PSU tier list 2.0

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Sorry guys. I wouldn't even trust a CX430 in an office use PC with no video card. There are always better options in the $30ish price range like any of the dozen Seasonic SS models, the Antec EA-380, and even the EVGA 430 and 500B.
 


Depends on the country. Below the 50 euros range besides the CX430 here you have EVGA W1, Lowest-end Antec's, loads of Xilence and Chieftec and Corsair VS. Perhaps FSP Hexa deserves a mention too.
 
Something to remember is that companies like Dell put minimal PSUs in their office machines, and they may last a decade or more (there are S775 systems still in service); if or when they croak, often it's the motherboards (e.g. bad caps) that die, not the PSUs. Although some of these PSUs are 80+ bronze, none are any better than tier-3. In such use, a CX430 ought to do as well.
My usual goto-PSU for minimal builds is the Antec EA-380D (or one of the Seasonic SS units). For this specific build, I wanted to use a modular unit because it will be in a little Core V1 mITX case. I would have happily bought [another] 450W Capstone-M, but those have not been available for a while.
 
Yeah my biggest argument is there is always a better alternative. The sad and funny thing is a lot of the older Dell oem psus are probably more reliable than the entire CX lineup. Especially the Delta made ones. Those are usually the ones that last 10+ years of continuous use.
 
You see less and less of those Delta units in OEM machines these days. OEMs just get cheaper and cheaper every year on the quality of the product, which is why all these tech sites seem to think that desktop computers are going away when in fact all they are doing is transitioning to far more people building their own systems, even when they are just office machines rather than enthusiast builds, so that they will know they are getting a better quality product for their investment.

Also a factor is the fact that the ability to configure and assemble a PC has been greatly de-mystified for a newer generation of users who have grown up using computers rather than the previous generations who either had little exposure to them or began using them halfway through life with little experience of a technical nature.
 
If being modular were not a requirement, I would have used something else. It was, so I didn't. We'll see how it does, but since it's a backup PC, breath-holding is probably not a good idea. It will get a few days of heavy use as I load and configure it, then it may not be too busy.
 
On another note, this VP-450 that was the second one I had had to RMA, from different systems, not the same unit, in a three month period of time, has so far held up fine for the last two months. Hopefully it was just a bad batch of units or something, as I'd very much like to be able to continue using them in lower capacity requirement builds. I certainly wish that something better in that price range and capacity would surface on the market though as not have the ability to use the C6/C7 states on that unit is a definite disadvantage.
 


Actually, it's 19.99 after discounts, not 9.99.
 
No its $9.99 You have to enter the promo code in your cart before you check out and it drops the total to $29.99 (with $20 rebate) 29.99-20=9.99

Update: Newegg just sold out the price just went back up
 
No, it's 10 bucks. $39.99 - $20 rebate - $10 Promo code = $9.99.
 
On another note, this VP-450 that was the second one I had had to RMA, from different systems, not the same unit, in a three month period of time, has so far held up fine for the last two months.
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That comes as no surprise considering that unit is FSP.




RCFProd, what do you want me to elaborate on? The W1 430 and Basiq 430 are more reliable units. It's a simple as that.



 
Ever since using a fully modular PSU, I can't see myself ever going back.

I haven't checked out the Earthwatts 380, but I know the 750W one is really bad.

I wouldn't buy a PSU with all Capxon, Samxon, and Teapo caps, but that's just me. Not the Antec, I'm talking about the CX 430.
 


Yea budget options are slim, for modular.
 
I really do not understand how they are more reliable, like I really don't mate. Sorry if that's a stupid response in anyway.
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This is my opinion from a combination of professional reviews, this website, hands on experience, and vicarious experience. No hard feelings if you disagree. This site would be a boring place if we all agreed with each other all of the time.

The CX430 is below average in terms of reliability. It does not hold up well over time.
The W1 430 is average in terms of reliability. It seems to hold up pretty well over time.
The Basiq 430 is above average in terms of reliability, and holds up extremely well over time.

I've said it a hundred times on here, but I have had to replace more CX series psus than every other brand put together. They have proven to be nothing but problematic and I thought the drop to tier 4 was perfectly warranted.

Of course even the best psus can be duds. I currently have a client that's mad at me because I endorsed a EVGA G2 750w and it died on him after just 6 or 7 months.
 


Part of it may just be that the CX are purchased more frequently than the other two power supplies. Corsair has a cult following with power supplies, as one out of two builds I see on pcpartpicker use Corsair power supplies, ranging from the worst to the best. For having dozens of power supply brands, that's a large amount of sales for Corsair. The CX does seem to have the most failures, I see it on this forum every day, but it could just be the fact that they sell so many.

When you say you replaced more CX than anything else, is that because you have so many clients with CX power supplies, or were they your own CX power supplies you owned? I'm just saying, we need to keep in mind the simple fact that Corsair PSUs sell like hotcakes (which is unfortunate for the most part).
 
Corsair also has a world wide market, which many brands do not. The CX in particular is a huge seller in indo-asia because of its relatively cheap price, barely more than the explosive Chinese knockoffs. It's so relatively cheap that's it's considered a waste to even bother with RMA or warranty issues, so it's easier and more cost effective to just buy another when the old one dies. This has a net affect of making it look very good on paper, huge sale amounts and few returns. Seasonic runs in the same markets as the CX, but at 3x or greater price, you better believe ppl rma/warranty those units, so on paper, Seasonic units suffer a higher % of returns, making the CX look even better by comparison. Totally misleading.

Which is why this list is so important to so many, while tier classifications are still opinion, they are based on an overall diagnosis that one psu is built better, lasts longer and performs better than a different psu. Or worse. Price is not a factor, there are really cheap psus in tier2 and expensive ones in tier4. That said, some psus like the XFX 550w or Evga B2 750w are much more recommended simply because of value for money for the consumer.

At the end of the day, though, this list is nothing more than a tool, its up to the user to decide on usage and need.
 
Part of it may just be that the CX are purchased more frequently...
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Of course it's because they sell so many.



When you say you replaced more CX than anything else, is that because you have so many clients with CX power supplies, or were they your own CX power supplies you owned? I'm just saying, we need to keep in mind the simple fact that Corsair PSUs sell like hotcakes (which is unfortunate for the most part).
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I have never owned a CX psu! *offended* haha jk
Most of my experience with the CX series has been from fixing other peoples broke PCs, but there have been a few times where they already had the parts, and asked me to build it for them. Two of those times, it ran just fine for a while but the psu died within 2 years. 2 years is unacceptable IMO. There have been a couple of people on this site that went against my recommendation and bought a CX only to come back some time later complaining that it died and they should have listened to me. Of course it's not like they have a 100% failure rate, because they obviously don't, but the percentage is a lot higher than it should be. One guy went against my recommendation and is using a CX600 to power a R9290x, but it's been fine so far. It's only a matter of time though before I hear from him. haha

 
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