Corsair CX430 V2 430W Power Supply Review

1. Introduction2. Corsair CX430 V2 430W (Bundle & Exterior)3. Corsair CX430 V2 430W (Interior)4. Testing Methodology and Results5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

Corsair certainly seem to have the Midas touch – earning a great reputation within whatever market they decide to target. Their reputation in the power supply sector is already one of the best and today we are looking at the follow up to the original CX430 – the new CX430 V2, created to offer a solid, reliable power supply at the lowest possible price point.

The CX430 V2 is marketed at the same price as the original version, and gives a system builder 80 Plus Certification and an extended three year warranty. The CX series might not have gotten a lot of high profile attention in recent months, with the AX and HX series grabbing all the headlines. The CX V2 is classified as the ‘Builder' series and is offered in 430W, 500W and 600W models.

Corsair Builder Series CX430 Features:

• Ultra-quiet 120mm fan delivers excellent airflow at an exceptionally low noise level by varying fan speed in response to temperature
• 80 PLUS certified to deliver at least 80% efficiency at normal load conditions (20% to 100% load)
• 0.99 Active Power Factor Correction provides clean and reliable power
• Complies with ErP Lot 6 European Union standard for low standby power consumption
• Universal AC input from 90~264V — No more hassle of flipping that tiny red switch to select the voltage input!
• Extra long fully-sleeved cables support full tower chassis
• Dedicated single +12V rail offers maximum compatibility with the latest components
• Over-voltage and over-power protection, under-voltage protection, and short circuit protection provide maximum safety to your critical system components
• Three year warranty and lifetime access to Corsair’s legendary technical support and customer service
• Supports the latest ATX12V v2.3 standard and is backward compatible with ATX12V 2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 systems
• Safety Approvals: UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick
• Dimensions: 5.9″(W) x 3.4″(H) X 5.5″(L); 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 140mm(L)
• MTBF: 100,000 Hours

The Corsair CX430 V2 ships in a plain brown box with an artistic image of the power supply on the front and a giveaway ‘V2' moniker top right.

The power supply ships inside a thick protective bag which is wrapped around the chassis. A user manual sits on top.

Inside, there is only the user manual, mounting screws and some cable ties to clean up the system build.

The power supply is nicely finished with green accented lettering on the side, and a large 120mm fan taking centerstage at the top.

The rear of the PSU is fully vented with a power connector and power switch offset to the side.

This is a non modular design, but the cable has a rubber housing to protect it as it enters the metal chassis.

Cable	Amount
MB 20+4 pin	x1 (620mm)
CPU 4+4 pin	x1 (620mm)
PCI E 8 pin (6 pin +2)	x1 (600mm)
Sata power connectors	x4 (2 cables – 420mm + 150mm)
Peripheral 4 pin (molex)	x3 (420mm)
Floppy connector	x1

For the limited power demand, there are plenty of cables supplied, including a 6+2 pin PCIe connector to power a modest graphics card. The sleeved cables are a reasonably high standard, especially for this low price point.

Corsair CX430 V2 430W power supply
DC Output	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	-12V	+5Vsb
Max Output	20A	20A	28A	0.8A	3A
Total Power	120W		336W	9.6W	15W
	430W

The +12V output can handle 28A for 336W of the overall power output.

Corsair are using a 120MM Yate Loon fan, model number D12SH-12. This is a sleeve bearing 2,200 rpm fan, which can produce 88 cfm airflow at 40 dBa.

The Corsair CX430 V2 is a CWT design, a dead giveaway when we see the green transformers. Corsair have upgraded the +12V rectifiers and the PFC transistors.

The power supply has two Y capacitors and a single X capacitor.

The supply contains several rows of heatsinks which are positioned to help maintain good temperatures throughout the width. The supply contains a Samxon APFC capacitor which is rated at 85c, 400V and 180uf. Two AOT10N60 mofsets are used as primary switches. Filtering capacitors in the secondary side are a mixture of Samxon and Teapo and are rated to 105c. We noted a protection IC, the ST9S429.

The cable is fully sleeved inside the chassis, protected against long term fraying.

Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)

• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
88W	2.11	3.29	1.98	5.04	5.93	11.98	1.28	5.01	0.20	-12.02
200W	5.92	3.24	4.89	5.01	12.07	11.94	1.28	5.02	0.25	-12.03
340W	9.62	3.21	8.82	4.99	23.21	11.82	1.28	5.00	0.30	-12.05
430W	9.61	3.19	8.85	4.97	30.12	11.78	1.28	4.98	0.40	-12.08

Corsair CX430 V2	Maximum Load
	522W

We wrestled 522W from the unit before it would switch off. The overcircuit protection system worked fine and it shut off safely. A really good early indication of what is in store.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
385W	2.0	3.28	2.0	5.03	30.0	11.76	0.20	-12.08	0.50	4.95
170W	18.0	3.20	12.0	4.89	4.0	11.94	0.20	-12.06	0.50	5.01

The Corsair CX430 handled the Cross loading tests very well, maintaining steady results with minor fluctuation. All voltages remained within stated tolerances.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the Corsair unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
88W	5	10	10	5
200W	10	10	15	10
340W	15	15	20	10
430W	15	15	25	15

Ripple results are well within the parameters set down in the ATX12V Ver 2.2 standard. +3.3V and +5V are extremely impressive and the +12V rail is also very stable, never exceeding 25mV.

Efficiency (%)
88W	81.68
200W	84.46
340W	82.45
430W	81.32

The CX 430 reaches almost 85% efficiency at 50 percent load, and this falls to just over 81% efficiency at full load. Good results for a 80 Plus certified product.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
88W	28.5
200W	29.7
340W	31.3
430W	33.3

The CX430 is a quiet power supply which only becomes audible at around 75% load, and rises to just above 33 dBa when fully loaded. Under normal circumstances this power supply could be easily classed as almost silent.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
88W	35	37
200W	38	43
340W	42	49
430W	46	53

The large Yate Loon fan helps to generate high levels of airflow across the components inside the chassis, with a 7c above ambient intake registered at full load.

Maximum load	Efficiency
522W	79.2

Pushing the PSU above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 79.2%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.

The Corsair CX430 V2 looks like an rather forgettable, low priced product on paper, but in reality it is a hell of a bargain. The shipping materials may be very plain, but the appearance of the unit itself is surprisingly attractive, with subtle green lettering on the plain black chassis.

Technically, the design has literally no weaknesses. The internal CWT topology is stellar and cross loading, load regulation and noise suppression are all as good as we have seen in this price bracket. The overall technical analysis highlights that Corsair have paired up with CWT to produce one of the finest budget power supplies ever released. We have tested power supplies at over twice the price with worse regulation and noise suppression than the CX430.

Not everyone can afford, or needs a 80 Plus Gold Certified 1000W power supply, and if you are in the market for a general, low cost power supply for a media center, office machine or entry level gaming rig then this should certainly be top of your shortlist. We are still quite shocked how good the test results are. This unit will last a long time, and Corsair clearly have the same feeling as they are confident in offering an extended three year warranty.

You can buy the CX430 in the UK for under £40 inc vat.

Pros:

• great looking power supply
• stellar technical performance
• quiet
• efficiency is pretty good
• cheap as chips

Cons:

• Not modular

Kitguru says: The bargain PSU of the year, without compromising on quality.

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