Corsair HX520W modular PSU shows ultra reliability

windwithme · 8th November 2007, 13:59

Corsair has been making PSU since the second half of 2006…
They unveiled two appetizers to market, 520W and 620W PSU.
The performance and product specification is really great.
I knew some users take them to compare with Seasonic’s M12 series.
No matter the spec and appearance, both of them have something in common.
Hence, I analyze them by a comparison.

Price is always significant to consume, so:
Seasonic M12 about US$148
Corsair HX520W about US$121
If you are the users who care about quality,
guarantee period and reasonable price, Corsair HX520W might be a better choice.

The Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply
We take a look at the package first, it’s a bit bigger than some “same-level” product.

The accessories from inside
Multi-language users menu and power cords (not in the picture)
Cables for power supplying

Corsair HX520W itself

The major heat dissipating system is the 12cm temperature-control fan.
The RPM is low when light loading. If in a heavy loading situation, the noise is still acceptable.

There is a cellular heat dissipating “holes” for a better heat-dissipation.
It is a “auto-switch”, no need to put a 110/220v switch there.

12V x 3, up to 54A, 480W
That can support most of mid-range to entry-level high-end VGA,
which under SLI/ Crossfire mode without problems

A modularized sockets: 24/ 8/ 4pins

CPU:INTEL Core 2 Extreme QX6800
MB: DFI LANParty P35-T2R
DRAM:CORSAIR Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF
VGA:ELSA FALCOX HD260XT 256B3 HDT RH
HD:Seagate 7200.10 320G
POWER:Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply
Cooler:Thermaltake V1

The settings under OS:
CPU: 333X10=>3333Mhz
DRAM: DDRII 1000 CL4 4-4-9
VGA: 2X ELSA HD260XT
The voltage of DFI P35 is a little low, that’s because the power consumption is keep on.

OCCT is an useful testing software
In the test, it can make all the cores in a full-loading status

The variation of the CPU’s voltage is more related to motherboard’s design.
The performance is good if the voltage can reach 1.3 to 1.34V while all cores is full loaded.

3.3V: about 3.22 to 3.25V, the voltage “drop” about 1% only

5V: about 4.76 to 4.81V, also, the voltage “drop” about 1% only

12V: it sticks in 11.9V

OCCT is mainly for testing the voltage (3.3/5/12V) variations of CPU and RAM while under OS full-loaded.
For some minimal error of mobos or high-end VGA cards, it is not for it.

The PSU works fine with quad-core CPU and 2600XT CrossFire in a OC situation.
In the test,
The RPM of the fan is not high and the working temperature is acceptable too(around 40C) includes all the merits I introduced,
this PSU shows a high C/P ratio.

The coming up review of mine is the most popular Elsa 8800GT 512MB VGA card.
Then, I’ll use Corsair HX520W PSU again!!

jmke · 8th November 2007, 14:46

yeay for modular PSU's

Sidney · 8th November 2007, 18:08

OCCT reads from SpeedFan or MBM and might not be accurate.

8th December 2007, 08:51

Nice unit, one problem though and this is a personal gripe. I -loathe- multi rail PSUs. Give me one big rail to pull my current from, not a bunch of smaller ones. I hope it serves you well in to the future.

geoffrey · 8th December 2007, 10:05

Flat cable for power connectors, never seen that before, looking good but they don't seem to be thick enough to carry lot's of current, do they heat up?

8th December 2007, 11:20

Doesn't Seasonc MAKE those PSUs as well =P

I wouldn't mind paying 27$ less if they are exactly the same spec.

10th December 2007, 03:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffrey

Flat cable for power connectors, never seen that before, looking good but they don't seem to be thick enough to carry lot's of current, do they heat up?

Ultra has made that style of Power connectors for a while now.

http://www.ultraproducts.com/product...roductID=6 37

I have/had a X connect 500. (Currently in my parents computer because it's quiet) It's been 2 years now and no hiccups from it. When it was powering my current computer it did fine as well voltage wise.

Which amounts to a Athlon XP 3200+
Nf2 mobo
Soundblaster live 5.1
GF 6800XT
2 Gigs of Ram
250 Gig HDD

It pulls about 250 watts under full load and the exhaust temp on the fan at one point during summertime testing was over 50*c so if it survived that and the review of that power supply was a 4/5 on another site. Well it gets my thumbs up to buy their newer ones which are getting perfect scores everywhere.

