Is the Corsair CX650 power supply worth it?

[mattl1598]

I'm looking for a new power supply to replace my aging aopen 400w psu from about 2010 as part of my upgrade path.

I recently found the Corsair CX650 (non-modular) in the only computer store in my area for £60 (about $75 usd). I would prefer to buy from this store over amazon as I know they have a good warranty service (5 years on this psu) and I can likely have a look at the cables to check for things like 4+4 eps rather than only 8pin.

 

Power supply page on the store website.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/components-upgrades/power-supplies/corsair-cx650-atx-psu-650-w-10162443-pdt.html

 

I tried to use the PSU tier list to find it but for this one, the tiers were a bit unclear (I think it's saying that it's a tier 3 with only one pcie connection).

 

I'm currently running:

i7-860 at stock with intel stock cooler from the original i3-540 that was in the system when i got it all those years ago.

MSI H55M-E23 motherboard

6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM

MSI GTX 1050

 

 

And I'm planning to upgrade to:

Ryzen 7 1700 for about £200

Some B350 or B450 full atx motherboard from ASUS (haven't decided on the product line)

16GB of DDR4 3000mhz or higher.

keep my gtx 1050 for a while but probably move to a Radeon RX580 or Vega in the long term.

 

The Corsair CX650:

 

[seon123]

Not worth it. A good 450-550W PSU is plenty for an overclocked RX 580 or 1080 Ti. For a Vega, 550W should be fine when overclocked. The Formula 450W costs the same, but it's much nicer. The 550W formula costs a bit more. 

[Crunchy Dragon]

That's a Tier 3 unit.

 

It sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

[Bananasplit_00]

ehh its not a great unit, id spend more and get something better but if you really want to buy in store and that is what you have as your highest quality option then its ok

[SupersonicSaint]

43 minutes ago, mattl1598 said:

I'm looking for a new power supply to replace my aging aopen 400w psu from about 2010 as part of my upgrade path.

I recently found the Corsair CX650 (non-modular) in the only computer store in my area for £60 (about $75 usd). I would prefer to buy from this store over amazon as I know they have a good warranty service (5 years on this psu) and I can likely have a look at the cables to check for things like 4+4 eps rather than only 8pin.

 

Power supply page on the store website.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/components-upgrades/power-supplies/corsair-cx650-atx-psu-650-w-10162443-pdt.html

 

I tried to use the PSU tier list to find it but for this one, the tiers were a bit unclear (I think it's saying that it's a tier 3 with only one pcie connection).

 

I'm currently running:

i7-860 at stock with intel stock cooler from the original i3-540 that was in the system when i got it all those years ago.

MSI H55M-E23 motherboard

6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM

MSI GTX 1050

 

 

And I'm planning to upgrade to:

Ryzen 7 1700 for about £200

Some B350 or B450 full atx motherboard from ASUS (haven't decided on the product line)

16GB of DDR4 3000mhz or higher.

keep my gtx 1050 for a while but probably move to a Radeon RX580 or Vega in the long term.

 

The Corsair CX650:

 

It isn't bad.

 

This is much better however (£75.56). It has eco mode, 80+ Gold, higher wattage, semi modular and from a better brand all for £15 more. You won't find this on PcPartsPicker:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017RO39TK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_S6VDBb3MNFV83

[seon123]

15 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

and from a better brand

I'd like sources. Should be hard, considering neither make their PSUs themselves

[SupersonicSaint]

3 minutes ago, seon123 said:

I'd like sources. Should be hard, considering neither make their PSUs themselves

I base it on reviews. When you read them on PCPARTSPICKER the general semiosis is EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair makes the best PSUs out off all companies with Seasonic being the best and EVGA being second best. 

[seon123]

7 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

I base it on reviews. When you read them on PCPARTSPICKER the general semiosis is EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair makes the best PSUs out off all companies with Seasonic being the best and EVGA being second best. 

And how many of those reviews actually reviewed the PSU with a load tester and oscilloscope? None? And that means they are useless. How about reading actual reviews?

EVGA doesn't make PSUs, Corsair doesn't make PSUs. 

The only thing you gain by reading consumer reviews is which company has the biggest cult following. And having a good laugh at the people reviewing, because of them being so clueless is funny. 

[LienusLateTips]

14 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

I base it on reviews. When you read them on PCPARTSPICKER the general semiosis is EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair makes the best PSUs out off all companies with Seasonic being the best and EVGA being second best. 

Now, read professional reviews. Consumer reviews mean nothing in the PSU world

 

EVGA makes tons of shit, Corsair makes tons of shit, Seasonic makes some shit. But they all make great stuff too.

 

Don't trust the brand. Trust the product.

[SupersonicSaint]

1 minute ago, LienusLateTips said:

Now, read professional reviews. Consumer reviews mean nothing in the PSU world

 

EVGA makes tons of shit, Corsair makes tons of shit, Seasonic makes some shit. But they all make great stuff too.

 

Don't trust the brand. Trust the product.

