With the CX600M Corsair offers a 600W PSU, which is based on a Channel Well Technology (CWT) design and comes with an 80 Plus Bronze certificate. Looking at the efficiency one might winkle it's nose, but taking a closer look at the price shows that this product might be quite a compelling offer.
On the following pages we will show you the
strengths and weaknesses of
Corsair CX600M.
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Preview
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forums.
[pagebreak]
Delivery and Specifications
Delivery |
Cable |
Length |
1 x ATX 20+4 pin |
60 cm |
1 x EPS/ATX 12V 4+4 pin |
65 cm |
2 x PCI-E 6+2 pin |
75 cm |
2 x 3 SATA |
64 cm |
1 x 4 Molex + 1 Floppy |
88 cm |
For a power supply that offers
600 Watts of continuous output power the number of connectors is ok. However we
would like to see two additional 6+2Pin connectors, since this PSU could already be used
for low end SLI setups.
Specifications |
Voltage |
Current |
Power |
+ 3.3 V |
25 A |
130 Watt |
600 Watt (Total) |
+ 5.0 V |
25 A |
+ 12 V1 |
46 A |
552 Watt |
- 12 V |
0.8 A |
9.6 Watt |
+ 5 Vsb |
3 A |
15 Watt |
The CX600M has been 80Plus
Bronze certified, which means that this PSU is able to reach a maximum
efficiency above 82 percent at 20% Load, 85% at 50% Load and 82% at 100% Load.
Furthermore this PSU complies with ErP guidelines (Energy Rated Product) and
therefore it consumes less than 1 Watt when an attached system is powered off or
in standby. Following we show you the feature list:
- 80Plus Bronze
- ErP
- OVP, UVP, OCP, SCP, OPP
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 150 mm x 86 mm x 140 mm
- Warranty: 3 Years
- Price: 75 CHF
Corsair's CX600M is
based on a CWT OEM design. The first hint for a high-quality
power supply you can get from the transient filtering stage. It is recommended
to use two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y caps), one metalized
polyester cap (X cap), one metal oxide varistor (MOV) and eventually a Fuse. If
you have a very low-end PSU in front of you, you'll see that the MOV and
the first ferrite coil are missing. A closer look at the CX600M reveals that it
has been built according to the recommendations we've just mentioned including
the Fuse.
On the primary side you find a GBU1006 rectifier. Right next to the rectifier
you can find a PCB housing the CM6800. The CM6800 controls the PFC Booster and
the Push-Pull converter. This PSU has a Push-Pull topology using two Mosfets and
two
Diodes according to the following primary sided principle:
link
This is an old school standard topology; simple and proven, but it won't achieve
new efficiency records.
Because this topology requires hard switching from the Mosfets (Switching
Mosfets under voltage and current generates losses) this topology is more and
more replaced in the PC PSU market by resonant topologies.
The transformer has on the secondary side two coils one for 12V and one for 5V.
3.3V is generated from the 5V Coil. This is the classic old PSU topology.
The APFC Capacitor with 270uF at 400V and 85°C from Panasonic is of much higher
quality than the Chinese
SAMXON which can be fround in the CX430. The PFC Booster uses a STTH8S06 Ultrafast recovery
diode. This is ok for a PSU in this price range;
SiC Diodes are still quite expensive. The Push-Pull uses STW14NM50 (550V
320mOhm) Mosfets. For rectifying 12V four PFR40V60CT (2x20A, 60V, 0.51Vdrop)
Schottky diodes are used. Regarding the rectificaton of 5V two STPS3045 (2x15A, 45V, 0.63Vdrop)
are used.
The Output filter Capacitors are from CapXon. 105°C is written on them.
The OCP, UVP, OVP is done by a PS229.
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[pagebreak]
Test setup
Regarding the power supply tests we refer to
80Plus.org. The guys over
there do the certification of the power supplies. Behind 80Plus.org there is a
company called Ecova Plug Load Solutions, which own professional testing equiment
for internal power supplies, such as a Chroma 6000 ATE. With the system power
supplies can be tested under standard conditions, which means that at the end of
the day one gets comparable data.
Generally speaking the there are three different tests. First of all Plug
Load Solutions goes for 20 percent load on the power supply. At this point they
measure input and output power and calculate the efficiency as a result.
Furthermore they monitor the different voltages - +12V, -12V, 3.3V, 5V and 5Vsb.
With these values taken one can see whether the power supply complies with a five
or a ten percent deviation standard. After that they do also keep an eye on
power factor correction, concerning which 1 is the ideal value.
In case somebody is looking for further information on how 80Plus.org
conducts it tests, then we can recommend the following
PDF.
