Corsair 650TX PSU $52

[Zap]

EDIT: Deal is back! New coupon code and expirations.

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX
$119.99 regular price
-$30 sale price
-$30 MIR (exp. 10/11)
-$10 coupon EMCZYYS26 (exp. 10/11)
+$1.99 shipping

Seems a toasty deal. I guess good mid range PSUs aren't selling well these days, with lots of recent deals on the XFX 650W, Antec NEO ECOs of similar wattage and now this. Even the Rosewill Green series has been on sale for really cheap lately (not quite as good as the others I mentioned, but still "okay").

 

[smackababy]

I think because of the whole "zomg you need 1000w psu" crap that gets shoved in people's faces, nobody buys the smaller PSUs as much.

Great deal for this though @ $52.

 

[aggressor]

I had a self-discovery kind of moment the other day. While it's true that most PCs use 300-350W of power under maximum load and thus a 400W power supply perfectly meets their needs, some PSUs get annoyingly loud when pushed at 70-80% of their output due to increased heat. If you are looking for something quiet, over-buying a power supply so it never runs more than 50% of it's full output can cut down on the annoying fan-speed ramp up that happens when playing a game or anything else that's hard on the processor\video card.

That is the reason why I'm switching from my Corsair CX400 to this, and that's probably why (some) people buy 1000W PSUs.

 

[Zap]

On the flip side, many (even gaming) PCs idle at quite low power draws. Once you go below 20% rated output the efficiency can plummet. For instance my gaming rig (Ci5 750, GTX 285) idles around 130W or so, yet I'm using a 1200W PSU. When I say idle, I mean when nothing is stressing the GPU/CPU continuously, which covers nearly 100% of most computer usage other than gaming.

Also, when gaming there is usually sound playing so it isn't as important to be super quiet.

Still, a reasonable point.

 

[aggressor]

Yea, lower efficiency on the bottom end is the one possible downside. This 650W PSU in particular only reaches 81% when there's a load of 90W or greater:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article813-page4.html

...but it's the same case with the 400W model:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1008-page5.html

Unfortunately not every power supply is reviewed in-depth like these are, so it could be vastly different for other brands\models.

 

[bryanW1995]

I had a self-discovery kind of moment the other day. While it's true that most PCs use 300-350W of power under maximum load and thus a 400W power supply perfectly meets their needs, some PSUs get annoyingly loud when pushed at 70-80% of their output due to increased heat. If you are looking for something quiet, over-buying a power supply so it never runs more than 50% of it's full output can cut down on the annoying fan-speed ramp up that happens when playing a game or anything else that's hard on the processor\video card.

That is the reason why I'm switching from my Corsair CX400 to this, and that's probably why (some) people buy 1000W PSUs.

that's one thing that I love about corsair. I can do my best to destroy them, but I've never once in 3 years heard either of them ramp up the fan loud enough to be heard over the other case fans.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Nice deal...wish these guys were modular.

 

[xboxist]

I've had this PSU since March or so. Very quiet and is definitely rock solid in build quality.

 

[Loop2kil]

....I read the original price incorrectly

 

[Spike]

Yet another PSU I have now purchased. I'll use this to replace the Enermax 720w in my main rig that forces me to reset my CMOS whenever there is a power flicker and the pc goes down. Not sure what to do with that enermax now... or the Corsair 400w, NeoHE 500w, and Earthwatts 500w that are sitting new, unused, in my closet...

Stupid AT hot deals.

Thanks OP!

 

[kidsafe]

Yea, lower efficiency on the bottom end is the one possible downside. This 650W PSU in particular only reaches 81% when there's a load of 90W or greater:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article813-page4.html

...but it's the same case with the 400W model:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1008-page5.html

Unfortunately not every power supply is reviewed in-depth like these are, so it could be vastly different for other brands\models.

It's even more complicated than this. You see, recently Corsair did the ol' switcheroo with the TX650 and changed the OEM. CWT always made the TX750, but the TX650 was a Seasonic unit. Now they are both made by CWT...you can check the box for the part number...the old one was CMPSU-650TX and the new one is CMPSU-650TX-C.

