Corsair CX430W preview

I've read the entire review, and I find I don't agree with the tone of the conclusion. I think the Corsair branding has the reviewer expecting too much from what really is a very budget product.

CWT make good PSUs, this particular one is a budget or value or basic or entry level or whatever you want to call it, and it's not suitable for running at flat out 400W long term - I'd be uncomfortable using it with a quad core and a high end graphics card. However if you're just running a low end card and a quadcore then it'll be just fine.

If you look at the price point the only thing cheaper is the OcUK swift - which is probably another no frills supply, but not in black, without braided cables, and I'm not sure if it's a 12cm fan or not.

What I do think Corsair should have done is drop the CX in favour of something else. I've never forgotten that Antec switched manufacturers without changing brand names, and this isn't quite as bad as that since it's a distinct model number, but it may be misleading if people are reading 400W reviews and assuming it's the same line.
 
The CX430W has now been reviewed:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=214

The Good:

Quiet
Decent voltage regulation
Fully sleeved cables
Good ripple suppression
Great price

The Bad:

Not as efficient as we would like to see.

The Mediocre:

Use of Chinese Samxon capacitors throughout.
Group regulated design.

From the review:

"Internally, the construction is just average with the group regulated topology and use of Samxcon capacitors. Corsair also only gives this unit a two year warranty. Perhaps thats as long as the Samxon caps last? Value score is a 9."

Also the Jonnyguru hotbox tests were done at 29C to 33C. 30C is the temperature at which the new CX series is rated at unlike the old CX400W which was rated at 40C.

In their other recent PSU reviews the hot box tests were done at between 40C to 60C:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=213

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story3&reid=202
 
Certainly not a bad review there. I have definitely seen worse.

All in all, I think people are simply slightly disappointed that this quite doesn't live up to expectations of the Corsair name. It is still a half decent supply, the only faults being slightly questionable component choice, and low, although still not bad, efficiency.
 
Oklahoma Wolf got the review conclusion right, in my opinion.

It's a dirt cheap PSU, and what you get for your money is good.

Edit : Oops, it was Jonny that reviewed this one. Oklahoma Wolf usually does the reviews and I assumed!
 
The CX 430W is between £35 to £40 so it is not a dirt cheap PSU. Under £30 would be cheap.

Considering that the CX400W and OCZ ModXStream 400W were between £30 to £40 it does make the CX430W not look the greatest value.

Between £35 to £45 there are better units IMHO.

There are units like the Antec EarthWatts 380W and Silverpower SP-SS-400 which are Seasonic made units with Japanese primary capacitors.
 
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The CX430 is still a POS.

It was tested at 30c.

It is a 380w PSU overrated by 50w.

Still not as good as the CX400.

The Halk said:
Edit : Oops, it was Jonny that reviewed this one. Oklahoma Wolf usually does the reviews and I assumed!
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Jonny Gerow started doing them again about mid 2010.

LiamJ said:
Certainly not a bad review there. I have definitely seen worse.

All in all, I think people are simply slightly disappointed that this quite doesn't live up to expectations of the Corsair name. It is still a half decent supply, the only faults being slightly questionable component choice, and low, although still not bad, efficiency.
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The build quality isn't that bad. Apart from the SamXon caps and lack of heatsinks it is similar to the CX400... it's just not a 430w PSU. It's a 350-380w.

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
As I said in post 9 it seems the TX line also has been quietly changed too.
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Yeah they changed the TX series to PSHII without mentioning anything. The build quality of the PSHII's are slightly poorer compared to the regular PSH on the TX750.
 
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Sad shame to see Corsair cost cutting like this. Always regarded the products as high quality. Hope there memory isnt going the same way...
 
Still not as good as the CX400.
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No it is not but they have EOL'd the CX400 as they could not sell it and make a profit.

It is a 380w PSU overrated by 50w.
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JG did not have any problem with the rating of this unit ...

