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blahsaysblah wrote:

just brew it! wrote:

FWIW I've had very good results with Corsair's CX series over the past several years. Multiple units in multiple builds (many of which run 24x7 or close to it), with no failures. Sure, the build quality isn't as good as more expensive units, but in my experience they're a cut above other PSUs in their price range.

Exactly this.

Everyone doesnt need a GTX 1080. GTX 1060, GTX 1050 and Geforce 1010 all serve their roles.

My last computer was OC from day 1, lasted 8 years and only retired because i needed SLATC feature on CPU for Hyper-V. During 2nd year, the original semi-expensive PS died. It was on a $30 MicroCenter store brand 500W PS from then on. That PS temporarily powered my new rig until i found a good SFX for my new mini-ITX PC. Still here as a spare.

An i3 + GTX 1060 + 2 drives will be around 250W(likely less) during heavy gaming.
An i5k + GTX 1080 + 2 drives will be around 350W w/o crazy OC during heavy gaming.

Only reason im not using a Corsair CX450M is because i needed a SFX form factor PS for my build and also full modular because i wanted to build my own power cables to free up space. (Corsair SF450)

In your new price range, you should also try to look for hybrid fan that stays off at low temperatures/loads. The SF450's fan stays off under 200W in my case.

Chalk and cheese there-
SF450 is an excellent PSU.
CX430 is slightly better than the PSU's that come free with some cases............................

HERETIC wrote:

CX430 is slightly better than the PSU's that come free with some cases............................

You're being way too hard on it. According to jonnyGURU (probably the best PSU review site out there), it's an excellent value; they give it a 9 out of 10:

jonnyguru.com wrote:

Summary

Corsair has managed to pull off rather successfully something not too many companies can brag about. They've come up with a reliable, cheap, and well performing power supply for everyday systems that don't expect a lot from their power supplies. I do find the thirty degree full power temperature rating to be a bit on the low side, but as you saw here today mine didn't have a problem heating up a little more than that. At this price, it's very hard to do better and very easy to do worse.

Link to the full review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?na ... y&reid=239

CX430 has 4 stars over 1082 votes on newegg.
CX500 4 starts over 735 votes
CX600 4 stars over 850

CX430M 4 stars over 220
CX450M 5 stars over 8
CX500M 4 stars over 231
CX550M 5 stars over 9
CX600 4 starts over 305

What are you basing your facts on?

just brew it! wrote:

HERETIC wrote:

CX430 is slightly better than the PSU's that come free with some cases............................

You're being way too hard on it. According to jonnyGURU (probably the best PSU review site out there), it's an excellent value; they give it a 9 out of 10:

jonnyguru.com wrote:

Summary

Corsair has managed to pull off rather successfully something not too many companies can brag about. They've come up with a reliable, cheap, and well performing power supply for everyday systems that don't expect a lot from their power supplies. I do find the thirty degree full power temperature rating to be a bit on the low side, but as you saw here today mine didn't have a problem heating up a little more than that. At this price, it's very hard to do better and very easy to do worse.

Link to the full review: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?na ... y&reid=239

Nice of you to quote jonnyguru-I've read nearly every review he's written.
AS for 9 out of 10 that can be very deceiving, as it covers costing and cables etc.
The important one is build quality he gives it a 7 which I think is a little high.
lets look at some of his comments-
Page 4
With the lid off the unit, we see a fairly low end Channel Well design inside.
The soldering is... not as good as I've seen from CWT, which is in turn not as good in general as some other companies.
I think that last comment says it all-before we even get into the super cheap capacitors used.

I'll repeat what I said on page 1
When you look at a $30 PSU--Take away profits for retailer and manufacturer-cost of packaging,transport from China.
Lucky if your left with $10 worth of components (cheap ones).
We all like a bargain-but PSU is not a place to "cheap out"

We're enthusiasts-We all can't afford bleeding edge gear-but that is just too low.
For $20 more you can get a nice PSU.................................

Maybe his 9/10 is a bit high, but the point is that it is better than pretty much anything else in its price range (IME I'd say at least as good as many PSUs costing ~$10-$20 more), and represents excellent value. I think that's a fair assessment.

Obligatory car analogy: A Corolla is a good car for the money; but you don't buy one expecting a Mercedes. The Corsair CX series is the Corolla of the PSU world.

I've had good luck with both Antec and Corsair. Been running the Corsair HX620 in my gaming box for over 10 years with nary a hitch.

Whatever your supply, make sure you blow it out thoroughly once a year. Dust is preferentially attracted to e-fields and their conductors, and it doesn't take much of a dust bridge to affect the performance of the primary switches in your supply. The rest of your PC may look clean, but the supply is the only place in your system where you have nodes at 200+ volts. Arcs form pretty easily at this voltage when there's sufficient dust around and even easier if you add in high humidity.

toki wrote:

lol, that's great. I leave my computer on 24/7

What's it doing while it's on? Is it sitting there idling or are you doing something like Folding where your system is stressed to 100% utilization?

nanoflower wrote:

One thing I don't see being mentioned is upgrade potential.

