Corsair CX430M Modular Power Supply Review – What $25 Can Buy

External Design of the CX430M

Even though the CX430M is being marketed as a basic model, it did not stop Corsair from performing several aesthetic enhancements. The regular ATX chassis of the power supply is sprayed with a soft matte paint, just like the mainstream series products which Corsair currently offers. Decorative stickers can be seen on both sides of the chassis and the center of the otherwise standard circular finger guard is occupied by a large company logo.

As we mentioned above, decorative stickers have been installed on both sides of the CX430M; the chassis however is entirely plain, lacking the embossed lines and patterns of the high end models. The CX series stickers are black with neon green accent, as is the series theme color.

As is usually the case with Corsair’s products, the sticker with the electrical specifications of the CX430M can be found at the top side of the chassis, where it will only be visible if the power supply is installed at the bottom of a case and facing downwards.

The CX430M is a semi-modular power supply, meaning that the essential 24 pin ATX and 4+4 pin EPS cables are hardwired to the body of the unit, while the rest of the cables are modular. As this is a low output product, we were unsurprised to see only four connectors, three for Molex and SATA cables and just one for a PCI express cable.

It is interesting to note that even though the ATX cable is making use of typical color-coded wires and black sleeving, the hardwired 4+4 pin EPS cable also is a “flat-type” sleeve-less cable with all-black wires. We were glad to see that Corsair is trying to alleviate the aesthetic issue most semi-modular power supplies with flat modular cables have, which is that the hardwired cables usually are typical sleeved cables and the visual difference is obvious and unappealing; however we certainly did not expect to see this happening on a $25 unit!

The front side of the CX430M is pretty standard for any performance power supply, with a typical A/C power plug and a small on/off switch.