Corsair - You've got a problem

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mzs_biteme

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2001
Messages
1,595
Quality Control problem, that is!!!!!

The story:
Earlier this month, my 3yr old Thermaltake 800W PSU died. It was a refurb purchase from Microcenter. I figured I got my moneys worth, is it was a good price (~$80 refurb) and I did beat the hell out of it (6 months of 24/7 *coin mining with 7950 and 280x). It served me well. On the hunt for a new power supply I go. Newegg had some after Xmas sales on Corsair PSU's. They had a refurb GS800 (normal $150+ price) for $49.99 with free shipping!!!! Couldn't pass that up. But it would take a few days to ship. Time to hit pavement. Best Buy had a sale ($80) on the CX750M (same as CX750 in this review + modular). I snatched one up. Installed that night. Everything worked fine, EXCEPT, I can now notice my GPU coils whining like crazy. This was almost non-existent issue with the TT PSU... GPU coils can whine by themselves, but doing some research on it, it looks like PSU's also play a part in how severe the whine is... I figured, since my CX750m is not as good as I believed it would be (clearly apparent in this review), maybe my GS800 that I ordered as well (and had for a couple weeks, just didn't have the time to install it) would of fixed this issue, or at least bring it back to almost inaudible Thermaltake PSU levels. This time, I paid close attention to the build and soldering quality of the CX750m as I was taking it out, and comparing it to the GS800 going in. GS800 looked FAR superior from what I could see through the fan blades with a strong LED flashlight. I was actually excited to have what I though was a top-tier PSU in my case. After everything was in and tucked away (LOTS of long cables on the non-modular GS800), came the moment of truth... Push the ON button, high "whoosh-ing" sound from the PSU fan, than back to normal speed, then power OFF...... What Da Fuuuuu....!!! OK, lets try this again. Re-check all the connections, toggle the PSU power switch OFF-ON, hit the PC power switch, and.... again, high revving PSU fan, back to normal, "click" from the PSU and power OFF..... I just spend the last 45min swapping PSU's, tucking everything away (PITA) just to end up with a dead PC.... Sonofa@#%^!!!!
Tried disconnecting everything except main motherboard and CPU connectors... Same thing. On>Fan high> click> OFF.... Pissed..... Put the "old" CX750m back in, everything works fine, except the GPU whining.... Contacted Newegg and have an RMA in the works. I'm thinking I'll just ask for a refund, as from the recent reviews, and people's experiences, it looks like CORSAIR has "bit the shark" and is going down the toilet in terms of QC and reliability..... Too freaking bad....
Did I mention this is the first time in my life I had a DOA refurb?!?!?! I've had refurb video cards, PSU's, GPS's, motherboards, even hard drives, and all worked fine out of the box for years. To get a DOA refurb from a company like CORSAIR really shows how bad their QC has become.....

/rant
 
The CX line is entry level, not top tier at all. HX and AX is what you want, those are top notch.

I assume you tried powering the mobo on and everything? Your post made me dizzy so I didn't read the whole thing. Corsair fans turn off when the load isn't high, at least they do on the top models, not sure about CX.

I'm not even going to comment on the whole because of one defective product the whole company is now bad thing, clearly you know how ridiculous that sounds and you are just venting. One would hope.
 
You bought a refurb entry level PSU that received terrible reviews and are surprised that it sucked?

Not sure what the point is here. People actually buy refurb PSUs? Am i the only one that sees that as extremely foolish?
 
You bought a refurb unit that was probably returned for the same problems you are having. Why would you skimp on a PSU? It is literally the heart of your system!
Spend a couple hundred dollars on a real high quality PSU and you will be using it over and over on multiple rebuilds for many years to come!
I have a couple CorsairHX1050's that are at least 7 years old and still run strong. Heck I have a PC Power & Cooling 550 watt unit that is 12 years old an still pounding away 24/7 in my home server!!!
 
rive22 said:
The CX line is entry level, not top tier at all. HX and AX is what you want, those are top notch.

I assume you tried powering the mobo on and everything? Your post made me dizzy so I didn't read the whole thing. Corsair fans turn off when the load isn't high, at least they do on the top models, not sure about CX.

I'm not even going to comment on the whole because of one defective product the whole company is now bad thing, clearly you know how ridiculous that sounds and you are just venting. One would hope.
Click to expand...

