Corsair SF450 SF600 SFX PSU Review & Testing

Corsair SF450 SF600 SFX PSU Review & Testing

 

Smaller form factor systems have been growing in popularity in recent years, but often the largest components in these systems have been the power supply, forcing both power supply makers and case manufacturers to take a different approach.   

Traditionally PSUs were almost exclusively available in the ATX form factor, but now we have SFX, a PSU form factor that will allow cases to become much smaller without the need for a custom PSU. 

Many people have wondered ever since we first started talking about SFX PSU whether or not they will be available in high wattages, or if they would be able to offer the same efficiency and silence as their larger ATX brethren. Corsair has launched their SF450 and SF600 power supplies, claiming both silent operation and 80+ gold levels of efficiency, which is highly impressive given the PSUs relatively small dimensions.   

  

        

 

The new SF-series of power supplies from Corsair adheres strictly to the new SFX standard, with the PSU taking up these dimensions, 100mm x 63mm x 125mm. This is tiny when compared to standard ATX sized PSUs, which are typically 150mm x 86mm x 180mm, taking up 60% more space. 

The Corsair SF series of power supplies are cooled by a small 92mm fan, but Corsair do state that this PSU is designed to run quietly, with the fan being turned off while under most loads. 

 

  

Performance Testing

When looking at the graphs we can see that the SF600 and the SF450 perform very well when compared to their ATX counterparts, with efficiency at 50% and 100% loads rivaling the Corsair HX1000i, which is a platinum rated PSU, and at 20% loads it still comfortably exceeds the minimum requirement for a Gold rated PSU. Efficiency is definitely the SF ranges party piece.
  

When looking at ripple results they both hit the middle of the graphs, only power supplies with capacitors added to the cables or full blown digital monsters perform better. So although at first glance this appears to be a mediocre result it is infact yet more proof how great these units perform.  To see PSUs achieve ripple results that are always under 25mV is a huge feat and outperforms unitseven as recent as Corsairs own original RM series.

  

 

 

Conclusion

When looking at an ultra small version of any product you must always compare it to its bigger brother, which rarely goes well. Yes, the little brother can probably do most of the work his older sibling can manage, but you know who you are going to ask when it comes to doing some heavy lifting. 

In recent years, small form factor systems have become much more popular, with many new system builders looking to build PCs that are smaller than consoles while delivering performance that that can match even some of the largest PCs out there. As cases have shrunk the PSU has often become something that has been awkward to place, making many wish that something smaller was available. This is where the SFX standard comes in.  

Corsair’s SF450 and SF600 deliver a great deal of power for their size, enough power to run almost any single GPU system, even when overclocked, but do these PSUs give us the same level of stability and efficiency as their larger counterparts? 

When we placed these PSUs onto our PSU tester we were pleasantly surprised by the results, with the PSU achieving high efficiencies that were often over 92% and ripple results that are comparable to some of the leading PSUs today, which is great to see from the first SFX PSU that we have ever tested. 

If you are designing your own custom case and need to make every bit of volume count, or are simply looking to use one of the new SFX cases that have been arriving on the market the SF-series of PSUs are definitely worth a look,  even if you are using an ATX case this PSU can be fitted using an adapter if you really want to use an undersized PSU. 

We have decided to give the Corsair SF450 and SF600 power supplies from Corsair the OC3D Performance Award as they deliver enthusiast-grade performance in a small factor with almost silent operation, which is a feat that many would have considered impossible a few years ago.  Corsair has set the standard high for SFX Power supplies, so let’s hope that other brands can leave us equally impressed.   

 

You can join the discussion on the Corsair SFX for factor SF450 and SF600 power supplies on the OC3D Forums.