Choosing a power supply is one of the least glamorous parts of building or upgrading a PC, yet it is arguably the most important. A poor-quality unit can throttle performance, shorten component life, or cause outright failures. In 2025 the market has shifted noticeably: ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.0 native connectors are now appearing at mainstream price points, 80 Plus Gold has become the expected baseline rather than a premium feature, and fully modular designs have dropped well below the £150 ceiling. This roundup is aimed at PC builders, hobbyists running RC or bench-power setups, and anyone replacing a failing unit without wanting to spend serious money. Whether you need a compact SFX-L supply for a small-form-factor rig, a workhorse ATX unit for a mid-range gaming build, or an industrial DIN-rail supply for an electronics project, there is a strong option here. All six picks sit comfortably under £150 and have been chosen to cover different use cases rather than simply ranking identical products by wattage.
Quick Verdict
Best Overall: Fractal Design Ion 3 Gold 1000W. Fully modular, ATX12V 3.1 compliant, 80 Plus Gold certified, and priced under £130. It ticks every box for a modern high-wattage gaming build without the premium of boutique brands.
Best Value: MSI MAG A650BE. At under £93 it delivers semi-modular convenience, 80 Plus Bronze efficiency, and 650 W of clean power, making it the sensible choice for mid-range builds on a tight budget.
The Fractal Design Ion 3 Gold 1000W is the pick for builders who want a future-proof, high-capacity ATX power supply without pushing past the £130 mark. It is aimed squarely at mid-to-high-end gaming rigs running current-generation GPUs, where the native PCIe 5.0 connector and ATX12V 3.1 compliance mean you will not need an adapter cable to feed a card like an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX cleanly.
The unit is fully modular, which matters enormously in a tidy build. Every cable, including the 24-pin ATX and the EPS CPU connectors, can be removed when not in use. Fractal ships it with a generous cable set: two PCIe 5.0 native connectors, multiple SATA runs, and Molex adapters for legacy peripherals. The cables themselves are individually sleeved and reasonably flexible, making routing through a mid-tower straightforward.
Efficiency sits at 80 Plus Gold, meaning at least 87% efficiency at 20% load, 90% at 50% load, and 87% again at full load. In practice this translates to less heat inside the chassis and lower electricity bills over time. The fan uses a semi-passive mode, staying completely silent at low-to-medium loads and only spinning up under sustained heavy demand. Fractal rates the fan bearing for long-term reliability rather than outright noise reduction, and real-world use confirms it rarely becomes audible in a closed case.
Voltage regulation is tight across the 12 V rail, which is the rail that matters most for modern discrete graphics and high-core-count processors. Ripple suppression is well within ATX spec. The unit carries a 10-year warranty in most regions, which is a strong signal of confidence from Fractal.
One caveat: the Ion 3 is a relatively new release and independent lab reviews are still accumulating. Early data is positive, but buyers who want years of third-party stress-test data behind their purchase may prefer the more established NZXT C1000 or ASUS ROG Strix. That said, Fractal's track record with previous Ion generations is excellent, and the ATX12V 3.1 compliance gives it a genuine edge over older designs.
Verdict: The most forward-looking fully modular ATX unit under £130, with native PCIe 5.0 support and a 10-year warranty making it the sensible long-term investment for a high-wattage build.
Pros
- ATX12V 3.1 and native PCIe 5.0 connector future-proofs the unit for current and next-gen GPUs
- Fully modular with individually sleeved, flexible cables included in the box
- 10-year warranty reflects genuine confidence in long-term reliability
- Semi-passive fan mode keeps the unit silent under light and medium loads
Cons
- Fewer independent long-term stress tests available compared with established rivals at this price
- 1000 W is overkill for builds using mid-range GPUs, so buyers with 650-750 W needs pay for capacity they will never use
The SkyRC eFuel 200W is an entirely different kind of power supply from the ATX units above, and it earns its place in this roundup precisely because many buyers searching for a power supply under £150 are not building PCs at all. This unit is designed for RC hobbyists, electronics workbenches, and anyone who needs a clean, regulated 12 V DC output at up to 17 A from a mains input.
RC chargers, such as the popular SkyRC and iCharger multi-chemistry battery chargers, typically require a 12 V DC input rated at 15 A or higher. Dedicated bench power supplies at this specification are often expensive or bulky. The SkyRC eFuel solves this neatly: it takes standard UK mains input and delivers 12 V at up to 17 A (200 W), with a clean regulated output suitable for sensitive charger electronics.
The unit is compact and lightweight at approximately 0.9 kg, with a simple two-wire DC output terminated in banana plugs. There are no modular cables, no fan mode switching, and no ATX connectors, because none of those things are relevant here. The fan is a small internal unit that runs continuously and is audible but not loud. Cooling is adequate for sustained 200 W operation.