The "rant" was not really about the CX750m I'm currently using, but the GS800 I was trying to use. More specifically the QC that's going into (or not) validating refurbished units. There was obviously a problem with my GS800 when it was sent back to CORSAIR for repairs, or to be reconditioned. Was it even tested, or simply repackaged in a new plastic bag, with some zip ties, and an OEM Refurb box, and pushed back out for re-sale...??? If I'm running a company that prides itself on top notch reliability, QC, and customer service, I'd be damn sure my refurbs go through same if not better testing second time around. They (CORSAIR) have definitely dropped the ball on this one....

/clarification
 
Looks like everybody's jumping on the "Why the F... did you buy a refurb PSU" wagon.... Really?!?!?!?! If you're gonna ask me that, why don't you ask CORSAIR and EVERY other company out there, why they even offer refurbs to begin with!?!? Maybe it's because a LOT of returns are NOT a result of a faulty hardware, but some other external circumstances??? Hell, I'm sure some of you people have returned things because it wasn't the right shade of grey. Either way, this should not be an excuse for a company not to test the equipment that gets returned to them.... Is that too much to ask for, from a "reputable" company nowadays??? I guess so...

And this mentality of "blaming the victim" is getting ridiculous.... Check your bearings people...
 
Or maybe, you could have structured your post in a way that doesn't turn people off from reading the first three sentences.
 
Tsumi said:
Or maybe, you could have structured your post in a way that doesn't turn people off from reading the first three sentences.
Click to expand...

This^

People don't side with those who complain, bash, and act unreasonably.
 
Jesus Christ, learn to format your post better, would think after 13.2 years you would know how to do that.

Enjoy your PSU, glad it worked out for you!
 
It might have been Newegg up to something shady.

I got a kit of 2 bad ram sticks from them - very rare to find more than one bad stick at a time. I wouldn't be surprised if they shipped me a returned item that someone else f***d up just to see if I would be dumb enough to keep it. Even the Mushkin rep I spoke with was suspicious. And the odds that I fried the sticks myself are extremely low - I do all my installations barefoot on tile.

And yes, a few carriage returns will go a long way : )
 
Bone_Enterprise said:
Jesus Christ, learn to format your post better, would think after 13.2 years you would know how to do that.
Click to expand...

I really can't understand why are you guys complaining!!
I'm not even an American, and english are not my native language, but still i have no difficulty to understand mzs_biteme's post.
It's pretty clear what he wrote!! :p
 
Sith'ari said:
I really can't understand why are you guys complaining!!
I'm not even an American, and english are not my native language, but still i have no difficulty to understand mzs_biteme's post.
It's pretty clear what he wrote!! :p
Click to expand...

That could be why. Can you read your native language much faster than English? Or is it all the same? Forum goers and web researchers become accustomed to scanning posts/pages/documents incredibly fast while gathering most of the information when proper paragraphs are used. Her/OP's post is a big mess. :D Not that any of this is on topic. :D
 
For me, some of the advantage of well formatted text is the ability to retrace and reread something quickly and easily.
And to easily find my place again after distractions occur.

If the op wants people to even start reading, fully read and understand his post, then he should pay some attention to this.
If he doesnt care, then why make the post anyway.

You're welcome.
 
Sith'ari said:
I really can't understand why are you guys complaining!!
I'm not even an American, and english are not my native language, but still i have no difficulty to understand mzs_biteme's post.
It's pretty clear what he wrote!! :p
Click to expand...

Understanding the words written isn't the difficult part. Simply attempting to read a mess like that is the difficult part.

When a native English speaker reads a post like that, by the time they get halfway through the second line, their eyes begin to glaze over and they simply stop reading. The way it's written makes it impossible to read as one normally would. A non-native English speaker might not have issues because they read it slow anyways, but trying to read that fast as a native speaker is impossible.
 
I might have missed it somewhere in that wall of text, but what are your exact system specifications that you're trying to power?

Assuming that the trend holds true from the lower CX###M models, they're not the most amazing PSUs in the world, but they're also not terrible: efficiency is decent, voltage fluctuations are within spec, ripple is within spec, etc. Granted there aren't a ton of reviews from the big names to go by...

It sucks that you ended up with coil whine using the CX750M, but it is also possible that you might have had the same issue with another PSU, including the GS800.

The GS line is also a budget line, so once again, not terrible, not great, but should be within spec.

In either event, the harder you push a budget power supply, the more likely you are to experience an issue.

The bigger issue seems to be the lack of QC on Corsair's part, or a lack of honesty on Newegg's part. Tracking down which is the real culprit may be difficult because neither will likely want to admit being at fault. My experience with Corsair's RMA department has been great in the past, so you should hopefully not run into any issues getting the GS800 replaced, but watch out for the warranty period. Newegg has in the past labeled refurbished parts with the incorrect warranty period (i.e. showing the standard 3 year warranty when in reality it was 90 days from the manufacturer).

