Corsair CX430M Overclocking Question

[hccard]

I'll begin by saying that I really hope I'm posting this in the right place (note: I am not asking anything about overclocking specifically, but about my power supply)

 

So I recently built my first PC. While I have become acquainted with the PC building community and PC hardware over the last few years, there is still a lot I don't know. As I began to design my PC, I used pcpartpicker as a source to check compatibility, prices, etc. One of the things I noticed was that it told you the estimated system wattage, and I thus chose my PSU according to that figure. My PC has the following components:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6LXNVn

- Intel Pentium G3258 (with Cooler Master 212 EVO)

- Gigabyte B85M-DS3H-A Motherboard

- Corsair Vengeance (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

- Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB

- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 2GB Factory OC'd Video Card (from my previous PC)

- Corsair CX430W 80+ PSU

- Asus DRW Optical Drive

- 2 120mm Cooler Master Case Fans (looking to add two more)

 

All in a Cooler Master N200

 

So the estimated wattage for this machine according to pcpartpciker is only 201W, which is why I chose the 430W PSU (as that seemed like more than enough, considering its more than double the estimate). As I have began to look into overclocking my CPU (and possibly my graphics card), I have found that there is a concern surrounding overclocking with a lower wattage PSU. Like I said, I don't know a lot about some things, and this is definitely one of them. Overclocking my CPU would involve me raising the voltage to somewhere in the 1.2-1.3 range, which I think is only a .2-.3 increase. To me (not knowing anything about how voltage and wattage works), raising the voltage by that amount doesn't sound like it would drastically increase the wattage from 201W to 430W+, but as I said, i really have no clue. Basically, I just wanted an outside opinion as to whether or not it would be a good idea for me to try and overclock my CPU with my current, 430W PSU. I am also looking to add a few case fans, don't know if that will make a huge difference.

 

I would really appreciate any feedback, comments, or concerns regarding my situation. Thank you!

[STRMfrmXMN]

le petit snip

Well you're more than fine on wattage, don't fret that BUT 

That PSU is not for overclocking. It's meant for very basic systems and cannot deal with heat well. I would think overclocking the CPU is totally fine but I'd try to keep the temps on your GPU on the low side. If you're already seeing 80C under load then just don't bother with overclocking the 650.

[,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

CX series is NOT for gaming builds.

[byalexandr]

It's fine. You won't be doing sub-zero liquid nitrogen cooling or anything, but hey, you can probably get puppy above 4GHz.

[byalexandr]

CX series is NOT for gaming builds.

Doesn't mean he can't OC.

[,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

Doesn't mean he can't OC.

 

True, but I would throw that PSU OUT BEFORE IT EXPLODES!

[byalexandr]

True, but I would throw that PSU OUT BEFORE IT EXPLODES!

Hey, look at mine (signature). I was running an FX 6300at 4.2GHz and an OCed 760. Didn't explode on me.

[hccard]

Well you're more than fine on wattage, don't fret that BUT 

That PSU is not for overclocking. It's meant for very basic systems and cannot deal with heat well. I would think overclocking the CPU is totally fine but I'd try to keep the temps on your GPU on the low side. If you're already seeing 80C under load then just don't bother with overclocking the 650.

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. OCing the CPU definitely has more priority over OCing the GPU, and I may not even mess around with it. I will add though that in my current configuration (with no overclocking on anything besides the factory OC on the 650) that my CPU idles right under 40 degrees (this is actually with the stock cooler), and stays right around 60 in Prime95 (for an hour and again, with the stock cooler), while my GPU sits at 30 degrees while idling. I have yet to test the 650 under load, but will do so soon. From what I can tell though, my system seems to run pretty cool, so that is a good sign in light of what you just said.

 

It's fine. You won't be doing sub-zero liquid nitrogen cooling or anything, but hey, you can probably get puppy above 4GHz.

I can see by your signature that your build uses a similar set up, but with a more powerful CPU and slightly less powerful PSU. Do you have overclocking success?

[byalexandr]

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. OCing the CPU definitely has more priority over OCing the GPU, and I may not even mess around with it. I will add though that in my current configuration (with no overclocking on anything besides the factory OC on the 650) that my CPU idles right under 40 degrees (this is actually with the stock cooler), and stays right around 60 in Prime95 (for an hour and again, with the stock cooler), while my GPU sits at 30 degrees while idling. I have yet to test the 650 under load, but will do so soon. From what I can tell though, my system seems to run pretty cool, so that is a good sign in light of what you just said.

 

I can see by your signature that your build uses a similar set up, but with a more powerful CPU and slightly less powerful PSU. Do you have overclocking success?

