Corsair CX430 V2 Power Supply Review
Load Tests
Contents
We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.
First, we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.
If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted u
nder “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.
The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, both were connected to the power supply single +12 V rail (the EPS12V connector was installed on the +12VB input).
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 3 A (36 W) | 6 A (72 W) | 9 A (108 W) | 12 A (144 W) | 15 A (180 W) |
| +12VB | 3 A (36 W) | 6 A (72 W) | 9 A (108 W) | 12 A (144 W) | 15 A (180 W) |
| +5 V | 1 A (5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 5 A (25 W) | 7 A (35 W) |
| +3.3 V | 1 A (3.3 W) | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 5 A (16.5 W) | 7 A (23.1 W) |
| +5VSB | 1 A (5 W) | 1 A (5 W) | 1 A (5 W) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 90.6 W | 170.1 W | 258.0 W | 338.6 W | 428.4 W |
| % Max Load | 21.1% | 39.6% | 60.0% | 78.7% | 99.6% |
| Room Temp. | 45.0° C | 44.4° C | 44.2° C | 44.5° C | 46.1° C |
| PSU Temp. | 48.1° C | 48.2° C | 48.1° C | 48.2° C | 48.7° C |
| Voltage Stability | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 109.1 W | 199.1 W | 304.8 W | 406.6 W | 527.7 W |
| Efficiency | 83.0% | 85.4% | 84.6% | 83.3% | 81.2% |
| AC Voltage | 116.1 V | 115.4 V | 114.3 V | 113.3 V | 112.3 V |
| Power Factor | 0.969 | 0.986 | 0.99 | 0.994 | 0.995 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The Corsair CX430 V2 can really deliver its labeled wattage at high temperatures.
Efficiency was between 81.2% and 85.4%, which is outstanding for a USD 45 power supply. In fact, these numbers are comparable to several 80 Plus Bronze units we’ve reviewed.
Voltage regulation was very good, with all voltages within 3% of their nominal values, except the -12 V output during test one and the +5 V output during test five (+4.83 V), but they were still inside the proper range. This means that voltages were closer to their nominal values than required by the ATX12V specification most of the time. The ATX12V specification says positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values. This tighter regulation is rarely seen on an entry-level power supply.
Noise and ripple levels were always extremely low. Below you can see the results for the power supply outputs during test number five. The maximum allowed is 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures.
Figure 18: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 428.4 W (22.4 mV)
Figure 19: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 428.4 W (20.6 mV)
Figure 20: +5 V rail during test five at 428.4 W (17.4 mV)
Figure 21: +3.3 V rail during test five at 428.4 W (19.4 mV)
Let’s see if we can pull more than 430 W from this unit.