Affordable power supply with all the necessary protections for gaming or office PC.

What you need to know is that there are two versions (random which one you will get) which come from two different manufacturers, CWT and Great Wall. (I think CWT also manufactures the fully modular CX450M). I happened to get the CWT version, which is completely silent, but if you get the Great Wall version, it will be quiet but not completely (25db for CWT and 35db for Great Wall if that scale means anything to you). In terms of performance, both models are obviously very close and provide stable and good power supply for your system with high durability (105°C rated) Japanese brand capacitors.

>>> Pros:

- RELIABILITY. Corsair has a reputation for manufacturing quality power supplies. Personally, I have built over 15 systems with Corsair power supplies in the last 20 years and none of them have needed replacement until now (after about 10 years, I retire them as a good employer that I am - most of them were used in upgrades or new builds while still under warranty). I won't judge if they are the most quality power supplies on the market, but they definitely offer one of the best price-quality ratios. Seasonic is also a good company, but in Greece, it has been and still is a bit rare to find the model you are looking for at the price you want.

- WARRANTY. 5 years warranty. I don't think any other 80+ bronze power supply has a longer warranty than this. Generally, Corsair offers the most years of warranty for each category.

- SILENT

>>> Cons: Nothing except for the price, which could be a little better, below 50 euros.

^^^^ Reasons not to buy this power supply: ^^^^

- If you are building a low-budget home/office PC without a graphics card. If you don't have a graphics card, this specific power supply might be a bit overkill unless you plan to gradually upgrade your graphics and want a good base. Of course, you can still get it for the 5-year warranty, but I have the impression that the CV450, which is 20 euros cheaper, will easily last more than 5 years in a simple office PC.

- If you have or plan to install a graphics card that consumes more than 160-170 watts.

- If for some reason the temperatures in your case are often close to or above 40°C. In this case, a better choice might be a gold plus power supply with an operating temperature of 50°C or even better, if you can improve the temperatures in your case in some way.

- If you want to do any kind of overclocking. Obviously, in this case, you are looking for a tier 1 / tier 2 power supply and you will probably need more watts.

ALWAYS USE A SURGE PROTECTOR for your PC and monitor, and generally for any sensitive and expensive electronic device. They only cost around 15-20 euros. I have had two surge protectors burned due to voltage fluctuations/power outages in all the years I have been working with computers, but never a power supply or a monitor that I always have plugged into the surge protector. (I don't know if I am lucky, but I will continue to believe that my surge protector has saved me a couple of PCs over the years because on the other hand, my TVs, air conditioners, light bulbs, and refrigerator have burned and they always burn in the places where I don't have a socket or surge protector... and that doesn't seem like a coincidence to me..)

It is the first power supply I buy for a 15-year-old computer. After extensive market research and the help of reviews from other customers and experts, I ended up with the cx 450. The choice was made based on measurements according to the needs of the computer, which, although old, works perfectly for office needs. Although inexperienced, I managed to change the graphics card, hard drive to SSD, and now the power supply. The next step is to change the motherboard when needed, as it does not support any more compatible additions. The construction of the power supply seems quite good and the wiring is covered with black insulation. The length of the cables, for my large case, was ideal. As for their management, it is quite easy as long as you dedicate some time. After making all the connections carefully, I turned it on and it worked perfectly. Zero noise, you can hardly hear anything even if you put your ear next to it. I have only had it for a few days, but it seems to be stable in its operation based on the voltage values I see. Based on this first experience and what I have heard, this specific power supply from the cx series, regardless of the power someone chooses based on their system's needs, is the best solution at the lowest possible price.

I have it for about 10 months, initially with only a Ryzen 3 2200G, and then I added a GTX 1650 Super.

It works perfectly so far and has not presented any issues. With the specific setup I have, since it has low power consumption and does not have any crazy power requirements, I cannot say for sure if it will make noise when combined with a more demanding system. If you are looking to build a powerful system, you should not be looking here, but rather for more powerful power supplies.

In my case, however, it is quite quiet.

The only issue I had is that the cables are quite stiff and it is a bit of a hassle to manage them.

If you are considering this power supply (or any other), I recommend opting for the M (Modular) version so that you don't have extra cables and can simply use what you need. There won't be much cable management required afterwards.

Finally, I highly recommend it, although as mentioned before, look for Modular versions preferably (if they don't exceed your budget, obviously).

13th evaluation is mine.
In the previous 12, we all agree on the quality construction and silent operation. I overemphasize.
There is absolute confusion regarding cable management, where opinions are divided equally. 6-6 score.
One more opinion, I know, won't make a difference. But because I happen to be struggling - literally - to find out what's wrong and causing the motherboard to freeze during boot after an upgrade and case change, I will only talk about this, about the damn cables.
The case was the only thing left on the "ship of Theseus". Since 2000, when I got my first computer, everything has changed except for it.
An old caravan without front USB, a fan at the back without screws but with clips that vibrated from operation and... I tolerated the noise of the propeller, detached speakers, with a flawed architecture as it raised the motherboard's temperature and aesthetically unpleasant, I was tired of seeing it and being annoyed by its noise.

Until I couldn't neglect its retirement anymore.

Afterwards...

For two days - and nights! - I searched to find the reason why it freezes in the BIOS immediately after CPU and RAM recognition. It freezes at "initializing USB controllers" and only responds to reset or power off.
With the simple and torturous method of plug and unplug peripherals and a lot of reading from forums on the internet (thanks to the tablet), the sad realization didn't take long to come.
The verdict of the executioner:
A bunch of cables from this specific power supply were falling like iron bars onto the poor memory sticks.
Which pins got bent, which DIMMs got damaged, or which slots will never work again, remains to be further investigated. The investigation is already ongoing as I write these lines.
Okay, it's also the user's fault - me at this stage - for not tidying up, not removing unnecessary cables, etc. But with the constant connections, disconnections, modifications, checks... with the constant stops and movements, I didn't have time to wear a police officer's belt, don't write me up. Nothing, relentless.

In the worst-case scenario, I will settle for increasing the RAM in the working slots. There is no money now to change the motherboard, while one accusation goes to the manufacturers of the cases (PC cases) who make them in a hurry, somewhere around 40-45 centimeters, and it becomes a mess inside.

The cable management mess in Corsair will continue because it is a quality and reliable company, so it will continue to dominate the space and price category.
So far, the score is:
Cable management - dangerous chaos 6-7.