Corsair CX400W PSU

Written by Mark Mackay

April 27, 2009 | 08:05

Tags: #cx #power-supply #psu

Companies: #corsair

Aesthetics and Specification

There are a few pretty lairy-looking PSUs on the market these days, with stickers that could have been designed by a NASCAR team whereas Corsair have opted for a much more conservative design approach.

The matt black finish, black fan and fan grill, black screws and black cable braiding produce a consistent ninja-like theme that would conceal itself stealthily in a build, without taking attention away from other bits you would rather show off through a perspex window. Furthermore, the Corsair logo moulded into the metal casing delivers a feel of enhanced build quality, than a racy sticker slapped on the side.

The cable braiding goes all the way into the casing, rather than leaving a colourful bundle of unsightly tied off ends at the base of the casing where they all meet, which is another quality touch. On the downside though, the braid is a little on the loose side, making them feel a little cheap when you squeeze them.

Likewise the wires used are relatively thin, particularly on the SATA and Molex connectors, which use a notably lower AWG rating. The downside here is that thinner wires provide more resistance to the flow of the current than those that use heavier gauges, however respectfully for a 400W we'd hardly expect some demanding hardware.

Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build, Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build,
Click to enlarge

The generic-looking black fan generates a perfectly acceptable minimal amount of noise and there's no audible coil whine from within when we hooked it up to a few systems. Moving the PSU around while the fan was whirring quietly also showed no sign of it being poorly mounted or unbalanced.

Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build, Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build,
Click to enlarge

The PSU features a single 12V rail which sensibly utilises 360W - or 90 percent - of the PSU's 400W capability. The rail is rated at a hefty 30A, providing ample flow of electricity for your core hardware, however 40W for 3.3V and 5V is quite a considerable allocation of total power nonetheless.

Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build, Corsair CX400W PSU Aesthetics and Specification and Build,
Click to enlarge

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