Corsair TX750W Power Supply
by Christoph Katzer on October 30, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Conclusion
The TX750W is second in command in Corsair's power structure, and it's not a bad product. However, we did have some concerns with this CWT-built power supply, and some of the results support those feelings.
The Corsair package and overall appearance is very well done. Buyers will certainly feel that they are getting a high quality product, and in fact the build quality is very good. The cables are nice and long, making this a great power supply for larger cases. The problem is that some of the internal design could be improved.
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We have already discussed the shape of the heatsinks, which we have seen in many other CWT-built power supplies. They simply aren't great for airflow, and it's odd because it shouldn't be too hard to change this aspect. All they need to do is leave a little more space between the fins, but this is a cheaper method of creating heatsinks. Still, Seasonic uses a similar method for some of their heatsinks and yet they still leave a larger gap between the fins, improving overall PSU temperatures. Another issue we saw with the internal design is that there's a large gap at the back of this PSU, since it has a large housing with a more normal sized PCB. The result is that we saw a lot of air circulating at the front of the power supply instead of being expelled out the rear, which may be one of the reasons for some of higher temperatures.
The tests also show that DC voltage regulation is not very tight and we saw large drops on almost every rail. The important 12V rail does best, but then it also has the highest ripple readings we've seen from a high-end power supply this year. Noise levels are also a negative, since the PSU is relatively loud even at lower loads, and anything above 80% load results in a very loud PSU.
Compared to other Corsair offerings, the TX750W is simply not up to snuff. The previously tested HX1000W was an excellent power supply, but that power supply uses a different topology. We also received an HX520W recently and that power supply performs very well -- it's a Seasonic-built unit. Pricing may be the one saving grace, however.
The TX750W has been in the market for a while, so the price is quite a bit lower than the MSRP. In the US, we have seen the TX750W for $100 to $130, which is a fair price for a 750W power supply. Prices in Europe start at €95, which equals $130 but includes tax. With an average price of $115, the Corsair TX750W is one of the cheapest 750W offerings on the market. The PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 runs around $135 and the Cooler Master Real Power Pro costs $140. However, even with savings of $25 over some of the competition, there are plenty of other options in this price and performance range.
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Beenthere - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
A mfg. can use different designs or components to produce a top-of-the-line PSU or lower quality components or simpler designs to make a run-of-the-mill PSU. Personally I have used the PCPC brand of PSUs for many years and I have found them to be reliable, stable, high-quality PSUs that have always delivered top performance.I personally would not buy another brand to save a few dollars when the PSU is the very heart of any PC and as such essentially determines the performance and stability of the entire PC. I realize many people will spends hundred on the latest, greatest, trick-of-the-week Video card or memory and then buy an inferior PSU to save $20.
It's foolish economics in my experience. My overclocks always seem to be equal to or better than most folks and I never experience the mysterious crashes that I read about from people using the same hardware other than a quality PSU like the PCPC units.
3DoubleD - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
Starting reading this hoping to find out I picked the right PSU last Christmas... but it seems I missed. Overall I've been happy with it, but perhaps I would have been even more happy with another. Do you think the ripples and noise in this PSU would greatly effect overclocking results?My only big complaint about this PSU is that I'm not very sure of whether or not I could get a case with the PSU mount on the bottom. The motherboard and CPU power cables seem to be on the short side. Christoph, have you had any experience with this?
Good article, thanks!
Denithor - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
I have a TX750W installed in my Antec 300 (bottom mount). It's powering an Asus X38 motherboard with 4GB DDR3 and three video cards (so far): 2x8800GS and a G92 8800GTS. Runs F@H nicely. Very low noise, I cannot hear it over the two stock 300 fans, AF7P and three GPU fans (AF7P is probably the loudest thing in there). The bottom mount setup is quite nice for this rig as it pulls hot air from that "dead spot" under the lowest video card and keeps that one running fairly cool.Christoph Katzer - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
Hi, I think it would do fine with this PSU as it has longer cables as usual. With the 60cm/24" you will not have too many probs with bottom mounted cases. As for the ripple I think the results is rather normal. The limits are much higher.3DoubleD - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
Thanks for the reply, that helps a lot!... now to find the money for that case
Pyrokinetic - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
Interesting article that came a bit late for me. I debated whether or not to get the Corsair TX650 or the TX750, but went with the TX750 because with a rebate it was cheaper than the TX650. Should have got the TX650. Oh well, my system will in no way tax the PSU as my system will not even pull 300W at full tilt. So the TX750 should last me a long while.As for it being loud, I have four Yate Loon 120 case fans (running about 1300rpm) and a case with a mesh front (that sits on the floor), so all I can say is that it is not noticeable with my setup.
TantrumusMaximus - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
I would like to also thank you for such an in depth PS article. I really hope with this new test setup that you'll take a step back and build a matrix of PS statistics. I think you wouldn't even need to give a big writeup on each one just post one article that is your test setup and then start posting numbers for different existing PSUs.Very Nice.
spidey81 - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
I've ready several articles about the TX750W's little siblings performing extremely well. Are there any plans on testing either of these two PSU's?Here's a link to a review of the VX450W at hardwaresecrets.com. They claimed it to be one of the best if not the best 500W range PSU available, which is about optimal for most gaming pc's out there.
spidey81 - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
VX450W reviewspidey81 - Thursday, October 30, 2008 - link
sorry...can't get the hyperlink to work for some reason