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[pagebreak]
Performance values at 20
percent load
12 V 20 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
audible |
89.15 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
inaudible |
89.37 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
12.0 Volt |
+ 0.00 % |
inaudible |
91.62 % |
Corsair CX430 |
12.0 Volt |
+ 0.00 % |
silent |
82.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
12.042 Volt |
+ 0.35 % |
very silent |
85.028 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt -
EPM1000EWT |
12.2 Volt |
+ 1.66 % |
silent |
91.51 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
12.4 Volt |
+ 3.33 % |
inaudible |
91.91 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
12.4 Volt |
+ 3.33 % |
audible |
87.47 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt - SS-1000XP |
12.2 Volt |
+ 1.66 % |
inaudible |
91.51 % |
5 V 20 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
89.15 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
inaudible |
89.37 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
inaudible |
91.62 % |
Corsair CX430 |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
silent |
82.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
5.073 Volt |
+ 1.46 % |
very silent |
85.028 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
silent |
91.51 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
5.2 Volt |
+ 4.00 % |
inaudible |
91.91 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
audible |
87.47 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
inaudible |
91.51 % |
3.3 V 20 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
89.15 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
inaudible |
89.37 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
inaudible |
91.62 % |
Corsair CX430 |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
82.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
3.322 Volt |
+ 0.66 % |
very silent |
85.028 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
91.51 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
3.2 Volt |
- 3.03 % |
inaudible |
91.91 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
87.47 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
inaudible |
91.51 % |
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[pagebreak]
Performance values at 50
percent load
12 V 50 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
audible |
90.97 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
12.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
12.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
very silent |
92.75 % |
Corsair CX430 |
12.0 Volt |
+ 0.00 % |
silent |
85.74 % |
Corsair CX600M |
11.990 Volt |
- 0.08 % |
silent |
86.39 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
12.2 Volt |
+ 1.66 % |
silent |
92.94 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
silent |
92.66 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
12.3 Volt |
+ 2.50 % |
audible |
90.36 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
12.2 Volt |
+ 1.66 % |
very silent |
92.54 % |
5 V 50 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
90.97 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
4.9 Volt |
- 2.00 % |
very silent |
92.75 % |
Corsair CX430 |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
silent |
85.74 % |
Corsair CX600M |
5.03 Volt |
+ 0.60 % |
silent |
86.39 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
silent |
92.94 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
5.2 Volt |
+ 4.00 % |
silent |
92.66 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
audible |
90.36 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
very silent |
92.54 % |
3.3 V 50 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
90.97 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
very silent |
92.75 % |
Corsair CX430 |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
85.74 % |
Corsair CX600M |
3.295 Volt |
- 0.15 % |
silent |
86.39 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
92.94 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
silent |
92.66 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
90.36 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
very silent |
92.54 % |
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[pagebreak]
Performance values at 100
percent load
12 V 100 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
very noisy |
88.56 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
12.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
88.50 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
11.9 Volt |
- 0.83 % |
silent |
90.63 % |
Corsair CX430 |
12.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
83.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
11.87 Volt |
- 1.095 % |
audible |
82.27 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
noisy |
90.04 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
12.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
90.33 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
12.3 Volt |
+ 2.50 % |
noisy |
88.62 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
12.1 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
silent |
89.67 % |
5 V 100 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
very noisy |
88.56 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
88.50 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
4.9 Volt |
- 2.00 % |
silent |
90.63 % |
Corsair CX430 |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
audible |
83.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
4.965 Volt |
- 0.70 % |
audible |
82.27 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
noisy |
90.04 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
5.1 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
audible |
90.33 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
noisy |
88.62 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
5.0 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
89.67 % |
3.3 V 100 percent load
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
very noisy |
88.56 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
88.50 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
