Corsair TX750M PSU Review

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Corsair TX750M PSU Review by VR-Zone.com

The reputation of Corsair’s TX PSU series is well known among computer experts. When seeking a product with high raw performance and a reasonable price tag, most enthusiasts would place a TX series PSU among their first choices. If however the user wanted a modular power supply, he or she had to look at the much more expensive HX series. The high demand for modular power supplies which balance value and performance has led Corsair to releasing most of their TX series units in M variants, where M stands for Modular. Today we are takig a closer look at the TX750M 750W modular power supply.

Manufacturer’s features and specifications

• Conforms to the latest ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 standards, and is backward compatible with the ATX12V 2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 standards
• A dedicated single +12V rail offers simple configuration and maximum compatibility with the latest graphics cards and other components
• An ultra-quiet, 140mm double ball-bearing fan delivers excellent airflow with exceptionally low noise levels by varying fan speed in response to temperature
• Complies with the European Union ErP Directive (2009/125/EC) so the power consumption of the whole system, in either standby or off mode, can be less than 1W when used with a properly configured, ErP-compliant motherboard
• 80 PLUS® Bronze certified, delivering up to 85% energy efficiency under real-world load conditions
• Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) with PF value of 0.99
• Universal AC input from 90~264V
• Over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, and short circuit protection provide maximum safety for your critical system components
• High-quality Japanese capacitors provide uncompromised performance and reliability
• A five year warranty and lifetime access to Corsair's legendary technical support and customer service
• Safety Approvals: cTUVus, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick

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Corsair supplied the TX750M PSU inside a large, sturdy cardboard box with a black-yellow theme. The artwork on the packaging is simple and but there is a wealth of information about the unit itself around the sides of the box.



Inside the package, the power supply is very well secured between Styrofoam pieces and is enclosed inside a black pouch instead of a standard bubble bag, which pouch you can reuse for any purpose you see fit.



The supplied bundle with the TX750M PSU is simple and straightforward. Beyond the black pouch which protects the PSU and the standard AC power cable you will also receive several short black cables ties, black screws, a case badge with the company logo and a well written manual. We also received a USB flash drive with an ATE test report, but there is no mention of it in the official contents list, therefore we can only assume that it is only being supplied with review and engineering samples.



You do of course also get the modular cables, but they're supplied in a simple plastic bag; there is no storage pouch or anything similar inside the package, yet you can use the large black pouch enclosing the PSU if necessary. The SATA power cable is not sleeved, but is instead a "flat" and entirely black cable. The thicker cables are also completely black, but have been fitted with sleeving as well. Problem is that the SATA/Molex cables attached to the PSU are also normal, sleeved cables, making the single flat modular SATA power cable look entirely out off place.

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The chassis of the TX750M unit is almost identical with that of the non-modular units of the series but Corsair enhanced it aesthetically, if only slightly. The chassis is still painted matte black but Corsair replaced the simple fan grill with a better, more complex design.



Corsair’s usual decorative stickers with the unit’s model and company logo can be still found at both sides of the power supply. The chassis also forms a frame around the stickers, creating a much higher quality visual effect.



The sticker with the unit's electrical specifications can be found at the top of the chassis and there is no frame surrounding it, which is understandable as it will not be visible at all inside most cases.



The rear is entirely perforated to allow for the air pushed by the cooling fan to escape towards the outside of the case. The unit uses a standard AC power cable and there is a standard rocker on/off switch at the rear, as well as a tiny sticker with the series logo.



There is nothing of interest at the front side of the chassis, save for the few connectors of the modular cables. Most cables are still hardwired to the power supply, which will be a disappointment for most modders. This unit offers the following number of connectors:


*Editor’s note: the floppy connectors utilize Molex connectors through adapters.

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The cooling of the Corsair TX750M if taken care of by a 140mm fan which is commonly found inside the TX series units. The fan is made by Yate Loon, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, and it is a ball bearing fan with a maximum rotational speed of 2800RPM. A thin plastic sheet is covering about 20% of the fan's surface, which Corsair probably installed in an attempt to direct the airflow in a more efficient way.



