The Corsair 600 watt CX600M (modular) power supply is so powerful and well-designed that it gave me reliable power, freedom from fear, and it made my grey hairs turn dark again. Okay, maybe not the last thing, but really, this ATX power supply is a good buy and really takes the worry out of having an underperforming power supply in your PC case. It's easy to install/swap, and when it's running it's quieter than a librarian walking on sound deadening foam (I didn't actually test that).
Some background: my home-built PC case came with a 500-watt power supply and worked great until I added a third hard drive. After that, I started having reliability problems with my data storage drive, a typical rotating platter hard drive. It took me a while to figure out that I wasn't getting bad hard drives, but instead had a problem with a marginal power supply (I've got other problems too, but they aren't computer-related). Indeed, the Corsair website has a power-supply finder/calculator, and I figured out that my system needed 600-watts to be reliable. The calculator takes into account how many drives you have, as well as the fan on your video card, so if you're not sure how big of a power supply unit you need, check out the calculator. That calculator won't solve your personal life problems, but it's awful handy in picking out the right power supply unit.
Swapping this new Corsair in couldn't have been any easier. Well, actually, yeah, if someone else had done it for free, it would have been easier, but okay, this was pretty easy, even for a clumsy guy like me. If you're nervous about swapping, relax and let me walk you through it. I'll leave off the part involving the tarantula and the goat. Step 1) unplug your power cord from the back of the old power unit. 2) Unplug the power connectors from your drives, motherboard, video card fan, and case fan. 3) Get the right Phillips head screwdriver and unscrew the old power supply and don't lose the screws 4) Pull the old power supply out. Don't drop it on the motherboard as you do that. 5) Take the new included SATA power cables and plug those in to your drives. There are two cable, with three connectors each, so you can power up to 6 SATA devices. 6) Plug in your video card power cable. 7) Now place your new Corsair power supply into the case and using the screws from 3) above, secure it. 8) Plug in the SATA cables and video card cables; and 9) Plug in the motherboard power connector and case fan connector. That's it. Took me 20 minutes and I had never done it before. Your mileage may vary, batteries not included, and not applicable in California. Oh yeah, 10) plug the cord back in and flip the switch on the power supply to | . Sorry about that; should have remembered that step.
Oh, I suggest using your smartphone or a digital camera to take a photo of the motherboard before you start. Reason for that: if you happen to accidentally pull out a cable like the power switch connector to the motherboard or the HDD indicator lamp connector, it'll be easier to figure out where it goes. Just a little hint, not that I may have pulled out the power switch connector to the motherboard or anything like that. I'm too smart to have done that.
Seriously though, what's included in the box are the power supply (the motherboard and case fan connectors are hardwired in); a power cord; two SATA power cables, and peripheral cables (e.g. for a video card). If you only have three SATA device and they're not too far apart, you can get by by ony plugging in one SATA power cable but you may find it easier to use both cables if the devices are further apart.
When I started my computer up, I was shocked (no wait, bad choice of words for a power supply review) I was very happily surprised when my computer was super, super quiet. It was so quiet, I thought I had a bad power supply. But then my screen came on and man, I felt like a God, because it all worked. "I am the Man," I said to myself. Yeah, that's a mixed metaphor, but only the great writers get to use them properly.
So, if you've never swapped a power supply before and you want the opportunity to feel like a God (or a Goddess, if that's your thing), this Corsair CX series is just the thing for you. If you have swapped a power supply before, then why did you read this far into the review? I already told you it's great! Just go ahead and buy it already!
| Brand | Corsair |
|---|---|
| Series | cx series |
| Item model number | CP-9020058-NA |
| Item Weight | 7.8 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 5.51 x 5.91 x 3.39 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 5.51 x 5.91 x 3.39 inches |
| Voltage | 240 Volts |
| Manufacturer | Corsair |
| ASIN | B00ALYORA4 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | December 11, 2012 |