I mentioned it specifically.

Flying Fox wrote:

Not if the OP lives in California.

Ok, so add tax in Cali, but you're still getting the MIR from newegg and not amazon.

This thread is going off the rails fast. Like JBI and CScott mentioned, there are various classes of PSUs and they're typically separated by 80+ certification (bronze/silver/gold/platinum/titanium). I really don't get people that are so concerned over pricing. The fact of the matter is that you'd probably freak if you saw the actual BOM of most top of the line PSUs. For example, the EVGA G2 series are some of the best reviewed PSUs at the moment. As I mentioned before, the 550 G2 goes for $60 after MIR somewhat frequently and has been as low as $50 after MIR. Guaranteed EVGA is still making profit even at that price.

You also have to consider the economy of scale and the concept of mail in rebates. For example, the venerable Corsair CX430 was selling for $20 after MIR fairly regularly in its heyday, and still is. Being very cheap and relatively decent quality, Corsair likely sold/sells 10x-100x or more of those PSUs than the 2nd place by volume competitor in that wattage. Increased volume lowers manufacturing costs. Also, the concept of MIR is that not everyone redeems them, however it does increase sales even to the people that end up not submitting for their MIR. Companies know that if they can tighten their profit margin, even by 50%, but sell 400% more units as a result, it's a winning business plan.

If you're buying a PSU and thinking that retail price alone determines quality, you're in for a rude awakening. If you don't want to do any research, the best catch-all is to look at 80+ certification and buy from a well known manufacturer. Anything these days that cant pass 80+ Bronze certification is junk. Once you get into 80+ gold, the internal components are obviously good quality. Are some better than others? Sure. Are there diminishing returns? Yes.

Like JBI mentioned, nobody is saying the CX450 or EVGA 450b are Mercedes-class PSUs. Nobody should be expecting that from price alone. Heck, you can spend up to 5x as much on a 450W PSU. But the fact of the matter is that MOST people don't need a Mercedes to go buy groceries and/or take their kids to school.

My computer is my main rig. It is mainly surfing the webs. It is utilized fully when it is converting videos or music or maybe when it is set up as an htpc while I am surfing the web or doing other various things at the same time or playing video games. I don't think I am running it to the ground really. Like someone earlier said, they have had theirs for 10 years and that is the main reason for getting a new one because mine is at or over 10 years old now and I thought it would be a good time to replace. It is an Antec Earthwatt 650 watt and had done very well to here.

CScottG wrote:

toki wrote:

I cancelled the other order and did this one instead. This is the one I had in mind in the first place. https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperNOVA-C ... 6906984011 It has the 10 year warranty.

Um, says 5 YEAR WARRANTY in its title, and elsewhere.

This one has a 10 year warranty:

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SuperNOVA-C ... B00K85X2AW

Time to cancel another order:)

I consider the PSU to be one of the most important parts of any build. I have had excellent luck with Seasonic PSU's. I prefer to spend a little more and get a PSU I know will go the distance and not take a chance on having a cheaper/lower quality one die leaving my system down waiting on a new PSU to arrive. Let alone lose any other components to a failing PSU.

I'll double down on the super popular CX 3 year warranty(atx v2.3) and newer CX-M 5 year warranty power supplies.

The CX-M CX450 has a 5 year warranty, is ATX12 v2.4(newest), is semi-modular, is 80 Plus Bronze(82@20%, 85@50%, 82@100%) and uses a standard thermally controlled 120mm fan.

$26 after rebate ($50 -$4 instant rebate -$20 MIR)

Should you put this in a $1.5k build? No, you should match brackets, a $600 GPU should be matched with equally expensive components. Should this go into sweet spot and lower builds. Absolutely.

I was sad that i had to get the SFX form factor $90 CS450, though im really happy with it.

Remember, 450W means 450W to PC and 549W (450/0.82 at full load) from wall.

If you follow through on rebate, thats $5 per year under warranty. Don't take bff out for lunch once and you can buy a replacement. Dont get super over sized, just buy new one to match that new monster PC. Getting oversized unit means majority of your time you will be under the 20% load and in least efficient zone. $26, just get another PS in 5 years.... No one expects to use same CPU or GPU for 10 years straight.

Side, note, know your needs. If youre gonna have 8x3.5" drives,... look at the 5V rail, usually shares load with 3.3V rail...

It has a 5 year warranty. I really cant see one issue with it. I think JonnyGuru's over all grade was spot on.

Think I'm trying to flog a dead horse here-But I'll try with a bit of history.
Around 10 years ago Corsair decided to branch out from just being a ram module maker.
They entered the PSU market with a really clever move-Seasonic's S12 and M12 series had
become the value and quality PSU of the time.Corsair picked a few of their models and
stuck their labels on them and soon gained a great reputation as a PSU supplier..

And too this day-That is where I draw "MY" line in the sand.
If it's not as good quality as a 10 year old-Then NO thank you.
If you wish to draw your line lower that's your choice.

