment if you’re looking to upgrade your CPU or GPU in the future.

The only time you’ll need a 1200W power supply is if you have intentions of running multiple graphics cards at a single time.

1000W Vs 1200W – SLI/Crossfire

As you can see, a single powerful graphics card only really needs a 1000W PSU, but once you run these cards in SLI, then a 1200W unit will become necessary.

But, SLI isn’t really used anymore for gaming due to the lack of support, so very few gamers will run multiple graphics cards, and by extension, very few gamers will use a 1200W PSU.

And to finish it off, the RTX 40 series does not support NVLINK which means SLI/Multiple GPU usage is officially dead when it comes to NVIDIA cards.

Gaming Winner – 1000W Power Supply

1000W Vs 1200W – Crypto Mining

If you’re looking to build a crypto mining setup, then the power required can vary a lot because not all crypto mining builds are the same.

Some crypto mining builds can use a single graphics card whilst other builds can use up to 10 graphics cards, so the recommended power supply depends.

Since the graphics card is the most power hungry component, and the GPU is the most important component in a crypto mining PC, then having an optimal PSU is crucial.

Since most crypto mining builds use multiple graphics cards, we believe a 1200W power supply would be ideal over a 1000W PSU.

The most efficient GPU to use for mining is the GTX 1060 as it’s great at hashing Ethereum. A 1200W power supply should be enough to handle around 6 GTX 1060s.

Mining Winner – 1200W Power Supply

1000W Vs 1200W – Cost

In terms of costs, the 1000W power supply is obviously cheaper, and more cost effective for the average consumer.

A decent 1200W power supply costs around $250 whereas a 1000W power supply costs around $150 which is ~$100 cheaper.

With the extra $100 saved from buying a 1000W power supply, you can invest that into acquiring better components such as RAM, or even a better graphics card.

Cost Winner – 1000W Power Supply

Is 1000W PSU Worth It?

Having a 1000W power supply has a few advantages as previously stated. A 1000W PSU is better for gaming, and they’re more cost effective.

Even though a 1000W power supply is still considered overkill for the majority of gamers, having an overkill power supply is actually a good thing as you have more upgradability.

Also for video editors, a 1000W power supply can be advantageous as CPU power requirements are getting pretty high especially with Intel 13th gen and Ryzen 7000th gen.

Keep in mind, your power supply will only pull what it needs, so even if your PC doesn’t need 1000 watts of power, it will use less.

Also Read: Is 1000W PSU Overkill

Is 1200W PSU Worth It?

For the average consumer, a 1200W power supply is quite overkill, this is because there’s no need for a 1200W PSU unless you’re running multiple graphics cards.

Additionally, 1200W power supplies are quite expensive, so if your system doesn’t require it, you’re going to be wasting a lot of money.

However, if you have the money, a 1200W power supply can be a worthwhile investment for future-proofing and upgradability.

From a future-proofing perspective, RTX 40 series, and AMD 7000 series graphics cards will have higher power requirements than their predecessors, so a 1200W PSU can provide enough head room.

Also Read: Is 1200W PSU Overkill

Conclusion

In conclusion, 1000W power supplies have more purpose at the moment because 1200W power supplies are reserved for multi-GPU setups, and they’re quite expensive.

So as you can see, 1200W power supplies have very niche purposes, whereas 1000W power supplies are far more practical.