Corsair CSM vs RM

[thegummy]

What would the differences be between these two PSUs? (specifically the 650w varieties)

I understand the RM has a bigger fan which also has an "off" mode.

Is there any other differences that are notable?

The CSM is apparently only semi-modular but as far as I can see that just means that the main ATX cables aren't removable. But even if they were, they'd have to be used anyway, wouldn't they?

 

[Arcanedeath]

The CSM has worse parts and will not last as long as the RM, it also does not perform as well during electrical tests, check hard ocp or jonny guru's reviews.

 

[lehtv]

RM doesn't have top tier parts either, its secondary capacitors are mostly Teapo and Capxon second tier parts, not the best Japanese ones that Seasonic uses in its Gold rated units. And the primary side is a Panasonic, not sure how good those are, would rather have Nippon Chemi-Con. I would suggest buying Seasonic G650 or XFX 650 XTR, assuming you really need that much power. If you don't, G550 and XTR 550W are both good.

 

[thegummy]

RM doesn't have top tier parts either, its secondary capacitors are mostly Teapo and Capxon second tier parts, not the best Japanese ones that Seasonic uses in its Gold rated units. And the primary side is a Panasonic, not sure how good those are, would rather have Nippon Chemi-Con. I would suggest buying Seasonic G650 or XFX 650 XTR, assuming you really need that much power. If you don't, G550 and XTR 550W are both good.

I strongly suspect I don't as my current PSU is 550 and running a Phenom II 955 and Radeon R9 280 (with 3 hard drives) perfectly well and the new system will be an i5 with initially the same video card but eventually being replaced by something newer.

The 650 is only a couple of quid more expensive though so I'd rather just go for it in case the video card I go for next is power hungry.

 

[thegummy]

Just checked out the Seasonic, it's quite a bit more expensive than even the Corsair RM, never mind the CSM.

 

[lehtv]

Where are you buying from?

 

[thegummy]

Where are you buying from?

Well that's from checking various different websites.

I'm in the UK.

 

[lehtv]

Grab an Antec TP-650C for just £60 at Amazon. TruePower Classic units are basically the same stuff as Seasonic G series.

The 750W gained pretty high praise in JonnyGuru's review, scoring 10/10 in both performance and build quality. With the track record of Antec/Seasonic collaboration, there's no reason to assume the 650W unit is any worse.

 

[thegummy]

Grab an Antec TP-650C for just £60 at Amazon. TruePower Classic units are basically the same stuff as Seasonic G series.

The 750W gained pretty high praise in JonnyGuru's review, scoring 10/10 in both performance and build quality. With the track record of Antec/Seasonic collaboration, there's no reason to assume the 650W unit is any worse.

Why do you recommend against Corsair?

I've always had good experiences with them before and they're highly rated online

 

[lehtv]

Why do you recommend against Corsair?

I've always had good experiences with them before and they're highly rated online

The only reason I recommend against Corsair RM and CS is because they don't use the best quality capacitors. Capacitors largely determine the unit's usable lifetime, so the only wise long term decision, unless on a super tight budget, is to buy a unit with the best quality capacitors.

RM and CS aren't designed with top quality in mind. CS is high efficiency for those who don't want to pay too much, while RM is designed for quiet operation while losing in quality (but winning in price) compared to Corsair HX and AX series.

Seasonic S12II, M12II, G-series and X-series, as well as all XFX units, and Antec TP series (this is not a conclusive list), all use higher quality Japanese-made capacitors and have equal or better performance compared to CS and RM series.

Given that TP-650C is even less expensive than CS650, it's really a no-brainer. By far the highest quality unit you can get for that money - I would happily pay a £10-15 premium for it over the CS650.

 

[thegummy]

Thanks for the help, really appreciated.

I liked the price of the Antec one and the fact it has better quality components in it but I'm slightly put off by the fact it's non-modular.

Do you think the Antec would be as quiet as the Corsair RM?

 

[lehtv]

Do you think the Antec would be as quiet as the Corsair RM?

No. I didn't assume noise was even a concern, really. TP series runs relatively loud at high loads. This shouldn't happen with your current setup, but could happen in the future; and it's not zero RPM at low loads either, unlike RM series.

I liked the price of the Antec one and the fact it has better quality components in it but I'm slightly put off by the fact it's non-modular.

Okay, didn't know this was a requirement either.

Grab the XFX 550W XTR for £70, or the same unit in 650W form for £10 more. It's fully modular, and runs silent at low loads, only spinning up the fan at higher loads. It's equivalent to Seasonic X series which is in the same league with RM series in terms of noise.

 

[thegummy]

I'm pretty sold on the XFX. Seems like it has everything I want.

Thanks a lot for your help.

I'm actually surprised that, seeing as there are Corsair reps on this forum and one just replied to a different thread, none of them answered my question when I was essentially going to buy one of their 2 products.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The only reason I recommend against Corsair RM and CS is because they don't use the best quality capacitors. Capacitors largely determine the unit's usable lifetime, so the only wise long term decision, unless on a super tight budget, is to buy a unit with the best quality capacitors.

What kind of caps, and what sort of lifespan to expect, from an Antec VP-450 unit? I've got two in service (well, not anymore), that are probably 3 years old, maybe going on 4.

 

[lehtv]

What kind of caps, and what sort of lifespan to expect, from an Antec VP-450 unit? I've got two in service (well, not anymore), that are probably 3 years old, maybe going on 4.

All I know is CapXon and Teapo (which you have in the VP-450) are inferior to Japanese caps in terms of heat resistance which directly influences lifetime. JonnyGuru regularly takes points off in his Build Quality analysis for having second tier caps... I defer to his judgment there

There's a reason units using mid tier caps tend to have shorter warranty than units with top tier caps, typically 3 years vs 5-7 years. Personally, I would not expect a unit to last, on average, more than a couple years past its warranty in a PC for whose power requirements it is suitable - but I have no facts to back that up with.

 

[thegummy]

Just for reference, the Corsair VX 550 (which was their budget range) has been powering this PC just about 24/7 for over 5 years now.

That has been a Phenom II 955 and GTX 260 up until recently.

Also, possibly worthy of note, is that the build actually has quite the undesirable trait of having the cpu fan blowing upwards into the intake of the PSU.

I really hope it lasts a bit longer!