Despite that the TX V2 series unit which we reviewed about 6 months ago was based on a Seasonic design, the TX750M isn’t; Corsair entrusted a design from CWT (Channel Well) once again, a company which made most of Corsair’s older units.



The filtering stage is adequate, although not special. Starting at the back of the A/C receptacle and continuing on the PCB. It totally consists of four Y-type capacitors, two X-type capacitors, two coils and a surge suppressing MOV.



The primary capacitor of the power supply is supplied by Panasonic and is rated at 400V/470μF at 105°C. Nippon Chemi-Con supplies the secondary side capacitors.



The heatsinks of the TX750M as so small that we are not even sure we can call them that. They are nothing more than solid metallic bars with little heat dissipation surface and no fins at all. It looks like Corsair is putting a lot of faith on this unit’s design and high efficiency; either that or counts on the very powerful cooling fan.

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In order to provide you with the most professional and accurate reviews, we are using the following equipment to test the performance of power supplies:

Modified SECC steel case with thermal generation and control components installed
Custom USB controlled DC load, 2.2KW maximum power drain
3KVA VARIAC
Lutron DW-6091 Power Analyzer
USB Instruments Stingray Oscilloscope
SL-5868P digital sound level meter
CompuLAB interface
MyPClab thermal interface
Labjack U3-HV interface
Custom calibration box
Custom software

More information about our testing equipment and methodology can be found in this article.



The Corsair TX750M unit successfully completed all of our tests without any operational and/or performance problems. Our electrical stability and filtration results were exceptional, with the ripple on the 12V line hardly reaching up to 34mV under maximum load.



Our sample displayed outstanding electrical efficiency and stability at low and medium loads. The efficiency does drop once the load increases above 60% but the TX750M stays true to its 80Plus Bronze certification.



Despite its tiny heatsinks, the TX750M is running very cool under low and medium loads; however, the exhaust temperature does rise significantly once the power supply is heavily loaded.



From the above results we can clearly see that the cooling of the TX750M depends on the strong fan. The TX750M is barely audible under nominal load but the noise levels climb upwards significantly fast once the load increases any further than that, with the unit becoming about twice as loud each time the load increases by 10%.

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Quality (30% of the total score)

Corsair’s turn towards CWT once again was everything but bad. The TX750M power supply is a very well made power supply, with no manufacturing imperfections and made out of exceptional quality components. Corsair covers their product with a 5 year long warranty, testament to their faith on this unit’s long term reliability. It would be nice if the TX750M had better heatsinks installed; however that is more of a design characteristic than a quality flaw.

Quality Score 9.5/10



Performance (40% of the total score)

Despite the use of a CWT design, the overall performance of the TX750M power supply is similar to that of their TX V2 series. The power supply demonstrates exceptional electrical performance and good electrical efficiency but merely good thermal and acoustics performance. There is almost no voltage ripple on any of the lines but the power supply gets warm and noisy once heavily loaded. Corsair could have improved that merely by installing better heatsinks, yet it appears that the company wants a product which balances high electrical performance and value without creating internal competition with their better HX and AX units.

Performance Score 9.0/10



Value (20% of the total score)

The TX M series are only slightly more expensive than their TX V2 counterparts and offer about the same performance while featuring a partially modular design. The TX750M is very reasonably priced and retails at about 130$ USD/160$ SGD at the time of this review, a great deal for a product of this league and with such a long warranty.

Value Score 9.5/10



Aesthetics (10% of the total score)

Corsair did improve the base TX design aesthetically by installing the better fan grill and making the power supply partially modular. However, many of the wires are still hardwired to the unit and the “flat” SATA modular cable looks nothing short of funny when all other cables are merely sleeved. Most modders would expect from Corsair to release a truly modular unit, not one with only four modular cables. The removal of the four cables does help but the remaining cables are still going to clutter the case if not used. It certainly is a better looking product than the non-modular units but for a design intended to be more beautiful than the simpler TX V2 series, Corsair could have done a lot better than that.

Aesthetics Score 8.0/10

[eXpLoDe]

nam nam nam kaayo ang +12v kay 62A. quiet powerful.