The Corsair CS450M PSU Review
by E. Fylladitakis on June 10, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- PSUs
- Corsair
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- 80Plus Gold
Hot Test Results
Going by the results presented in the following tables, the Corsair CM450M offers good power quality. It is not going to break performance records but the CM450M performed well considering its price range. The maximum ripple on the 12 V line was 72 mV at 100% load, a good figure considering both that the design limit is at 120 mV and that this is a unit rated for operation at 40°C. The same goes for the 3.3V/5V lines, which reached a maximum ripple of 30 mV and 34 mV correspondingly. Voltage regulation is fair, at 2% for the 12V line and just a little higher for the 3.3V/5V lines.
| Main Output | ||||||||
| Load (Watts) | 91.52 W | 226.95 W | 337.9 W | 447.81 W | ||||
| Load (Percent) | 20.34% | 50.43% | 75.09% | 99.51% | ||||
| Line | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts |
| 3.3 V | 1.77 | 3.4 | 4.42 | 3.38 | 6.63 | 3.36 | 8.84 | 3.32 |
| 5 V | 1.77 | 5.16 | 4.42 | 5.12 | 6.63 | 5.07 | 8.84 | 5.01 |
| 12 V | 6.28 | 12.16 | 15.69 | 12.07 | 23.54 | 11.98 | 31.39 | 11.92 |
| Line | Regulation (20% to 100% load) |
Voltage Ripple (mV) | |||||
| 20% Load | 50% Load | 75% Load | 100% Load | CL1 12V |
CL2 3.3V + 5V |
||
| 3.3V | 2.5% | 12 | 20 | 26 | 30 | 26 | 32 |
| 5V | 2.8% | 16 | 20 | 28 | 34 | 28 | 30 |
| 12V | 2% | 20 | 32 | 50 | 72 | 60 | 34 |
Once again, we need to mention that this is a PSU rated at 40°C and we perform our testing at temperatures higher than 45°C - we could reduce the ambient temperature of our hotbox testing but we chose not to do so as the results would then not be comparable to those of our previous reviews.
High ambient temperatures, even if they are above the unit's rated temperature, do not seem to affect the CM450M significantly. On average, the energy conversion efficiency is reduced by about 0.5%. The efficiency loss is slightly higher as the load increases, reaching a maximum of 0.74% reduction at 100% load. It is nothing short of a miracle for this PSU to be capable of such performance with an ambient temperature higher than 46 °C.
Once again, the low output and high efficiency of the CM450M allow it to maintain fairly low internal temperatures. The maximum internal temperature is just over 71°C at maximum load, with an ambient temperature of 47.2°C. The cooling fan is partially to blame for that, as it now begins to increase its speed faster and reaches a higher maximum speed as well. Nevertheless, the CM450M does operate silently when lightly loaded, even under those adverse conditions.
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Black Obsidian - Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - link
I've used a number of CS450M and CS550M PSUs for budget builds, since they can both regularly be found <$50 (and sometimes <$40, in the case of the reviewed model).I've been relying on the Corsair name and warranty as a proxy for actual PSU quality, and I'm quite happy to hear that the quality I'd been assuming actually exists.
Thanks for prodding manufacturers to provide reasonable-wattage PSUs for review, Fyll!
Computer Bottleneck - Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - link
It actually drops to $26.99 after rebate on a fairly regular basis at Newegg.MapRef41N93W - Thursday, June 11, 2015 - link
You've been relying on the wrong company then as Corsair are known to release lots of dodgy PSU's in the past. Their "I" series PSUs are hot garbage and usually a complete waste of money compared to the standard series. Their RM series beyond 550 watts suffers from horrible ripple voltage issues. Their CX series (one of the most popular PSU lines due to their extremely cheap price) are not something that should ever be paired with a "high end" setup (like a 4790k/GTX 980) and yet we see this all the time.Never trust a single brand of PSUs and always check the OEM of the unit you are buying first. The only real exception to this is Seasonic as they make most of their own PSUs.
Zap - Thursday, June 11, 2015 - link
What is this "horrible ripple" that you speak of? Does it not stay within ATX specifications and manufacturer claims? Or does it just not measure up to "enthusiast" expectations?I did a quick search and found "Why you might not want to buy a Corsair RM PSU" on overclock.net which referenced a TechPowerUp review of the RM1000 as showing the worst performance. The review mentioned a few places where it "failed" such as exceeding ATX specifications for 3.3v ripple at 110% output and OTP triggered at 45°C. Note that both failures exceeds specifications (Corsair rates this PSU to only 40°C).
The only real fail is in hold-up time, which failed to meet ATX specifications. This would be a good reason to not get this particular PSU, especially if power in your area fluctuates more than normal.
These PSUs are a far cry from the true "crap" units. Diablotek anyone? Deer? Apevia?
Flunk - Thursday, June 11, 2015 - link
Diablotek units are just as likely to destroy your entire system as work properly so that's not a very good comparison. The previous poster has a point that Corsair's power supplies have a checkered history with certain series (like the CX) being notoriously poor. Maybe this new CS series is them trying to improve their low end offerings, but because Corsair sources power supplies from many, many companies you have to be careful buying from them. Some of their power supplies are great, some are not so great. It's not like Seasonic where they build all their own power supplies.Zap - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
My point was that there is a difference between "will destroy your computer" and "horrible ripple but still in spec."PICman - Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - link
Your reviews are excellent, thanks! For the power efficiency tests, was your mains voltage 220V? Maybe it is listed, but I missed it.Wwhat - Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - link
There is a link to 'how do we test', on that link page it says:"We should note that all testing is being performed with a 230V/50Hz input, delivered by a 3000VA VARIAC for the perfect adjustment of the input voltage. "
Incidentally 230V is the EU standard.
ATC9001 - Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - link
I understand that high end (i.e. reliable and consistent) equipment for electronics can be expensive, but PLEASE try to convince anandtech to foot the bill so we can get 120V and 230V!Great review though, thank you!
leexgx - Saturday, June 13, 2015 - link
230v is optimal for PSUs , where as USA it can be as low as 90V or as high as 120V (why HardOCP tests there PSUs at low voltage as well)