Nvidia’s RTX 3060 is their cheapest 30-series graphics card, but it packs quite the punch, with 12GB of GDDR6 memory. It’s best suited for high-FPS 1080p gaming; if you optimize your settings correctly you can push 144FPS in essentially any title with ease, and 240FPS in many. The 3060 is also an excellent choice for 60FPS 1080p gaming at maxed out graphical settings.
Considering its impressive performance, the RTX 3060 is surprisingly power-efficient. According to Nvidia’s website, it only uses 170 watts at maximum load, an impressive 30W less than the next-lowest 30-series card (the RTX 3060 Ti).
Nvidia recommends using a 550W power supply or better in conjunction with the RTX 3060. Keep in mind, however, that their test system featured Intel’s Core i9-10900K CPU, which can easily pull 200W or more at max load. If you’re using a less power-hungry processor (and you likely are), this leaves even more headroom. Thus, we feel that the 550W recommendation is adequately conservative.
AMD’s Radeon RX 6600XT is extremely comparable, power-wise. It draws around 160W, and AMD’s minimum recommendation is a comparable 500W power supply. For this reason, the same power supplies are ideal for both AMD’s and Nvidia’s models.
The best 550W power supplies for the RTX 3060 and RX 6600XT
Now, let’s get into some of our top power supply picks for the RTX 3060 and RX 6600XT. All of these are equally viable options, however your taste will influence which one you pick. Whether you have a preference for quiet, fully modular, highly efficient, or affordable power supplies, we’ve probably picked one for you.
Best Budget RTX 3060/RX 6600XT PSU: Corsair CV550
This power supply is nothing fancy, but it’s reliable and cheap. Corsair’s 550W PSU is 80+ Bronze certified and runs quietly. The main downside is its lack of modularity; you’ll need adequate cable management skills to keep your case neat and tidy, but it can be done.
Corsair is among the most reliable power supply brands and backs the CV550 with a 3-year warranty, so rest assured that this PSU won’t fry your 3060 or any other precious components.
Best Fully Modular RTX 3060/RX 6600XT PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GA
If you don’t want to wrangle with unnecessary stray cables, EVGA’s SuperNOVA 550 GA is probably your best bet. It’s fully modular, so you only have to use the cables you need. It also boasts incredible reliability; it’s backed with a 10 year warranty.
An 80-Plus Gold rating meanings you’ll also save a bit on your power bill compared to lower-tier PSUs; it’s up to 90% efficient, and 87% efficient at max load. It’s also competitively priced, making this one of our favorite power supplies for lower-wattage builds.
Best Quiet RTX 3060/RX 6600XT PSU: be quiet! Straight Power 11
If you’re the type that likes to work in complete silence, you may find even the quiet whir of a fan to be a massive annoyance. If that’s the case and you’re willing to drop a bit more money, there’s no better power supply than be quiet!’s Straight Power 11. Seriously, their entire brand was built on the concept of running as silently as possible.
The Straight Power 11 comes equipped with an 135mm variation of be quiet!’s own Silent Wings 3 fan, which is more or less inaudible. The 550 watts of power provided are more than enough juice to power your 3060, and this PSU also offers a slick fully modular design and 80-Plus Gold efficiency. Backed by a 5-year warranty, the Straight Power 11 will probably still be kicking when you get ready for your next graphics card upgrade.
The one downside is its price, which is more than you’d pay for a comparable, slightly louder power supply like the 550 GA. Depending on the pricing at the time you’re buying and your noise tolerance threshold, it may or may not be worth the additional cash.
Best High-Efficiency RTX 3060/RX 6600XT PSU: Seasonic FOCUS Plus Platinum
Titanium, not Platinum, is technically the highest 80-Plus Efficiency rating, however these are extremely uncommon, especially in lower-wattage PSUs. You’ll have to pay upwards of $200 for one of these for a 1-2% uptick in efficiency. For this reason, we chose Seasonic’s FOCUS Plus Platinum power supply as our top high-efficiency pick. It’s 89% efficient at max load, keeping waste to a minimum.
Seasonic is yet another reputable power supply manufacturer, and this model is one of their best. With a fully modular design, quiet fans, and a 10-year warranty, this is one of the best 550W PSUs on the market.
We also feel that the be quiet! Straight Power 11’s Platinum model deserves at least an honorable mention. It’s priced similarly to its Seasonic counterpart, and if their prices converge it’s an equally viable option.
Best Small Form-Factor RTX 3060/RX 6600XT PSU: Corsair SF600
The RTX 3060 comes in small form-factor models like the ASUS Phoenix single-fan model, allowing users to build comfortably in mini-ITX cases. If you’re a fan of tiny builds, you’ll need an equally tiny power supply to fit in that case.
Our top pick for fulfilling this role is Corsair’s SF600. It’s a 600W fully-modular 80-Plus Gold-rated PSU with an impressive 7-year warranty. It’s solidly built, and with dimensions of 4.9 x 2.5 x 3.9 inches, it will fit in essentially any SFF case.
It’s a bit on the expensive side compared to standard-sized ATX power supplies, but as SFF PSUs go it’s priced to compete.
Conclusion
Those are our favorite RTX 3060 and RX 6600XT power supplies for essentially any use case. When searching for power supplies, you’ll likely find cheaper alternatives that share many of the same features as the ones we chose (although likely not the warranty). Some of these brands include ARESGAME, Antec, Apevia, and Montech.
We haven’t personally vetted these brands, and with power supplies it’s almost always better to play it safe. A bad PSU can fry your entire system, so spending $20-30 extra on a brand-name will rarely hurt you in the long run.
