What is so bad about Corsair CX PSUs?
- Thread starter chizrah
- Start date
Solution
n0ns3ns3
Illustrious
- May 25, 2016
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They are just "budget" units.
if you keep them out of over 50% continuous load, they will be fine. They are intended to be used with "low power" computers without high end overclocked CPUs and GPUs. For those there are higher grade PSUs like Corsair RMx series.
P.S.
And their lifespan might be shorter than the "better units". And they are more sensitive to temperature.
if you keep them out of over 50% continuous load, they will be fine. They are intended to be used with "low power" computers without high end overclocked CPUs and GPUs. For those there are higher grade PSUs like Corsair RMx series.
P.S.
And their lifespan might be shorter than the "better units". And they are more sensitive to temperature.
smorizio
Titan
- Jan 22, 2010
- 30,984
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laws of cost and quality come into play.to hit there low low price point they have to use cheaper parts and how there laid out is old school. take a look at sites that pull apart the units and load test them. a lot of load end units dont cover soilder joints with shrink tubing to keep them from shorting to the case or to another wire. as with any low cost part they have higher rate of doa and failures then units costing a little more money. the real big issues is when they die. to the die with a wimper and the rest of your new rig is fine or do they blow up and take the rig with them. newer intel cpu and mb needing more and more clean power to run without bluescreening. tht why vendor going to digital power supplys.
groundrat
Distinguished
- Dec 11, 2012
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CX series are tier 4 power supplies.
They have cheap components and the build quality is considered marginal. Here is the list: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Corsair does make (rebrand, hardly any company actually makes their own power supplies these days) some good models. its just that the CX series anit one of them. They are considered to be a risk to the system. Not an extreme risk (that's tier 5), just unreliable.
They have cheap components and the build quality is considered marginal. Here is the list: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html
Corsair does make (rebrand, hardly any company actually makes their own power supplies these days) some good models. its just that the CX series anit one of them. They are considered to be a risk to the system. Not an extreme risk (that's tier 5), just unreliable.
Apparently the new CX's are better so it does depend which CX you mean. The older ones used low quality components and had minimal protection built in to stop damage to your PC when they failed. As said above in low load builds they are usually ok but for a pc that undergoes high load such as a gaming pc which are often under high load for long periods of time they are a bad idea.
n0ns3ns3
Illustrious
- May 25, 2016
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Mate - that tiers list is not a facts list or the law, it's a biased geek's opinion.
They are fine for what they are intended for. And of course "they are considered to be risk" is a total BS.
The PSUs Tiers List is considered a risk to the public safety as it has too many blindly follow it without understanding it.
Faux_Grey
Honorable
- Sep 1, 2012
- 747
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Have never had a CX unit before but I do own several VS units (550w) (these VS units are rebranded CX but seem to be 220v only for the EMEA market) and there's nothing wrong with them that I can see.
I couldn't recommend overloading them though.
Much better than any noname brand PSU though.
Currently running these systems on VS-550 units:
1. i5 4690k
Radeon R9 nano
Mini-itx
2. i3 430
R9 270X
micro-atx
3. i3 4170
GTX 1070
atx
Thought I would have had issues with the i5 and R9 nano but even with +50% power load and the i5 overclocked with a AIO water cooling pump (furmark and prime95 running at the same time) the corsair VS 550 held up and gave me no issues.
If your system has a modern intel cpu and a new generation graphics (or last gen nvidia card) you should have no problems.
I couldn't recommend overloading them though.
Much better than any noname brand PSU though.
Currently running these systems on VS-550 units:
1. i5 4690k
Radeon R9 nano
Mini-itx
2. i3 430
R9 270X
micro-atx
3. i3 4170
GTX 1070
atx
Thought I would have had issues with the i5 and R9 nano but even with +50% power load and the i5 overclocked with a AIO water cooling pump (furmark and prime95 running at the same time) the corsair VS 550 held up and gave me no issues.
If your system has a modern intel cpu and a new generation graphics (or last gen nvidia card) you should have no problems.
bicycle_repair_man
Splendid
- Jan 10, 2014
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As said, the CX series is a budget line of PSUs, and like everything that's budget, corners have to be cut. Typically, these corners (which apply to the CX500) are:
1. Cheap capacitors.
2. Lower than claimed wattage.
3. Less tolerance at high temperatures.
4. Shorter warranty.
5. Fewer safety features.
I owned a CX750M a while back and it developed a horrendous whine so I had it replaced under warranty. The replacement then did the same thing so I refunded it and got an XFX XXX Pro, which has been rock-solid for years. A good PSU is an investment; it'll look after your PC and outlive every other component.
The tier list is not a "biased geek's opinion". It's an amalgamation of manufacturer specification, reviews and failure rates.
1. Cheap capacitors.
2. Lower than claimed wattage.
3. Less tolerance at high temperatures.
4. Shorter warranty.
5. Fewer safety features.
I owned a CX750M a while back and it developed a horrendous whine so I had it replaced under warranty. The replacement then did the same thing so I refunded it and got an XFX XXX Pro, which has been rock-solid for years. A good PSU is an investment; it'll look after your PC and outlive every other component.
The tier list is not a "biased geek's opinion". It's an amalgamation of manufacturer specification, reviews and failure rates.
n0ns3ns3
Illustrious
- May 25, 2016
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^ it biased and not scientific.
Rating supported by statemensts such "we have seen many reports of failing ...". Not a number or rate - MANY.
Downgrading PSUs to lower "unusable" tiers due to the lack of 20pin support.
So while it is true to some point, and fine as a guide line, it is not a law.
Claims like - not safe for use about PSUs from brands like cosrair are laughable. They are crap, they might die, they may do many things, but they are safe enough for home use.
Rating supported by statemensts such "we have seen many reports of failing ...". Not a number or rate - MANY.
Downgrading PSUs to lower "unusable" tiers due to the lack of 20pin support.
So while it is true to some point, and fine as a guide line, it is not a law.
Claims like - not safe for use about PSUs from brands like cosrair are laughable. They are crap, they might die, they may do many things, but they are safe enough for home use.
Dark Lord of Tech
Retired Moderator
- Aug 18, 2009
- 128,616
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The new CXM power supply lineup by Corsair , the silver and black units are very good and have a nice five year warranty. They are a whole new design and not so budget anymore.
I don't use Tiers that list is flawed in many ways.
MauveCloud
Splendid
- May 7, 2010
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Seems to me that this bit about Corsair releasing different versions of the CXM (and maybe CX as well) series with different OEMs (iirc) and different color schemes but not easily distinguishable naming is sufficient reason to avoid it. Couldn't it cause confusion with some retailers being unaware of the distinctions, not keeping the stock separate, and thus potentially shipping a different unit than the buyer actually wanted?
Dark Lord of Tech
Retired Moderator
- Aug 18, 2009
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Black and Silver CXM are a new platform , you have to make sure what your ordering and getting , same thing with XFX , sometimes you receive a different model.
bicycle_repair_man
Splendid
- Jan 10, 2014
- 5,752
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I agree, a blanket statement saying that all Corsair PSUs are terrible is misleading and incorrect. I also agree that the CX is fine for a basic desktop PC and it certainly exceeds the OEM ones that the likes of HP, Dell, etc. love to use.
However, given the choice, I wouldn't put a CX in a gaming PC.
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