Also, consider the sage advice from a few commenters here: never skimp on the PSU :)
 
CX750M is identical to the CX750 apparently, and the CX750 failed [H]OCP testing. Well, it was rated at 30 C, and it could do 750 watts in their 80+ testing at approximately 20 C.
 
I think more people would take OP seriously if he made his post legible.
 
Let me get this straight. You bought a refurb PSU on sale for 1/3 the cost of a new one. And, you were surprised it was DOA ?

I think the saying goes, " if something is too good to be true, then it probably is".
 
mzs_biteme said:
The "rant" was not really about the CX750m I'm currently using, but the GS800 I was trying to use. More specifically the QC that's going into (or not) validating refurbished units. There was obviously a problem with my GS800 when it was sent back to CORSAIR for repairs, or to be reconditioned. Was it even tested, or simply repackaged in a new plastic bag, with some zip ties, and an OEM Refurb box, and pushed back out for re-sale...??? If I'm running a company that prides itself on top notch reliability, QC, and customer service, I'd be damn sure my refurbs go through same if not better testing second time around. They (CORSAIR) have definitely dropped the ball on this one....

/clarification
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that, but it sounds like the fan controller in that GS800 has an issue. Do you still have that PSU? If you still do, I'd like to get it back here for failure analysis and find out what exactly the problem is.Don't worry about the shipping fee, we'll cover that for you. We'll even send you the replacement first before you send that unit back to us.

If you would like to take that offer I've just suggested, simply start a ticket at Corsair.force.com and we can discuss the details once you have ticket # to go along with your RMA.

Again, I apologize for the trouble. Rest assured that we will do our best to make sure that handle your RMA accordingly
 
Joseph_Ocbina said:
Sorry to hear that, but it sounds like the fan controller in that GS800 has an issue. Do you still have that PSU? If you still do, I'd like to get it back here for failure analysis and find out what exactly the problem is.Don't worry about the shipping fee, we'll cover that for you. We'll even send you the replacement first before you send that unit back to us.

If you would like to take that offer I've just suggested, simply start a ticket at Corsair.force.com and we can discuss the details once you have ticket # to go along with your RMA.

Again, I apologize for the trouble. Rest assured that we will do our best to make sure that handle your RMA accordingly
Click to expand...

Top notch like always. :cool:
 
Disposed said:
Top notch like always. :cool:
Click to expand...

Top notch support doesn't help when the product isn't top notch. Don't release crap like the CX750.

At least bring the CX power supplies to the level of TX power supplies years ago.
 
Tsumi said:
Top notch support doesn't help when the product isn't top notch. Don't release crap like the CX750.

At least bring the CX power supplies to the level of TX power supplies years ago.
Click to expand...

Oh get over it. They have a great track record, hell better than most of the industry. You can't hit a home run every damn time. They will take care of the op and that's the important part.
 
Disposed said:
Oh get over it. They have a great track record, hell better than most of the industry. You can't hit a home run every damn time. They will take care of the op and that's the important part.
Click to expand...

Except getting complacent about your position in the market and starting to release overpriced and underperforming products is the beginnings of a slow decline. Many companies with excellent products have risen, only to fall as their quality erodes. I would rather not see this happen to Corsair.
 
Disposed said:
Top notch like always. :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks, much appreciated.

Tsumi said:
Top notch support doesn't help when the product isn't top notch. Don't release crap like the CX750.

At least bring the CX power supplies to the level of TX power supplies years ago.
Click to expand...

A lot of people will probably agree that the CX750 is not the best PSU, but certainly not the worst either. It's a fairly decent value PSU for budget and basic system builds. I'm pretty sure actual CX users can attest to that.

Tsumi said:
Except getting complacent about your position in the market and starting to release overpriced and underperforming products is the beginnings of a slow decline. Many companies with excellent products have risen, only to fall as their quality erodes. I would rather not see this happen to Corsair.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the concern :) Rest assured that we will not go down that route.
 
Last edited:
So OP is upset because he bought the lowest end, refurb PSU and had a problem? Ok got it.
 
Joseph_Ocbina said:
Thanks for the concern :) Rest assured that we will not go down that route.
Click to expand...
Its good to hear you say that, but in the face of what you shipped, it holds less water.
A while back I was able to give a blanket recommendation for your PSU's.
I cant do that now.

Dont get me wrong, I'm a fan but now a considerably more cautious one.
 