Since any in-depth review of this unit would have been written in the 2008-2009 timeframe, the reviewed units would have been Seasonics. Any TX650 you buy today would probably be a CWT. To get a sense of how these new TX650s behave, you would be better off looking at reviews of the TX750.

 

[aggressor]

Oh, that's terrible and not something I expect from Corsair. I found this thread regarding it with what seems to be a Corsair employee stating that they did indeed change it, but also claims the new model is slightly better, even if it's based on a completely different platform:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6937

My completely made up take on it is Seasonic stopped making them in favor of their new platform so Corsair had no choice. They probably didn't bother renaming it other than adding the -C because they probably have new PSUs coming based off of the new Seasonic platform.

 

[kidsafe]

I doubt it has anything to do with the availability of Seasonic platforms. They very easily could have used the S12II platform or some derivative. It's probably got more to do with Corsair streamlining the TX range...the 750 and 850 are CWT PSH based already. The TX950 is also CWT based, but on a newer platform. The VX series in it s current form is likely going away too.

 

[Spike]

Got my TX650 delivered today and noticed that the model number on the side is CMPSU -650TX. Does that mean it's a seasonic build since there is no "C" after the model number?

 

[MagickMan]

I'm pretty sure all the TX Corsairs are Seasonic built.

 

[kidsafe]

I'm pretty sure all the TX Corsairs are Seasonic built.

Incorrect. The TX750, 850 and 950 have always been built by CWT. The TX650 was a Seasonic, but now it is a completely different PSU altogether...and made by CWT.

 

[kidsafe]

Got my TX650 delivered today and noticed that the model number on the side is CMPSU -650TX. Does that mean it's a seasonic build since there is no "C" after the model number?

Which of the following does yours look like? Note the centered 140mm fan on the first one (CWT) and the off-center 120mm on the second (Seasonic)

 

[Zap]

Oh wow, they made the new ones deeper too. I already couldn't fit the old one into an NSK3480 case.

 

[Spike]

Sorry to revive this one last time but mine appears to be the CWT built one as the fan is centered and not offset. Thanks for the info on the two different builds.

 

[Zap]

Deal is back! CWT or not, it is a solid unit for $52.

 

[Corporate Thug]

when are we gonna see a sale on a HX unit for the love of god?

 

[qliveur]

^Probably never. Are the HX models made by Seasonic? If you want Seasonic, you'd have better luck finding an Antec TruePower New on sale than one of those.

I settled for one of the Antec NEO Eco 620c models, which may or may not be Seasonic (though it sure looks like one to me) for <$40.

 

[craftech]

It's funny this deal popped up because I ordered one of these less than a month ago and finally got to testing it out yesterday. I put it into a system with a Gigabyte UD3p motherboard and the board started issuing 20 or so beep codes with no boot indicating a failed mainboard. So I put the Fortron Source PS back in and it booted fine. Tested it three times and the same thing. I requested and received an RMA from Newegg, and asked for a refund.

It is one of the CWT built power supplies according to those photos above. I know it has a lot of good reviews, but between the hassle of waiting months for a rebate credit card and the return process I didn't feel it was worth it to ask for a replacement. It was a spare anyway and I would advise that you don't just put it away when you receive it without testing it. Despite the good reviews I got a lemon.

John

 

[Thump553]

Thanks for the input craftech. I was seriously thinking of getting one of these.

 

[benicio]

..I put it into a system with a Gigabyte UD3p motherboard and the board started issuing 20 or so beep codes with no boot indicating a failed mainboard. So I put the Fortron Source PS back in and it booted fine. Tested it three times and the same thing. I requested and received an RMA from Newegg, and asked for a refund. John

I have the same exact board and just ordered this PSU from Newegg yesterday! I hope the one they send me is not a lemon but I guess you never know. The DOA rate on this PSU seemed lower based on the user reviews at Newegg compared to some of the other PSU (OCZ and Raidmax) that I was considering. Oh well.

If you RMA it back to Newegg, can you order another brand PSU or do they just repair/replace this exact model?