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3,000W PSUs are taking over Computex — Seasonic and Superflower debut behemoth power supplies

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Probably not for homes.

A massive PSU
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

As hardware gets more powerful and power hungry, makers of power supplies have to keep up to offer relevant PSUs to interested parties, and to that end, we see even more and more powerful PSUs at every Computex. If last year we thought that 2,800W was crazy, then this year we see that several manufacturers have managed to build 3,000W+ power supplies.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Seasonic introduced the Prime PX-2300, a 3,200W 80+ Platinum ATX 3.1 model, at the show, beating Asus’s 3,000W PSU that the company showcased earlier this week. The new unit features four 12V-2×6 connectors for high-performance gaming or AI/HPC GPUs, and to that end, it powered a server running four Nvidia datacenter-grade graphics cards and an AMD datacenter processor during the demonstration.

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A massive PSU
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Such a setup is common for datacenter environments, though as this is an ATX-standard PSU, it can perfectly fit into a workstation, or even into a gaming desktop, though 3.2kW of power is an overkill for the vast majority of machines that are out there.

A massive PSU

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

But as if 3200W is not enough, Super Flower stole Seasonic’s thunder with a 3,300W PSU. In fact, Super Flower again displayed the most powerful PSU at Computex — the Leadex SF-3300F14HP. This 3300W monster is also fully ATX 3.1 compliant, offers five power rails, and is capable of supplying power to high-end processors and four GPUs using four 12V-2×6 connectors. The company expects to start its mass production late this year, so expect its wide availability in late 2025 – early 2026. As for pricing, the company’s current-generation flagship 2800W PSU costs some $899. Since the new 3300W does not really replace the previous-gen, but rather enhances the product lineup, expect it to exceed the $1,000 mark.

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A massive PSU
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

In any case, such high-output power supplies are not universally deployable due to electrical limitations. In North America, typical 120V/15A outlets can only support PSUs up to around 1800W (though keep in mind that the ratings of power outlets are made for peak loads, not continuous loads, so 1600W or less is a more realistic target). So, in the U.S., these CPUs are good for facilities with upgraded power circuits. By contrast, a European 16A/230V outlet (not in all countries and not in all homes, though) can easily support PSUs rated at 3,000W+, depending on efficiency and continuous load.

Despite the limited market, demand for such PSUs exists in areas like AI research, custom GPU compute systems, and advanced desktop workstations. Users owning such machines are likely to invest in the necessary infrastructure to support PSUs delivering over 3kW of power, and the cost of infrastructure greatly exceeds the costs of actual PSUs.

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Anton Shilov
Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • John Nemesh
    Perfect for the customer looking to upgrade to Nvidia's next gen POS. I am sure that card will need at least 1000W.
    Reply
  • lmcnabney
    A fine example of a product designed for bragging rights. There just aren't setups using ATX standards that can utilize this much power. AI/HPC can use that much, but those systems can't use ATX. SLI isn't a thing with modern GPUs. Every one of these is going to be used to power a single CPU and GPU and the PS won't ever go above 50% utilization.
    Reply
  • AquarianVibe
    I think the industry is ripe for innovative solutions for more performance while consuming less power.
    Reply
  • SomeoneElse23
    On a side note, if your peak usage is about 1500W, you'll be using these at peak efficiency, they won't run as hot, and they'll last longer.
    Reply
  • dwd999
    And a lot depends on where you live. In most of the U.S. houses are normally wired for either 1800 watt or 2400 watt circuits. So people would need to have a special 25 amp circuit installed just to drive their computer power supply. Perhaps something similar to the circuits for electric stoves, clothes dryers and air conditioners. Or perhaps a special 240V circuit. And probably a second circuit for the monitor, printer, audio, etc. Hopefully users won't risk running these on underpowered circuits and burn their house down. Maybe it won't be as bad for some businesses but how many will be willing to spend for the extra wiring, especially if they're leasing their site.
    Reply
  • bill001g
    They have to have something "new" from comdex. Not very exciting this year, then again at least everything does not say AI on it like last year.
    Reply
  • SomeoneElse23
    dwd999 said:
    And a lot depends on where you live. In most of the U.S. houses are normally wired for either 1800 watt or 2400 watt circuits. So people would need to have a special 25 amp circuit installed just to drive their computer power supply. Perhaps something similar to the circuits for electric stoves, clothes dryers and air conditioners. Or perhaps a special 240V circuit. And probably a second circuit for the monitor, printer, audio, etc. Hopefully users won't risk running these on underpowered circuits and burn their house down. Maybe it won't be as bad for some businesses but how many will be willing to spend for the extra wiring, especially if they're leasing their site.
    Fortunately circuit breakers will trip before fires start.
    If properly wired...
    But your point is valid. If you intend to really pull close to full capacity power, you're going to want a 220/240 outlet that is capable of 15-20A.
    The average user isn't going to go there, or they will only use a fraction of the max power as it'll be tripping their breaker.
    Reply
  • jp7189
    lmcnabney said:
    A fine example of a product designed for bragging rights. There just aren't setups using ATX standards that can utilize this much power. AI/HPC can use that much, but those systems can't use ATX. SLI isn't a thing with modern GPUs. Every one of these is going to be used to power a single CPU and GPU and the PS won't ever go above 50% utilization.
    Atx is the standard for AI workstations, and that's exactly what this is targeted at.
    Reply
  • jp7189
    dwd999 said:
    ...Or perhaps a special 240V circuit. And probably a second circuit for the monitor, printer, audio, etc.
    Check the input requirements for those devices. You might be surprised to learn switching power supplies in almost all electronics will accept 100-240 v range.
    Reply