Is Corsair's CX lineup that bad?

[PCGuy_5960]

A friend of mine got a great deal on a used GTX 950 and he bought it. He is currently using an i5-4460 with a shit PSU, so I told him to upgrade his PSU to something better...

He can spend only up to $40, as he is on a very tight budget.

• Will the CX 430 suffice for his i5-4460 and GTX 950?
• Are there any other options to consider at this price point? ($40)

[EunSoo]

I have heard that the newer ones aren't bad. Look for a CX that has a grey logo, not the green one

[Guest]

The CX430 will probably be just fine with those specs but see if he can stretch his budget to get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

[PCGuy_5960]

Just now, SCGazelle said:

I have heard that the newer ones aren't bad. Look for a CX that has a grey logo, not the green one

I know... But the white label ones are different models... The CX 450 costs $20 more....(This is a white label CX)

[PCGuy_5960]

1 minute ago, HydraGaming said:

The CX430 will probably be just fine with those specs but see if he can stretch his budget to get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

I will see if I can convince him, as that CX costs just $20 after rebate... 

[quan289]

It's not the best build power supply, but it would power that system just fine.

[PlayStation 2]

2 minutes ago, HydraGaming said:

The CX430 will probably be just fine with those specs but see if he can stretch his budget to get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151074&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Ehh... the S12II series is relatively dated and it's a group regulated design IIRC. OP would be better off pushing hard for a CX450M, a PSU as good but designed for more modern PCs.

 

As for the CX430, it's fine with that kind of rig. It's not amazing by any means but the setup you're powering will be fine under the CX430.

[PCGuy_5960]

Just now, Dan Castellaneta said:

Ehh... the S12II series is relatively dated and it's a group regulated design IIRC.

Nevertheless, my Seasonic M12II Evo works just fine with my rig...

[PlayStation 2]

3 minutes ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Nevertheless, my Seasonic M12II Evo works just fine with my rig...

As I should've said, it's not a bad PSU by any means, it's just relatively dated.

If it's cheap, I'd spring on it, but if it's not you'd likely be better off with a newer CXM or throwing a bit extra money at something like an EVGA GQ.

[PCGuy_5960]

Just now, valdyrgramr said:

It all depends on what you are doing.  I've heard most of the issues are about rail design, power delivery, and caps[not all].  For your basic build an S12II is fine.  The thing about CX PSUs is that people try to put them in mining/folding rigs, OC rigs, and rigs that actually need the power delivery promised.  For mommy's FB machine, a htpc, or a rig using low power parts they are fine.

Aren't M12II PSUs and S12II PSUs very similar? (Because I am having no issues with a 5820K and a GTX 1060 6GB)

[quan289]

2 minutes ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Aren't M12II PSUs and S12II PSUs very similar? (Because I am having no issues with a 5820K and a GTX 1060 6GB)

The 380-620w version of the S12II-B and M12II-B are based on the same group-regulated GB platform from Seasonic. If you got the higher wattage 650w+ models, it's an AT / AM based model from Seasonic with DC-DC.

 

 

[onlybuilt4cubanxlinx]

Currently have 2 of them. No complaints. One supporting a fx 4130 OC'd and the other handles a fx 6200 at stock. One of them is 3 years old. Can't mess with that $20 mib making it $19.99. Building on a budget.

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 hour ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

A friend of mine got a great deal on a used GTX 950 and he bought it. He is currently using an i5-4460 with a shit PSU, so I told him to upgrade his PSU to something better...

He can spend only up to $40, as he is on a very tight budget.

• Will the CX 430 suffice for his i5-4460 and GTX 950?
• Are there any other options to consider at this price point? ($40)

A CX430 is fine for that. A Seasonic S12/M12/CX450M would probably be better choices though.

[SnowyMus]

2 hours ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Aren't M12II PSUs and S12II PSUs very similar? (Because I am having no issues with a 5820K and a GTX 1060 6GB)

Yeah, the M12II is just a modular S12II. It does cost a little more (usually around $5-$15 more), but can be great for premium cable management on a budget

 

2 hours ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

A friend of mine got a great deal on a used GTX 950 and he bought it. He is currently using an i5-4460 with a shit PSU, so I told him to upgrade his PSU to something better...

He can spend only up to $40, as he is on a very tight budget.

• Will the CX 430 suffice for his i5-4460 and GTX 950?
• Are there any other options to consider at this price point? ($40)

The CX power supplies are okay, though the higher quality ones end with "50M" and have grey labels instead of green. The CX450M costs around $60 when it's not on sale, but can be found very often on sale for as low as $35-$40 on Newegg and Amazon, usually with an additional $10 or $20 rebate to get it even cheaper. If you can get it this cheap, it's an excellent bargain.

 

However, the CX430 is still a pretty good deal if you're on a tight budget and can't put additional funds towards an S12II 430B or CX450M. It won't explode on you, especially with this selection, and is magnitudes better than an OEM power supply. I have personally used this power supply (the modular variant of it) for a low-end build I made for my youngest brother and have been absolutely happy with it. Really, the main thing to watch out for is heat - its maximum temperature is 30 C, which is lower than many mid-ranged PSUs (they typically have 40-50 C), so in the future, if you decide to upgrade your graphics card or CPU to something that outputs a lot of heat, consider upgrading this component first.