So the CX430 is under $50, but it seems we get a pretty decent unit for the money. We get 430W worth of continuous power with no surprises.
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While it may not be the best at its price point I'm sure it is a lot better than some of the nasty power supplies out there.
 
nightmare99 said:
No it is not but they have EOL'd the CX400 as they could not sell it and make a profit.
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There are other Seasonic made units such as the Antec EarthWatts 380W and Silverpower SP-SS-400 400W which are also around £40 too. These use Japanese made primary capacitors. AFAIK,the Silverpower SP-SS-400 is based on the Seasonic S12 design. Both are also 80+ certified unlike the CX430W.

The CX430W still provides less amps on the 12V line than the CX400W.

nightmare99 said:
JG did not have any problem with the rating of this unit ...
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As I stated in post 24 the hot box testing was done at 29C to 33C. Usually the other PSUs are tested in the hot box at between 40C to 60C. JonnyGuru also has not tested the previous CX400W either and this was rated at 40C by Corsair unlike the CX430W which they have rated at 30C.

If Hardware Secrets also review the CX430W we can a get a better view of the capabilities of the CX430W.
 
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For someone without a discrete graphics card this is the PSU that I'll recommend to them.

Antec have previously changed manufacturer on a PSU and retained the exact same model number.
 
The Halk said:
For someone without a discrete graphics card this is the PSU that I'll recommend to them.

Antec have previously changed manufacturer on a PSU and retained the exact same model number.
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Corsair changed the platform the TX line were based on quietly too.

For around £40 the CX430W is not really that cheap considering that there are loads of better units around for a similar price and many of these are 80+ certified too.
 
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CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
Corsair changed the platform the TX line were based on quietly too.

For around £40 the CX430W is not really that cheap considering that there are loads of better units around for a similar price and many of these are 80+ certified too.
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What Corsair did I don't like, but it's nothing even in the same league as what Antec did.

My point with Antec is that you could buy a 380W Earthwatts and it could end up being a Sparkle build not Seasonic.

Additionally Seasonic doesn't mean perfect either. The reason why this 430W isn't spectacular is not because it's an Channel Wall Tech. It's because CWT/Corsair have picked a very budget design for it. CWT could have produced a 80+ Gold great PSU if the retail price was going to be higher.

I agree that there may well be other PSUs out there that are cheaper. But this one is braided, it looks good, it does the job, it's cheap, and Corsair have excellent after care.
 
The CX430W also has a two year warranty which means it is no better than most PSUs out there TBH. Also they have used relatively cheap capacitors too which the JonnyGuru reviewer ridiculed.

The CX400W had a three year warranty BTW.
 
CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
The CX430W also has a two year warranty which means it is no better than most PSUs out there TBH. Also they have used relatively cheap capacitors too which the JonnyGuru reviewer ridiculed.

The CX400W had a three year warranty BTW.
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I know all that... I still agree with what I've said above.

Corsair's aftersales, the appearance of the unit, and the braided cables make it more attractive. It isn't expensive at all. It's a reasonable purchase.

I'm not buying one. I have a server up my loft which has a very very basic nVidia card in it, a quad core, 8GB, RAID card and 11 HDDs. If I didn't have a spare PSU to put in it and I had to buy one then the 430W would do the job. I get free postage from OcUK and I'd sooner buy that rather than any other around the price point.
 
The Halk said:
I know all that... I still agree with what I've said above.

Corsair's aftersales, the appearance of the unit, and the braided cables make it more attractive. It isn't expensive at all. It's a reasonable purchase.

I'm not buying one. I have a server up my loft which has a very very basic nVidia card in it, a quad core, 8GB, RAID card and 11 HDDs. If I didn't have a spare PSU to put in it and I had to buy one then the 430W would do the job. I get free postage from OcUK and I'd sooner buy that rather than any other around the price point.
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You'd be buying a 380w, not a 430w. :)
 
stulid said:
Why?

The review of the CX430 isnt a disaster, it does a good job, and is certainly better than stiking a Qtec/Jeantech/EZcool rubbish in.
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Agreed. They have focused on entry level grade with this one. Its not meant for demanding applications, its meant for people whi don't particularly care and who would have went for the coloursit or similar units. Its still better built than most of the real budget models!
 
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