PSU advice needed. CX430M vs G450M vs S12II-430

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Monsimeph

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Hi All!

I am building a small PC for basic use with i5 6500 and Asus B150M-A in a microATX case. No dedicated GPU, although I might throw in my old GT240 if more video outputs are needed down the road. PSU is the last part I haven't figured out yet.

The machine will be running long hours but under minimal load - some light office work, watching movies, listening to music, web browsing. The most important thing is to make it last as long as possible (the owner only upgrades once in ~7 years...) The overall looks and silence are also important. And all of this on a tight budget...

It's a no brainer that Seasonic is the best option out of the three quality-wise, but it's not modular, and I'd rather have a modular one, especially since I still don't know which case she will pick. What I like about Corsair unit is that there will be no redundant cables whatsoever, so the whole thing will hopefully meet the owner's "prettiness" expectations with minimal effort on my end. It also comes with 5 years warranty, just like Seasonic. However, I know it's not the best possible option quality-wise. I assumed, CM was somewhere between the two but it comes with 3 years warranty only. Same price for all, btw.

So my question I guess - how bad CX really is? Is it gonna die sooner than others even though the expected workload is minimal? Is it significantly more prone to failure due to power outage, for example, than Seasonic? Or am I just being unnecessary paranoid?

If there is any other low wattage (budget) unit that is modular and worth checking out, I'd be glad to hear about it.

Thanks in advance and have a wonderful day!
 
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with the outtages expected to happen in the winter, and a UPS is out of the budget, I hope at least there is cash for a good surge protector. the outtages are not an issue, but the restoring of power, the surge, can kill a PSU.
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RCFProd

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Perhaps It's an option to go with the S12II 430w and then adding sleeved extensions to make it look good atleast from the windowed panel. I mean, I would have preferred a semi-modular/fully modular PSU afterwards, but with the individually sleeved cables I use it looks as sleek as any build. But do mind the H440 case I use hides all possible PSU cables you can see, because of the PSU cover. It's why I decided I'd be fine with a non-modular PSU.
 
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Monsimeph

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Not really an option, the budget is already pushed to the limit. If I had more cash to spare, I would have picked a modular M12II for additional $25.
 
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Monsimeph

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Thanks. As far as I am concerned, the looks is the last thing needs being addressed in this situation, but I ain't a girl and I ain't gonna use this computer.... What do I know?!. Maybe I'll try to convince her that the sticker is much uglier than properly hidden cables...
What about G450M? Is it also awful?

Obviously, the only advantage of both of these units over SS is the modularity. If we give up on that, there's no reason whatsoever to keep looking for anything else.
 
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R_1

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ask her 1 question for me. is she going to use the computer, or stare at the chassis?

you could cover the ugly sticker with a pretty sticker. haha
the g450m is a tier 3. stable unit. I suggested the antec cause I know its under 40 bucks.
 
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Frankly she's probably gonna stare at it more than actually use it. And I won't tell her about covering the sticker! Its ugliness might be my only chance. :D

So Corsair is a decent choice? For 7 years?.. lol... I was surprised to find out that lousy CX has longer warranty than supposedly a better PSU.
VP costs 7 bucks less than SS, and comes with two years warranty, so I didn't even consider it.
 
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RCFProd

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If you ask me the Antec VP450 I wouldn't consider better than the CX 430. But there is simply no discussion possible. If you want a power supply to last this long then there is only one option and no other possible, and your best bet is simply the Seasonic. Corsair CX is actually quite rubbish overall especially when we are talking about long term. Forget the looks/modularity.
 
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madmatt30

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I disagree - I've never personally thought the CX should be tier 4, tier 3 yes.
They're not a danger to the system , they have good voltage & ripple regulation - the tier 4 rating is solely for the teapo caps with their 85c rating , & the fact that people use these units in rigs where they've drastically underestimated requirements of the 12v rail & are constantly pushing close to the limits of the PSU, the antec & the cm 450 have exactly the same underlying issue there.
So long as you don't continuously run these units at 90% load there's no reason they won't last at least the guarantee period or 5 years +.

The antec I'd say is the worst of the 3 in all honesty.
The cm 450 & cx 430 are based on the same cwt platform , the cm has an extra 20w , the CX has a better quality fan & a better warranty.
Personally I don't think you can go wrong with the CX for a sub 300w build .
 
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Sigh... And the opinion divided... Just like in my head... lol... Honestly speaking, I am pretty sure it's gonna be OK with any of them. Maybe I am lucky, but the only PSU's that I've seen failing horribly were generic crapo. CX is definitely not something I'd put on a gaming rig or potential overclocker, but with her uses it probably shouldn't scare me as much as it does. I am mostly worried because of the power outages which are not uncommon in winter. And UPS is not an option due to budget limitations.

Anyways, I'll try to convince her that the looks doesn't mean a whole lot when computer can't boot... Let's see what she says. A lot will depend on the case, I suppose. I could be a real gentleman instead of a wannabe and try to refine my cable management skills for her... If only I wasn't so lazy... :p
 
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R_1

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with the outtages expected to happen in the winter, and a UPS is out of the budget, I hope at least there is cash for a good surge protector. the outtages are not an issue, but the restoring of power, the surge, can kill a PSU.
 
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Monsimeph

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Good point. I'll keep that in mind.


She wants a window. Currently she's contemplating on 88R. The cable management aspect worries me, but eventually I'll have to make it work, I guess....
 
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Monsimeph

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That was also my suggestion. :p And yeah. I googled for more pictures and it seems there's enough space behind the motherboard. For some reason initially I got the impression there was literally no space back there. But it's pretty similar to other small cases. I worked with worse.
 
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Just a quick update.

Not without a battle I managed to convince her that longevity and reliability >> modularity of the cables and bought a Seasonic. Great piece no doubt. Even the cables are all black and flat. All but one... Man... this 24 pin cable can use a serious diet. It's so fat I had to apply a lot of tough love in order to close the side panel. And that was not case's fault nor my poor cable management skills (alright, they are nothing to be proud of, but... but... not that horrible either).
Another obstacle on the road to perfect prettiness were SATA cables. I should've thought about them earlier but I haven't. Unfortunately only two came with the Mobo and I was forced to grab another 2 of my own which were orange. To top the rainbow theme I added additional case fan in light grey. Lol.. Wtf, Corsair, why the single fan?!!!

Ironically enough she took all if this very well and decided to place it on the other side of the desk with window inside. i.e. blocked. Apparently, without LED's and flashy crap PC parts are not pretty enough to be shown off. :D Go figure...

Anyways, I just wanted to thank you all. The right decision has been made and I am not sure I'd have had the moral strength to make it without your support. lol... Thanks again guys!
 
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Monsimeph

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Yeah, the case is nice. I only have few issues with it. First, a single fan. It's not expensive, I get it. But even junk Antec cases come with 2-3 fans nowadays. The weirdest part is the mesh on the top panel though - no fans, no filters (not even the cheap ones you can buy on ebay for pennies). Just the mesh to let all the the precious dust in. WTF Corsair???
And the last thing - I was forced to remove the rear fan in order to plug in 4pin ATX cable. Even my wife with her small hands couldn't get the SoB in while the fan installed. But that's not a big deal, especially for a small case. Other than that the build went pretty well. Had I not been as lazy as I am, I could've uploaded a few pics to pcpartpicker. But I am really really lazy... :D
 
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