3.2 Volt |
- 3.03 % |
silent |
90.63 % |
Corsair CX430 |
3.3 Volt |
- 0.00 % |
audible |
83.50 % |
Corsair CX600M |
3.25 Volt |
- 1.54 % |
audible |
82.27 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
noisy |
90.04 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
audible |
90.33 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
noisy |
88.62 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
silent |
89.67 % |
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[pagebreak]
Average Values
12 V
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
12.10 Volt |
+ 0.83 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
12.03 Volt |
+ 0.27 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
11.97 Volt |
- 0.27 % |
silent |
91.67 % |
Corsair CX430 |
12.00 Volt |
+ 0.00 % |
silent |
83.91 % |
Corsair CX600M |
11.967 Volt |
- 0.276 % |
silent |
84.56 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt -
EPM1000EWT |
12.17 Volt |
+ 1.39 % |
silent |
91.50 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
12.07 Volt |
+ 0.55 % |
silent |
91.63 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
12.33 Volt |
+ 2.78 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt - SS-1000XP |
12.17 Volt |
+ 1.39 % |
very silent |
91.24 % |
5 V
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
5.00 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
5.00 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
4.93 Volt |
- 1.33 % |
silent |
91.67 % |
Corsair CX430 |
5.10 Volt |
+ 2.00 % |
silent |
83.91 % |
Corsair CX600M |
5.022 Volt |
+ 0.45 % |
silent |
84.56 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
5.07 Volt |
+ 1.33 % |
silent |
91.50 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
5.17 Volt |
+ 3.33 % |
silent |
91.63 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
5.07 Volt |
+ 1.33 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
5.00 Volt |
0.00 % |
very silent |
91.24 % |
3.3 V
|
Product |
Voltage |
Deviation |
Noise |
Efficiency |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold -
RS-A00-80GS-D3 |
3.30 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 850
Watt |
3.36 Volt |
+ 2.02 % |
silent |
91.14 % |
Corsair AX1200i 1200 Watt |
3.27 Volt |
- 1.01 % |
silent |
91.67 % |
Corsair CX430 |
3.30 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
83.91 % |
Corsair CX600M |
3.289 Volt |
- 0.33 % |
silent |
84.56 % |
Enermax Platimax 1000 Watt EPM1000EWT |
3.30 Volt |
0.00 % |
silent |
91.50 % |
OCZ Silencer MK III 1200 Watt |
3.33 Volt |
+ 1.01 % |
silent |
91.63 % |
OCZ ZX Series Gold 1000 Watt - ZX1000W |
3.3 Volt |
0.00 % |
audible |
88.82 % |
Seasonic Platinum 1000 Watt SS-1000XP |
3.4 Volt |
+ 3.03 % |
very silent |
91.24 % |
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[pagebreak]
Input/Output Power and
Efficiency
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[pagebreak]
Result Analysis and Discussion
Efficiency 115V
|
Load |
Efficiency |
20 % |
85.028 % |
50 % |
86.391 % |
100 % |
82.274 % |
The Bronze Energy
certification requirements (82% - 85% - 82%) are surpassed especially at 20% Load.
The efficiency under full load is a bit higher at 230V AC. This is the case with most PSU's and mainly comes
from the fact that there are lower losses in the AC filtering and
in the PFC at 230V AC. Unfortunately this 80Plus test report does not contain information about the 230V efficiency. The 230V AC 100% Load efficiency is to be
expected between 83.0 and 84.5%.
Noise/Ripple 264V 63Hz 100% Load
|
3.3V |
15mV |
5V |
15mV |
12V |
41mV |
The Noise/Ripple results are quite remarkable. (Norm Limits
50mV at 3.3 and 5V and 120mV at 12V). An advantage of this PSU Topology compared to
resonant Topologies (these are often used in 80Plus Gold/Platinum PSU's because
of their higher efficiency) is a reduced need for output filtering.
Due to the usage of high quality capacitors in the high end PSU's, they're able
to achieve better results in this discipline. (For comparison: The Corsair
AX1200i has a 12V Ripple/Noise of only 10mV at full Load! (5 and 3.3V noise 5mV))
Output Stability
|
Load |
Rail |
Loading(A) |
Output |
20 % |
5V |
2.660 |
5.073 |
3.3V |
2.660 |
3.322 |
12V1 |
7.800 |
12.042 |
5VSB |
0.510 |
4.988 |
|
50 % |
5V |
6.650 |
5.030 |
3.3V |
6.650 |
3.295 |
12V1 |
19.55 |
11.990 |
5VSB |
1.270 |
4.950 |
|
100 % |
5V |
13.30 |
4.965 |
3.3V |
13.30 |
3.250 |
12V1 |
39.05 |
11.870 |
5VSB |
2.55 |
4.883 |
The stability of the output
voltages and the outcome of the crossload tests (results not shown here) are not
perfect but still with margin within the norms and absolutely satisfactory (especially
when you consider the Topology used in this PSU).
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[pagebreak]
Conclusion
With
the CX600M Corsair offers a good PSU. The low Price of just about CHF 75.- (est.
EUR 63.-) makes it attractive for low-end and mid-rang gaming PC's. Another interesting application are
home servers. However, we recomend a PSU with higher efficiency for this purpose
because of the noise, the heat, the higer electricity usage and the
HDD connectors might be an issue. Another advantage is the small
size of the PSU. Especially people who want to build miniITX gaming rigs will
like the formfactor of this PSU. In such a setup the PSU fan is often used to
help cooling the interior. Therefore the higher rotation speed is advantageous
although the noiselevel that comes with it could be lower. The fan itself can be considered as quite silent over a wide
power range. When you give full load to the PSU the fan becomes well audible.
Also, we would have liked to have two additional PCI-Express 6+2Pin connectors
since this PSU could feed a dual GPU setup.
Corsair put a nice and decent design in place and also the manufacturing quality
is on a decent level. The parts, which are used to build this unit in are quite
good, if you keep their low price in mind. Because of the use of some Chinese capacitors
we however do not recommend this device for applications which require high
reliability or an extremely long lifespan.
The Corsair CX600M receives good
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Discuss this article in our
forums. Author:
JAVASCRIPT
l.muehle@ocaholic.ch