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Which Cheap PS

C

c2rex

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
Messages
76
What would be a reasonable option for <$40. At least 450 watt. Its for an older P4 system, 1 video card, couple of fans, single hard drive.
 
That's about the best you're gonna do in that price range. I'd snap that up.
 
colinstu said:
Corsair CX430 is what I'd hit up.

80 Plus Bronze, Active PFC, 28a or 32a on 12v rail (moooore than enough for your purpose, and better than a dual rail setup. there is a V2 unit floating around hence the possible difference in amperage), longer warranty. $40 w/ free shipping and there is a $20 rebate card available = $20 total.
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http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=214

If you're thinking of getting it because it's 80 PLUS Bronze, you might want to rethink that...

Apparently the CX-430 product page is chock full of typographical errors because a good amount of the product description was copied and pasted from the CX-400 product page. One such error is the statement that this power supply is 80 Plus certified. Corsair tells me that this unit is NOT 80 Plus certified.
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But aside from that, I'd consider the two units more or less equivalent. The CX-430 is slightly less efficient and runs higher temperatures, but it can produce about the same amount of power. The Corsair DOES have an active PFC, if that's an issue. If you trust the rebate, it may be worth getting.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-Power-Supply-Review/1200/7
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Power-Supply-Review/1487/7

If you do go with the Corsair though, note this:

this unit costs only USD 45 bucks and if you hurry you can get a USD 20 mail-in rebate card at Newegg.com, making it to actually cost only USD 25 (yes, INSANE). But pay attention because you have to download a PDF with the instructions on how to get this card when checking out, most people forget to click on the link, get the instructions, and send in the required paperwork.
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Sorry I edited my post.

I'm talking about the V2 version that was also reviewed. The V1 one was only 80 Plus, the second gets a 80 Bronze rating.
 
colinstu said:
Sorry I edited my post.

I'm talking about the V2 version that was also reviewed. The V1 one was only 80 Plus, the second gets a 80 Bronze rating.
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http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Corsair-CX430-V2-Power-Supply-Review/1284/7

Yeah, that PSU does have more efficiency than either of those other two. It says in the review that they were able to overload it to over 500W... while I don't recommend that at all, that means it's likely technically superior/equivalent to the Antec unit despite only being rated for 430W. So it has this on top of the other advantages like a single-rail and active PFC. Even has free shipping.

I know you said you didn't want anything less than 450W, but in this case it's only a 20W difference and is more the result of Corsair underrating their PSUs than anything else. I don't know why they picked 430W instead of 450W, but it was an arbitrary choice... the PSU is as good as any 450W. Plenty of companies would have sold it as a 500W, especially if the 80PLUS foundation hadn't existed. All it really lead to was better brands underrating their PSUs in order to prove efficiency.

The Antec runs a little cooler and technically has a higher overload capacity, but I'm not sure it's worth missing out on higher efficiency, a single-rail design, and active PFC at this point. Especially since all of them can do at least 500W anyway (albeit inefficiently).
 
Last edited:
Procyon12 said:
why..
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It cannot handle its full 460W rating without risking serious damage to some of the major components. As many professional reviews stated, it is at best a 400W PSU. Any PSU that cannot handle or provide its full wattage rating, regardless of price, gets either an "Unsatisfactory" or a "Failing" grade from me. In the case of that Elite 460, it is "Unsatisfactory" in my book.
 
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