Corsair TX650M 650W 80+ Gold PSU Review

Introduction – The Corsair TX-M Series Enters 2021

Corsair’s updating its TX-M series of semi-modular power supplies, refreshing its lineup with new fans, an updated enclosure and modernised electronics. These new designs match Corsair’s modern design language and are designed to deliver customers an improved experience while maintaining the more moderate pricing of the TX-M series. 

At OC3D, we have mostly focused on high-end power supplies, but in the era of PC cases that almost always have a PSU shroud and when budgets are getting increasingly tight, we wanted to look at something a little cheaper than the norm. For the TX-M series, that means a semi-modular design for vital cables. Thankfully, lower pricing doesn’t come at the cost of efficiency, as the Corsair TX-M series maintains 80+ Gold level efficiency levels, which means that these power supplies are 90+% efficient in most use cases. 

With their new TX-M series of power supply units, Corsair uses a new mesh design (to better match their modern case designs), have added support “Modern Standby” to deliver fast system wake-from-sleep times, and heightened low-load efficiency, and a full 5-year warranty. Today we will be looking at Corsair’s TX650M power supply. 

Here’s what Corsair has to say about its new TX-M series PSUs;

 

    CORSAIR TX-M Series semi-modular power supplies offer reliable and clean power to your system’s components in a
compact 140mm size.

With 100% Japanese capacitors, the TX-M series ensures users with demanding systems can expect long life and consistently high performance. With up to 90% operational efficiency, combined with a 120mm low-noise rifle bearing fan, heat and noise is significantly low. A semi-modular layout means builders can choose to use only what cables are needed, thereby helping reduce clutter for a clean and well thought-out build.

To further improve the TX-M Series, timings were tuned to meet Modern Standby specifications so you can get back to work, or the game, faster than ever. If you want a to-the-point and reliable power supply, look no further than TX-M.

 

  
Semi-Modular

To keep costs as low as possible, Corsair has opted to make their latest TX-M power supplies semi-module, just like their predecessors. With the TX650M, this means that the PSU’s ATX 24-pin connector and the unit’s primary 4+4 pin EPS connector are directly connected to the power supply. This means that TX-M series users cannot remove or replace these cables without disassembling the whole power supply, which we do not recommend. As for modular cables, the new TX-M series is compatible with Corsair’s Type-4 cables. 

24-pin motherboard connectors and a 4+4-pin EPS connector are mandatory for all modern ATX12V PCs, making the non-modular nature of these cables a non-issue. Sadly, the modular and non-modular cables for this power supply are not uniform, with the modular cables using individual wires with a black sleeve while the modular cables use flattened black wire connections. While this lack of uniformity will annoy some perfectionists, most users should not mind this aesthetic annoyance, as most modern PC cases feature large spaces for cable management and PSU shrouds. 

  
  

Cybenetics Certification

Late last year, we discussed Cybenetics’ PSU efficiency and noise ratings system in great detail. Our full article on the topic can be read here, but the short summary of the system is that it’s designed to mitigate the shortcomings of the 80+ standard, enforcing tougher limits that are harder to cheat.

Corsair prides itself on creating solid power supplies and has rated its entire TX-M lineup through Cybnetics. In this case, Corsair put their new TX-M units through Cybenetics’ efficiency (ETA) and Noise (Lambda” test suites. This required separate testing for every model in their new TX-M series, including separate tests for 115V and 230V units.

Below are Corsair’s Cybenetics efficiency and performance ratings for their TX650M power supply.

  
Noise Levels

Below is a graph showcasing the fan noise profile for Corsair’s TX650M power supply, revealing the fan RPMs and dB values for this power supply at specific load levels. Notice that this unit lacks a 0dB fan mode, which means that this PSU’s fans are always spinning when the PSU is delivering power. 

 Pricing

Below are the regional prices of Corsair’s TX650M PSU. These prices include relevant regional taxes.  

  

Power Cables – How many of each are available?

The TX650M ships with everything you will need to build a powerful system. Need extra CPU power, have two EPS connections. A moderately powerful GPU? Here are four PCIe 6+2 cables. Let’s face it, who needs more than six SATA connectors? Not many PCs need more than 650W of total power, at least outside of the ultra-high-end.

– 1x ATX Power Connector (24-pin) (Fixed)
– 2x EPS/ATX12V Connectors (8-pin/ 4+4-pin) (1x Fixed, 1x Modular)
– 4x PCIe Connectors (6+2-pin) (Modular)
– 6x SATA Power Connectors (Modular)
– 4x Peripheral/Molex Connectors (Modular)
– No Floppy Adapter

Replacement Cables?

Corsair has confirmed that their new 2021 TX-M series of power supplies use their Type4 Gen4 cables, replacements for which are purchasable online.