Oh hell yes, even with a power hungry chip like the FX 6300 that I was running before did fine. I even gave it a pretty significant OC and it was fine. Most people overreact when it comes to wattage. Yes you can cut it close, but your PC actually doesn't use that much. I could even run a GTX 980 with a 400W PSU (though that would DEFINITELY be cutting it close).

[STRMfrmXMN]

Oh hell yes, even with a power hungry chip like the FX 6300 that I was running before did fine. I even gave it a pretty significant OC and it was fine. Most people overreact when it comes to wattage. Yes you can cut it close, but your PC actually doesn't use that much. I could even run a GTX 980 with a 400W PSU (though that would DEFINITELY be cutting it close).

It's not the wattage he should be concerned about. He should be concerned about the PSU itself. There's significantly more to PSUs than wattage like, in the case of the CX series, the ambient temperature tolerance which is too low on the CX series for hot hardware and/or heavy overclocking.

[STRMfrmXMN]

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. OCing the CPU definitely has more priority over OCing the GPU, and I may not even mess around with it. I will add though that in my current configuration (with no overclocking on anything besides the factory OC on the 650) that my CPU idles right under 40 degrees (this is actually with the stock cooler), and stays right around 60 in Prime95 (for an hour and again, with the stock cooler), while my GPU sits at 30 degrees while idling. I have yet to test the 650 under load, but will do so soon. From what I can tell though, my system seems to run pretty cool, so that is a good sign in light of what you just said.

 

I can see by your signature that your build uses a similar set up, but with a more powerful CPU and slightly less powerful PSU. Do you have overclocking success?

You are good to overclock but don't put hot GPUs in a setup with that GPU. You should be fine with the hardware you have now.

[byalexandr]

It's not the wattage he should be concerned about. He should be concerned about the PSU itself. There's significantly more to PSUs than wattage like, in the case of the CX series, the ambient temperature tolerance which is too low on the CX series for hot hardware and/or heavy overclocking.

Oh, forgot about that. I hear a lot of bad things about the CX series, but a lot of people use them, and they seem to be fine. Even my friend uses one (sadly) in his GTX 970 4690K rig. Idk though, my EVGA isn't even 80+ certified and it handles everything without a hitch.

[Aniallation]

@hccard You will be fine. As people stated above there's definitely better PSUs then CX, but it will get the job done for you. I have a very similar system (G3258 + 650Ti Boost) running off a CX430 with no issues, with CPU overclocked to 4.2GHz. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

Oh, forgot about that. I hear a lot of bad things about the CX series, but a lot of people use them, and they seem to be fine. Even my friend uses one (sadly) in his GTX 970 4690K rig. Idk though, my EVGA isn't even 80+ certified and it handles everything without a hitch.

"They seem to be fine" isn't an excuse to buy a poor PSU. The CX series was made for builds like the OPs in mind, not GTX 970s and 5960Xs. 

[Aniallation]

CX series is NOT for gaming builds.

What is a "gaming" build... a phone can game.

[STRMfrmXMN]

CX series is NOT for gaming builds.

This is what I would consider an OK build for that PSU. Put a 390 in there and I would dump it immediately but for now it's good.

[byalexandr]

"They seem to be fine" isn't an excuse to buy a poor PSU. The CX series was made for builds like the OPs in mind, not GTX 970s and 5960Xs. 

Well tell my friend that, not me. I didn't buy one. Hell my friend thinks he can build systems better than me because he spent more money on the parts, but look who's laughing now, lol.

[JerkyMcDilerino]

Good PSUs List

 

 

Bad PSUs List - Toast Lemon inside the PC anyone? 

[STRMfrmXMN]

What is a "gaming" build... a phone can game.

But do you think it can power a real gaming powerhouse?

[STRMfrmXMN]

Good PSUs List

 

 

Bad PSUs List - Toast Lemon inside the PC anyone? 

I have a PSU good list in my sig too

[,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

What is a "gaming" build... a phone can game.

 

Build designed around gaming. Obviously high end cards. Not an APU.

[JerkyMcDilerino]

I have a PSU good list in my sig too

Oh snap, did i just copyrighted  ?! Oh no, i'm going to get sued and i have no money on me 

[hccard]

Thanks to all of you who gave me great feedback! If I decide to upgrade my GPU (which I hopefully will be doing at some point), it looks like I'll go ahead and upgrade the PSU too. Again, thanks!

[JerkyMcDilerino]

Thanks to all of you who gave me great feedback! If I decide to upgrade my GPU (which I hopefully will be doing at some point), it looks like I'll go ahead and upgrade the PSU too. Again, thanks!

Awesome! I recommend you get either Seasonic,Antec,or EVGA power supplies because you can't go wrong with either one of them unless is DOA or mishandling.