Nenu said:
Its good to hear you say that, but in the face of what you shipped, it holds less water.
A while back I was able to give a blanket recommendation for your PSU's.
I cant do that now.

Dont get me wrong, I'm a fan but now a considerably more cautious one.
Click to expand...

This is one the reasons why I am here, to make sure no feedback/concern is left unchecked. These type of issues are being relayed to the appropriate teams for them to address it as they come along to prevent this from ever happening again.

So I think we are going towards the right direction ;)
 
Joseph_Ocbina said:
This is one the reasons why I am here, to make sure no feedback/concern is left unchecked. These type of issues are being relayed to the appropriate teams for them to address it as they come along to prevent this from ever happening again.

So I think we are going towards the right direction ;)
Click to expand...

If you want to "go towards the right direction", as you say, then maybe you should start sending review samples instead of hiding your PSUs from being evaluated.
I used to be a buyer of lot Corsair PSUs in the past ( HX620, AX760 ), but from now on i will be extra carefull before i'll trust your PSUs once again :(
 
The problem with sending review samples is that everyone has to trust they arent cherry picked.
Its a no win situation for Corsair doing that.
[H] buy retail products for review to make sure they review what we buy.
 
Nenu said:
The problem with sending review samples is that everyone has to trust they arent cherry picked.
Its a no win situation for Corsair doing that.
[H] buy retail products for review to make sure they review what we buy.
Click to expand...

Of course, but if Corsair isn't sending review samples by herself it's like the company is afraid of the evaluation process.
For me this behaviour doesn't inspire me with confidence about Corsair's PSUs :(
 
Oklahoma Wolf said:
They do send out review samples. In fact, I have a CX750M coming in soon.
Click to expand...

Nice to hear that Wolfie, looking forward to it!!, :p ,
but i was talking specifically for not sending review samples at [H].
I looked at [H] and i found 1 Corsair PSU review during 2013, and 2 PSU reviews during 2014 !!!(* i'm not counting the CX750 that Paul bought with his own money )
So, during the last 2 years, Corsair sent total 3 PSUs for evaluation !!:eek:
Instead, at Jonnyguru i counted 6 PSUs (*during same period), and 9 PSUs at Techpowerup !!:confused:
 
Sith'ari said:
Nice to hear that Wolfie, looking forward to it!!, :p ,
but i was talking specifically for not sending review samples at [H].
I looked at [H] and i found 1 Corsair PSU review during 2013, and 2 PSU reviews during 2014 !!!(* i'm not counting the CX750 that Paul bought with his own money )
So, during the last 2 years, Corsair sent total 3 PSUs for evaluation !!:eek:
Instead, at Jonnyguru i counted 6 PSUs (*during same period), and 9 PSUs at Techpowerup !!:confused:
Click to expand...

Well derp... Jonnyguru reviews PSUs, he is the PSU man. [H] does a bit more than that i would say. I dont really see why TPU went review happy with corsair PSUs though.

You dont know what was and was not sent or offered to [H] so before you make assumptions and get rude with the corsair guy perhaps you could ask someone?
 
Disposed said:
Well derp... Jonnyguru reviews PSUs, he is the PSU man. [H] does a bit more than that i would say. I dont really see why TPU went review happy with corsair PSUs though.

You dont know what was and was not sent or offered to [H] so before you make assumptions and get rude with the corsair guy perhaps you could ask someone?
Click to expand...

He didn't make any assumptions. He gave numbers and the numbers are what the numbers are.

PS: jonnyGURU doesn't review power supplies anymore he works for Corsair.
 
Paul_Johnson said:
He didn't make any assumptions. He gave numbers and the numbers are what the numbers are.

PS: jonnyGURU doesn't review power supplies anymore he works for Corsair.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that [H]OCP does not accept review samples, and that all testing is done on retail ones. Is that true?
 
Tsumi said:
I was under the impression that [H]OCP does not accept review samples, and that all testing is done on retail ones. Is that true?
Click to expand...

It's a mix between purchases and samples and even during a single review there can be multiple units from both sources if something doesn't look right. However, the requirement is if it is a sample it has to be a retail sample (unless it is a sneak peek product and then it is noted) which is problematic for some vendors as they prefer to handle their review samples differently.
 
Paul_Johnson said:
It's a mix between purchases and samples and even during a single review there can be multiple units from both sources if something doesn't look right. However, the requirement is if it is a sample it has to be a retail sample (unless it is a sneak peek product and then it is noted) which is problematic for some vendors as they prefer to handle their review samples differently.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that clarification.
 
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