Well then, was I wrong in recommending that EVGA PSU? Which is best in your opinion? User reviews are worthless? EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair don't make the best PSUs?

[seon123]

4 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

Well then, was I wrong in recommending that EVGA PSU? Which is best in your opinion? 

Yes, absolutely. It's a 550W PC at most with an overclocked Vega, and the Formula Gold and Whisper M are available for less. Even the Pure Power 10 CM 700W, which is based on the same platform, but performs better and has a nicer fan, costs less. 

6 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

User reviews are worthless?

Yes, they are.

6 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair don't make the best PSUs?

EVGA and Corsair doesn't make any PSUs. Get that into your head. 

Seasonic makes the Prime, but the best PSU is most definitely the AX1600i, made by Flextronics, branded Corsair. 

[SupersonicSaint]

4 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Yes, absolutely. It's a 550W PC at most with an overclocked Vega, and the Formula Gold and Whisper M are available for less. Even the Pure Power 10 CM 700W, which is based on the same platform, but performs better and has a nicer fan, costs less. 

Yes, they are.

EVGA and Corsair doesn't make any PSUs. Get that into your head. 

Seasonic makes the Prime, but the best PSU is most definitely the AX1600i, made by Flextronics, branded Corsair. 

When I say make, I don't necessarily mean manufacture. I just mean are the PSU's branded under their range of high quality compared to other PSU ranges sold under the names of other brands.

 

When you say user reviews are useless, you are just refering to PSU's, correct?

[LienusLateTips]

15 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

Well then, was I wrong in recommending that EVGA PSU?

It's a 500W system with a Vega 64.

15 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

User reviews are worthless? EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair don't make the best PSUs?

Yes. Logisys could get 5 stars, since the PSU turns on.

 

They do make some of them, but they also make horseshit, with other brands making great PSUs too.

[LienusLateTips]

1 minute ago, SupersonicSaint said:

I just mean are the PSU's branded under their range of high quality compared to other PSU ranges sold under the names of other brands.

List of EVGA PSUs that are horseshit:

N1

W1

B1

B3

BQ (450-650)

BT

BR

BV

NEX B

G1

NEX G

[seon123]

3 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

When I say make, I don't necessarily mean manufacture. I just mean are the PSU's branded under their range of high quality compared to other PSU ranges sold under the names of other brands.

No. The orange VS is crap, the S12 II is crap, and EVGA has about a billion crappy PSUs. 

4 minutes ago, SupersonicSaint said:

When you say user reviews are useless, you are just refering to PSU's, correct?

Especially PSUs, but also most PC hardware, and lots of other electronics. 

[SupersonicSaint]

8 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

List of EVGA PSUs that are horseshit:

N1

W1

B1

B3

BQ (450-650)

BT

BR

BV

NEX B

G1

NEX G

I'm so relieved the GQ isn't on that list ?

[SupersonicSaint]

8 minutes ago, seon123 said:

No. The orange VS is crap, the S12 II is crap, and EVGA has about a billion crappy PSUs. 

Especially PSUs, but also most PC hardware, and lots of other electronics. 

I relied heavily on user reviews for choosing my PC case. I will be weary of user reviews from now on. Thank you.

[mattl1598]

1 hour ago, SupersonicSaint said:

I relied heavily on user reviews for choosing my PC case. I will be weary of user reviews from now on. Thank you.

I would think cases are one of the few pc parts you can trust user reviews for since they are about the physical experience of the person building in it and there isn't much that would change for each person that could ruin their build (like a psu failing could)

[seon123]

23 minutes ago, mattl1598 said:

I would think cases are one of the few pc parts you can trust user reviews for since they are about the physical experience of the person building in it and there isn't much that would change for each person that could ruin their build (like a psu failing could)

Thermals matter, and you need trusted reviewers for that. Very few have any points of comparison. 

[Stefan Payne]

5 hours ago, mattl1598 said:

I recently found the Corsair CX650 (non-modular) in the only computer store in my area for £60 (about $75 usd).

For the same price you could get Bitfenix Formula wich is awesome.

Its almost Cougar GX-F Range.

 

You could also grab be quiet Pure Power 10 (400 or 500W) if you want cheaper or Straight Power 11 if you want good...

[Final Progeny]

I had a Corsair CX550M = Coil whine. This is apparently common across the CX series. It wasn't good. The fan bearing also didn't last very long, so started making noises too (both of these occurred within a month or so of purchase). Corsair's solution was to turn the PSU the other way up so the fan was face up and not down. I decided to get a TX550M instead (Tier 2). The fan is the loudest thing in my system, (which is relatively quiet), but it's a much better quality overall. It is more money, but you won't have annoying / disconcerting noises. 

 

You should check out the PSU Tier List here.

[SupersonicSaint]

21 hours ago, seon123 said:

Thermals matter, and you need trusted reviewers for that. Very few have any points of comparison. 

But usually in user reviews they give thermals after a stress test on top of saying how easy it was to work with. Is that not enough?