Conclusion
The Corsair CV450 is the first power supply we have seen here at TheFPSReview from Corsair. However, Corsair has been marketing power supplies for a while now and they are one of the larger enthusiast DIY names in the business. So, there is certainly history there. That said, entry-level products in enthusiast’s eyes are a tough balance to strike. Has Corsair struck it? Or just struck out? Let’s see.
Build Quality
Today’s Corsair CV450 starts things off with a build quality that is very dated but is more appropriate for its market position than if this unit was priced any higher than it is or slotted in any higher in the product stack than it is. The exterior gives us a decent enough package that does not over or underwhelm (except in the case of the exhaust obstruction). The unit has fixed cables with a mix of the flat FlexForce style and standard wire loom. The integration is generally clean on the interior. The component selection features Teapo standard capacitors along with a sleeve bearing fan which is not going to get anyone excited. The documentation with this unit is terrible and the unit has a 3-year warranty.
Load Testing
The Corsair CV450 started off testing in kind of rough shape. We saw voltage regulation of up to 0.33v on the 12v rail, 0.06v on the 5v rail, and 0.12v on the 3.3v rail. In addition to that, we saw efficiency values that ranged from 82.56% to 85.18% at 120v AC input and 79.47% to 84.24% at 100v AC input. These numbers are not good these days and, making things a bit worse here, this unit also missed its claimed 80 Plus Bronze efficiency across the board. Even though this unit is an entry-level product, this is certainly a weak start overall. That said it is operating above its claimed operating temperature range in our load tests (though not in the 80 Plus Tests) so there is that.
When we look at the Transient Load Tests results for the CV450, we see that the results are passing. When directly loaded, the 12v rail showed a peak change of ~330mV, and the 5v rail had a peak change of ~90mV. During the 12v load, the unloaded 5v rail saw a peak change of ~80mV. In absolute terms, these results are in the specification as mentioned above, but the 12v results are not great. Now, that said, this is an entry-level offering and it is just a 450W unit. So, these Transient Loads are nothing to sneeze at which makes this aspect of this unit’s performance, at least, a bit better than the regular load tests.
DC Output Quality
The DC Output Quality results for the CV450 are, again, a bit mixed. During testing, we saw peak ripple/noise values of just ~55mV of ripple/noise on the 12v rail, ~20mV on the 5v rail, and ~35mV on the 3.3v rail during our regular load tests. So, in absolute terms, these values are within specification limits. In relative terms, these results are not looking too good anywhere as all of the rails are hovering around 1/2 or more of the ATX12v/EPS specification limits.
Noise
Today’s Corsair CV450 is a small capacity unit and it features a sleeve bearing fan (good on the noise front but not so good on the longevity front). On the converse, this unit is an entry-level product and it supposedly has 80 Plus Bronze levels of efficiency. So, how did things go?
Things went. It was not until the 75%, Torture, and 100% load tests that it was apparent that the unit was adding noise to our load testing environment. Even then, the noise was a low-frequency one, so it was not annoying to my ear in that aspect but it was much more apparent than with other units we have seen recently that are on the lower end of the product stack. Indeed, the 100% and Torture tests noise took no effort whatsoever to pin down. The caveat to this is the unit is supposed to be rated for lower than the 45C we were testing it at. So, that fan did have to work very hard, and, to some degree, it did do an admirable job because the unit did survive. Admirable, but it did seem to complain a good portion of the time.
Final Points
The Corsair CV450 is a passing unit in the entry-level marketplace. The CV450 gave us decent build quality, passing voltage regulation, passing DC Output Quality, and decent Transient Load results. Certainly, there is a bit of caveat on the DC Output Quality and Transient Load Tests there given the unit’s performance but, in the end, the unit was still in the specification. Indeed, the CV450 did lodge its protests about what we were doing to it in the form of the noise it made during our testing. So, that said, what is the unit going to cost us?
Today, we find that the best in-stock price we can find is $49.99 at Amazon which makes this unit an attractive option if you just look at the price. The form factor and compact size is also appealing for anyone that needs a small power supply. At $49.99 we are starting to move in a direction price-wise that a few dollars more will start getting you more modern topologies and perhaps a few other features not found here.
The entry-level market is always a tough one because the performance is never stellar and the price point makes or breaks you. If this unit has a MIR on it at the time of purchase or temporary price drop then it becomes a much more attractive option. At $49.99 right now there are a few too many question marks (including would this performance be repeated on other units given it is rated at 30C) to say absolutely jump on this unit today if you push it as hard as we did. For a moderately small form factor build, it did pass our tests.
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