Thro I have no problem still recommending S12 and M12 today I prefer to go up one notch.
Today my balance of price/performance goes to Seasonic g series and EVGA G2 (Superflower)

Too all the skinflints that say "you'll never get your money back on a gold over a bronze"
You might be right-maybe not-depends on use.But there are more benefits-
A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link-the weakest link in PSU's is capacitors-they dry out
over time-with the cheaper one's drying out quicker-A gold rated PSU wastes less power as heat
which helps capacitor lifespan,and as a added bonus generally gives a quieter PSU as well.

And now for a ROFL moment-"The Corsair CX series is the Corolla of the PSU world"
I'm writing this on a box with a Corsair VX450 PSU-which could most certainly be classed as a
Corolla-Tough and reliable-In comparison the CX series is definitely a Lada.haha
Reviews have to be taken in the right concept-
CX450 is a very good $30 PSU. you probably won't find a better PSU for $30.Perfectly correct.
Put it on a page with a $50 PSU and you see how crappy it really is.
Does it have a use-yes-uncle Bobs 5 year old box (light duty) needs a PSU to keep it going for a few years.
But PLEASE PLEASE do NOT recommend for new builds.........

HERETIC wrote:

CX450 is a very good $30 PSU. you probably won't find a better PSU for $30.Perfectly correct.
Put it on a page with a $50 PSU and you see how crappy it really is.
Does it have a use-yes-uncle Bobs 5 year old box (light duty) needs a PSU to keep it going for a few years.
But PLEASE PLEASE do NOT recommend for new builds.........

And this is where I have a problem with this logic. There are tight budget builds and the load and usage of the computer are not like your gaming enthusiast. Let's pick the CX450. If the build is never going to exceed 200W total system draw (and even that is occasional), and the life expectancy is set at 3-5 years, why not recommend it? What is this "crappiness" that you speak of? Heat? Current ripple destroying other components (you probably have a higher chance of frying your motherboard if you get that reference RX480 instead)? Noise (with such a low load)? It will randomly die for no reason like those DEER's?

Not everyone is gaming or folding or mining or encoding 24x7 with everything overclocked to the brim and such. For those of course we can't recommend it. Every build is different in context. I don't get that hate.

toki wrote:

My computer is my main rig. It is mainly surfing the webs. It is utilized fully when it is converting videos or music or maybe when it is set up as an htpc while I am surfing the web or doing other various things at the same time or playing video games. I don't think I am running it to the ground really. Like someone earlier said, they have had theirs for 10 years and that is the main reason for getting a new one because mine is at or over 10 years old now and I thought it would be a good time to replace. It is an Antec Earthwatt 650 watt and had done very well to here.

I still have an Antec Neopower 650 new-in-the-box waiting for an assignment. I bought two at a great price when they were being closed out. Figured one would die within a few years and I'd have a ready replacement. Figured wrong. The original is still providing great service after 8 years. Still silent. Like I said earlier, Antec and Corsair have been very good for me.

I just got the PSU. It's the EVGA GS1 fully modular. It is very pretty. I can't test it yet as I am waiting for other parts before I can start to put it to any tests.

HERETIC wrote:

Thro I have no problem still recommending S12 and M12 today I prefer to go up one notch.
Today my balance of price/performance goes to Seasonic g series and EVGA G2 (Superflower)

I had an S12II 520W. Fan was quiet, ran cool, did its job and never caused a problem.

At some point, you're just talking overkill. The power supplies in most consumer desktops are probably much crappier, for one, but those generally work fine anyway.

toki wrote:

I just got the PSU. It's the EVGA GS1 fully modular. It is very pretty. I can't test it yet as I am waiting for other parts before I can start to put it to any tests.

Very nice.

CPU2 is shared with peripherals but CPU1 is shared with ATX(aka PCI-E bus power). They have 20Amp rating so 240W(20Ax12V) per rail, so probably nothing to be concerned about. Just FYI.

blahsaysblah wrote:

toki wrote:

I just got the PSU. It's the EVGA GS1 fully modular. It is very pretty. I can't test it yet as I am waiting for other parts before I can start to put it to any tests.

Very nice.

CPU2 is shared with peripherals but CPU1 is shared with ATX(aka PCI-E bus power). They have 20Amp rating so 240W(20Ax12V) per rail, so probably nothing to be concerned about. Just FYI.

Blah-that's a old discontinued FSP design-the GS is Seasonic.and like most Seasonic's in that power range is single 12V rail.

HERETIC wrote:

Blah-that's a old discontinued FSP design-the GS is Seasonic.and like most Seasonic's in that power range is single 12V rail.

Yup, i clicked wrong link. I was surprised by the multi-rail design too, but it said 10 year warranty, so I thought...

But yeah, the even newer 220-GS-0650-V1 looks nice.

With rebate (while it lasts) this is a very good deal for $80:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817438055



EDIT: ..it was a good enough deal that I just picked one up for my dad.