Corsair CX430 Power Supply Review

Conclusions

The Corsair CX430 surprised us a lot. Because it doesn’t have even the standard 80 Plus certification, the manufacturer says it has efficiency “up to” 80%, and Corsair was apprehensive in sending us a reviewing sample (we had to buy this unit ourselves), we were expecting to see a unit with lousy efficiency. However, the CX430 proved to be a terrific entry-level power supply.

It can deliver its labeled wattage at high temperatures, it has a superb voltage regulation (3% regulation instead of the standard 5%, meaning that voltages are closer to their nominal values than necessary), ultra-low noise and ripple levels, and decent efficiency up to 84%. The cable configuration is compatible with an entry-level 430 W unit, and users that need more cables will have to buy a different product.

The only reason we are giving our “Silver Award” instead of “Golden” is the efficiency a tiny bit below 80% when the unit is delivering its 430 W, but it is, still, a highly recommended unit for entry-level systems, especially when you put price into equation: this unit costs only USD 45 bucks and if you hurry you can get a USD 20 mail-in rebate card at Newegg.com, making it to actually cost only USD 25 (yes, INSANE). But pay attention because you have to download a PDF with the instructions on how to get this card when checking out, most people forget to click on the link, get the instructions, and send in the required paperwork.