Power and Efficiency from a Memory Company: Corsair TX650W Review- Page 2/4
February 26, 2008
By
Thomas Soderstrom
Corsair TX650W Features
The TX650W from Corsair has a few features that we have grown to love, the first being its bottom-mounted 120mm intake fan, which pulls hot air away from the CPU and blows it out a low-restriction honeycomb-mesh grille at the rear mounting flange.
The unit also features a power switch next to the AC plug, which makes it easy to disconnect power when servicing a system. This taken-for-granted part is available on even some of the lowest-priced units, but we're starting to see competitors removing this switch to increase ventilation space. We'll accept the tradeoff of utility versus ventilation. On the other hand, the model sticker above it is superfluous, and Corsair could have specified additional ventilation there.
Like most high-quality power supplies, the Corsair TX650W uses a 110/220 volt automatic switching circuit, rather than a 110/220V switch. This provides added safety for users who make take their systems abroad, such as professional gamers.
Another thing we really like is the "Big Single 12V Rail" format, since it doesn't have the per-rail limits of typical 4-rail designs. The unit's entire 52 amps of 12V power can be divided among relatively few devices, or a larger number of devices, depending on the power requirements of each one.
As previously mentioned, the latest trend in power supply design is increased efficiency, whereby many power supplies are now "80 Plus" program rated for at least 80% efficiency at 20%, 50%, and 100% loads with a power factor of greater than .90. Corsair met the program demands and got its "80 Plus" certification, but only after printing its packaging. Thus, the company missed a great marketing opportunity by not listing its "80 Plus" credentials on the retail box. We won't hold any marketing missteps against them, but instead would like to show Corsair's efficiency chart.
A respectable 81% minimum efficiency is seen at the TX650W's full output rating, and middle load levels exceed 84% efficiency.
12V rail output has become especially critical since devices like high-end graphics cards and processors have come rely on it to supply additional wattage compared to earlier, lower voltage inputs. Listed as model CMPSU-650TX, the TX650W is able to supply up to 624 watts of its rated 650W to 12V devices.
The Corsair TX650W has a very limited number of main power connections, including:
One 24-pin/20-pin split-able motherboard connector on a single 24" lead
One 8-pin/4-pin pre-split ATX12V/EPS12V connector on a single 24" lead
Two 8-pin/6-pin pre-split PCI-Express Graphics power leads
Notice that Corsair has not designed the TX650W as a high-end SLI/Crossfire solution, even though the unit does have high enough capacity to do the job. 4-pin to PCI-Express Graphics power connectors are an option, assuming enough drive power leads exist to address your configuration.
Drive power leads include:
Two 39" leads with four 4-pin "Molex" and one 4-pin "floppy" style connectors at 6" spacing
Two 34" lead with four SATA power connectors at 6" spacing
Do we see a problem? While there's definitely enough cable ends to supply nearly any system drive configuration, 4-pin to PCI-Express adapters normally require two separate leads. Thus, SLI or Crossfire configurations using dual-connector graphics cards wouldn't be advised. But we'll test that configuration anyway.
The TX650W ships in a velvet drawstring bag, and includes a brief user's manual, four mounting screws, a pack of cable ties, a Corsair case badge, and a heavy-duty U.S.-style standard power cable.
Events
IE 7
Firefox 2.0