Build quality is solid for the price. SkyRC is a well-regarded name in the RC hobby space, and the eFuel has been on the market long enough to accumulate a strong user reputation for reliability. The output voltage is stable under load, which matters when feeding a precision charger that monitors input voltage as part of its charging algorithm.
At £58.95 it is the most affordable unit in this roundup and represents excellent value for its intended use case. It is not a PC power supply, and it would be wrong to compare it directly with the ATX units above. But for RC hobbyists, electronics enthusiasts, or anyone needing a clean 12 V bench supply, it is the most practical and cost-effective option available under £150.
Verdict: The only non-ATX pick in this roundup, and the right choice for RC hobbyists and electronics workbench users who need a clean, regulated 12 V / 17 A supply at a sensible price.
Pros
- Clean, regulated 12 V / 17 A output well-suited to RC chargers and electronics bench use
- Compact and lightweight at approximately 0.9 kg, easy to transport to the track or workshop
- Strong reliability reputation built over several years in the RC hobby community
Cons
- Continuous fan operation means it is always audible, with no silent mode for quiet workshop environments
- No adjustable output voltage, limiting versatility compared with a full bench power supply unit
- Not suitable for PC use, so buyers who misidentify their need will need to return it
Buying Guide
What type of power supply do you actually need?
The most common type of power supply in consumer electronics is the switched-mode power supply (SMPS). This is what every ATX PC unit in this roundup is: it converts mains AC to regulated DC using high-frequency switching, which is far more efficient than older linear designs. ATX is the standard form factor for desktop PC cases, while SFX and SFX-L are smaller variants for compact builds. Industrial applications often use DIN-rail mounted supplies or enclosed units like the Mean Well range, which deliver regulated DC for automation, signage, or electronics projects rather than PC use.
Understanding efficiency ratings
80 Plus certification is the most widely used efficiency standard for PC power supplies. Bronze requires at least 82-85% efficiency across the load range. Gold requires 87-90%. Platinum requires 89-92%. In practical terms, a 650 W Bronze unit running at 50% load (325 W) wastes roughly 57 W as heat. A Gold unit at the same load wastes roughly 36 W. Over a year of daily gaming, that difference adds up on your electricity bill and affects case temperatures. For most builds, Gold is the sensible minimum in 2025.
Modularity: fully modular vs semi-modular vs non-modular
Fully modular units allow every cable to be removed, which simplifies cable management and keeps unused cables out of the case entirely. Semi-modular units fix the cables you always need (24-pin ATX, EPS CPU) and make peripheral cables removable. Non-modular units have all cables permanently attached. For most builds, semi-modular is the practical sweet spot below £100, while fully modular becomes worthwhile at higher price points where the cost premium is smaller relative to the unit price.
Wattage: how much do you need?
A mid-range build with a GPU such as an RTX 4060 Ti or RX 7700 XT and a modern 8-to-12-core processor typically needs 450-550 W under full gaming load. A 650 W unit provides comfortable headroom. High-end builds with an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX and a high-core-count processor can peak at 700-800 W, making a 1000 W unit appropriate with headroom for overclocking. Oversizing a power supply is not harmful, as SMPS units run most efficiently at 40-60% load, but it does waste money on capacity you will never use.
ATX12V 3.1 and PCIe 5.0: do you need them?
ATX12V 3.1 introduced a native 12VHPWR (PCIe 5.0) connector capable of delivering up to 600 W to a single GPU without an adapter cable. If you own or plan to buy an RTX 4080, RTX 4090, or a future high-power GPU, a native connector is preferable to the 8-pin adapter cables supplied with the GPU. If your GPU uses standard 8-pin PCIe connectors, ATX12V 3.1 compliance is a nice-to-have rather than a necessity.
Warranty as a quality indicator
Power supply warranty length is one of the most reliable proxies for build quality, because manufacturers who use premium capacitors and components can afford to offer longer cover. A 10-year warranty, as offered by Fractal Design, ASUS ROG Strix, and NZXT on their premium units, signals genuine confidence in long-term reliability. Three-to-five-year warranties are typical for budget and mid-range units. Always register your warranty at purchase.
The Fractal Design Ion 3 Gold 1000W takes the overall win. It combines ATX12V 3.1 compliance, a native PCIe 5.0 connector, full modularity, 80 Plus Gold efficiency, and a 10-year warranty at a price under £130. For anyone building or upgrading a high-end gaming PC in 2025, it is the most complete package available in this price bracket. The NZXT C1000 Gold Core is a close alternative with the added benefit of Cybenetics Platinum acoustic certification, and either unit would be an excellent choice. For budget-conscious mid-range builders, the MSI MAG A650BE delivers the essentials at a price that leaves money for the rest of the build. And for RC hobbyists or electronics enthusiasts, the SkyRC eFuel 200W remains the most practical and reliable 12 V bench supply available under £60.
