The Intel i9-11900K was released at the end of 2020 and leverages Intel ‘Rocket Lake’ architecture to bring 8 cores and good overclocking potential to the flagship CPU of this generation. Whilst it offers undoubtedly high performance, it is a power-hungry CPU, particularly when overclocked or running stress tests, with power levels of 300W or more not out of the ordinary! Forming the core of a premium PC with the 11900K, it will usually be paired with a powerful Ampere or RDNA2 GPU, further extending the system’s demands for power.
If you are considering this CPU we’d recommend you assume a 250W power draw for the i9-11900K, add the TDP of your GPU, and then add a good 50% safety margin to ensure that your system can deal with transient loads and additional hardware such as storage, fans, and USB devices without any issues. In this guide, we’ve started with 750W PSU as a minimum for a system incorporating a high-end GPU and moved up where multiple GPUs or extreme overclocking headroom may be required.
Finally, the ongoing supply and demand issues leave no sector of the PC market untouched, and Power supplies are no exception. This article encompasses the best options available at this time, taking into account those that have been out of stock for a long time or that are simply overpriced considering their specifications.
Here are our recommendations for the best power supplies to combine with the i9-11900K to ensure a powerful, stable and reliable system.
Related: Intel Core i9-11900K Review
Related: Rocket Lake RAM Speed Analysis
Best PSUs for 11900K – Our Recommendations
1. Best Value PSU for 11900K
MSI may not be best known for its power supplies, having focussed on GPUs and motherboards in the past. However, the MSI MPG A-GF 750W has gained acclaim in reviews for its’ robust design, good performance and keen price. It also comes with an outstanding 10-year warranty indicating the confidence MSI has in the design and construction quality. It utilises all Japanese capacitors and uses the modern standard DC-DC topology. Electrical testing shows excellent voltage stability with minimal ripple, and it easily meets the gold standard efficiency standards. The fan is a quiet and high-quality design with a fluid dynamic bearing to keep the noise down even under load. It has fully modular cables which are flattened for easier routing, and of course, you only need to fit the desired cables to keep your PC as clean looking as possible. It is supplied with two 8 Pin EPS (CPU) power cables, and two PCIe cables to ensure that you can fully populate a Z590 motherboard’s CPU power sockets. MSI has clearly given careful thought to their entry into the competitive PSU market, and this quality and performance is a fantastic deal at $85.
2. Best All-Rounder PSU for 11900K
If you’re looking for a rock-solid PSU to run an RTX 3080, RX 6800XT or RTX 3090 then the Enermax Revolution D.F. 750W fits the bill perfectly. This 750W Gold efficiency rated PSU supplies ample power for the most demanding GPUs when used in combination with the i9-11900K. All the premium features you’d want are there: All Japanese capacitors rated to 105°C, Fully modular design, DC-DC secondary side circuitry and the full suite of protections. It comes with 2 PCI-E cables and 3 sockets, allowing it to power all but the most demanding single GPU setups with ease. It’s got a few neat features including a ‘Dust free’ button that raises the fan to maximum power, in reverse, to pull dust out of the unit as a maintenance task. It performs excellently under load testing with minimal ripple and strong transient load performance which is particularly important when powering high-end Ampere Graphics cards like the RTX 3080. A five-year warranty provides peace of mind. If you want some additional headroom for overclocking or potential future upgrades this unit will serve you well for years to come.
3. Best PSU for Overclocking the 11900K
Corsair has long been the industry leader for high-end power supplies and the HX Platinum series represent their second-highest end Consumer option – with AX PSUs being unobtainable at the moment. Unfortunately, mining demand means that any PSU capable of powering multiple GPUs has become inflated in price and hard to get and the HX is no exception. This PSU, the HX Platinum 1200W, normally retails at $240 but is currently around $330 on Amazon. However, the core specification is as strong as you can hope for. There’s serious engineering behind this power supply with a semi-digital design and fan microcontroller. Electrical testing shows this to be a class-leading unit with absolutely no complaints or areas of concern. It easily achieves platinum efficiency standards ensuring minimal losses to heat, whilst fan noise remains low even under heavy load. Fully modular cables aid management whilst the use of Corsairs ‘Type 4’ Cable standards make sourcing custom cables easy. It’s topped off with a 10-year warranty to ensure long-lasting operation and peace of mind.
4. Best PSU for 11900K Multi-GPU Build
If you’re running multiple GPUs on top of the Intel i9-11900K you need an absolutely top-notch PSU to handle the load. The Bequiet! Dark Power Pro is a flagship product from the German brand, with industry-leading engineering and design behind it. Rated for 1500W output at continuous load, and with Titanium power efficiency, this power supply is a great choice to run multiple GTX 3090’s or Radeon RX 6800XT’s for use in computation or rendering rigs. It’s also a good choice for multiple Quadro cards in a professional CAD or design workstation. It’s supplied with a pair of EPS power cables and five 600mm PCIe Power cables (each with twin 6+2 pin heads), to allow for a complex PC build even in full tower cases. It’s configurable between six 12V rails or they can be bridged into a single rail for extreme overclocking applications, whilst the Power supply is digitally controlled on all main rails to ensure stability and smooth power delivery. They’ve focussed on quietness with a frameless fan and gentle fan profile, and a whole side is given over to a mesh panel to aid airflow. Overall this power supply is exceptionally high quality throughout and provides the ideal basis for a hard-working PC with demanding components.
5. Best SFX PSU for i9-11900K
Lian Li are better known for high-quality PC cases but have recently released the SP750 SFX PSU. This compliments their cases like the Lian Li 011D mini which despite being a large case uses an SFX Power supply to reduce the overall size. This power supply benefits from Lian LI’s attention to detail in both design and engineering. It has slick alloy casing and top-notch manufacturing quality. 750W is a high power output for a small form factor design but Lian-Li and the manufacturer ‘Helly Technology’ have maintained excellent electrical performance with stable power output and very high efficiency, easily exceeding gold specification. Components are of high quality throughout. One downside pointed out by reviewers is that the fan can become loud at heavy load, And the 4 PCIe /CPU power sockets must be shared between motherboard CPU power and GPU power, so very high power draw GPUs requiring 3 PCI-E Plugs may require a larger power supply with more extensive connectivity options. Overall though this unit marks a strong entry for Lian Li into the SFX power supply market, and one that is well capable of supporting an i9-11900K in a range of interesting PC builds using unique and small form factor cases.