Anymore it's harder to buy a crappy power supply than a good one. As long as you spend more than $50 USD.

Sidney · 10th December 2007, 04:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rutar

Doesn't Seasonc MAKE those PSUs as well =P

I wouldn't mind paying 27$ less if they are exactly the same spec.

Yap, Seasonic M12 600W reviewed here.http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getarticle&articID=518. I don't doubt Seasonic private labeled to Corsair.

8th November 2007, 13:59	#1
windwithme Eastern OC Expert Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,090	Corsair HX520W modular PSU shows ultra reliability Corsair has been making PSU since the second half of 2006… They unveiled two appetizers to market, 520W and 620W PSU. The performance and product specification is really great. I knew some users take them to compare with Seasonic’s M12 series. No matter the spec and appearance, both of them have something in common. Hence, I analyze them by a comparison. Price is always significant to consume, so: Seasonic M12 about US$148 Corsair HX520W about US$121 If you are the users who care about quality, guarantee period and reasonable price, Corsair HX520W might be a better choice. The Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply We take a look at the package first, it’s a bit bigger than some “same-level” product. The accessories from inside Multi-language users menu and power cords (not in the picture) Cables for power supplying Corsair HX520W itself The major heat dissipating system is the 12cm temperature-control fan. The RPM is low when light loading. If in a heavy loading situation, the noise is still acceptable. There is a cellular heat dissipating “holes” for a better heat-dissipation. It is a “auto-switch”, no need to put a 110/220v switch there. 12V x 3, up to 54A, 480W That can support most of mid-range to entry-level high-end VGA, which under SLI/ Crossfire mode without problems A modularized sockets: 24/ 8/ 4pins CPU:INTEL Core 2 Extreme QX6800 MB: DFI LANParty P35-T2R DRAM:CORSAIR Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF VGA:ELSA FALCOX HD260XT 256B3 HDT RH HD:Seagate 7200.10 320G POWER:Corsair HX520W Modular Power Supply Cooler:Thermaltake V1 The settings under OS: CPU: 333X10=>3333Mhz DRAM: DDRII 1000 CL4 4-4-9 VGA: 2X ELSA HD260XT The voltage of DFI P35 is a little low, that’s because the power consumption is keep on. OCCT is an useful testing software In the test, it can make all the cores in a full-loading status The variation of the CPU’s voltage is more related to motherboard’s design. The performance is good if the voltage can reach 1.3 to 1.34V while all cores is full loaded. 3.3V: about 3.22 to 3.25V, the voltage “drop” about 1% only 5V: about 4.76 to 4.81V, also, the voltage “drop” about 1% only 12V: it sticks in 11.9V OCCT is mainly for testing the voltage (3.3/5/12V) variations of CPU and RAM while under OS full-loaded. For some minimal error of mobos or high-end VGA cards, it is not for it. The PSU works fine with quad-core CPU and 2600XT CrossFire in a OC situation. In the test, The RPM of the fan is not high and the working temperature is acceptable too(around 40C) includes all the merits I introduced, this PSU shows a high C/P ratio. The coming up review of mine is the most popular Elsa 8800GT 512MB VGA card. Then, I’ll use Corsair HX520W PSU again!!

8th November 2007, 14:46	#2
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,013	yeay for modular PSU's __________________

8th November 2007, 18:08	#3
Sidney Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 15,738	OCCT reads from SpeedFan or MBM and might not be accurate. __________________ lazyman Opteron 165 (2) @2.85 1.42 vcore AMD Stock HSF + Chill Vent II

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8th December 2007, 08:51	#4
Inferno Posts: n/a	Nice unit, one problem though and this is a personal gripe. I -loathe- multi rail PSUs. Give me one big rail to pull my current from, not a bunch of smaller ones. I hope it serves you well in to the future.

8th December 2007, 10:05	#5
geoffrey [M] Reviewer Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,127	Flat cable for power connectors, never seen that before, looking good but they don't seem to be thick enough to carry lot's of current, do they heat up?

8th December 2007, 11:20	#6
Rutar Posts: n/a	Doesn't Seasonc MAKE those PSUs as well =P I wouldn't mind paying 27$ less if they are exactly the same spec.