Even though this power supply can’t deliver its labeled power, it isn’t a bad product for its price tag and targeted audience. Its real power is close to its labeled power (430 W) and its efficiency isn’t bad for a low-end product. Plus it has all its protections up and running, a thing sometimes hard to find on cheap power supplies.
If you are building an entry-level PC with just one or two hard disk drives and just one video card – or even maybe with an on-board solution – this power supply is a good option.
It is better than other low-end products we’ve reviewed. Here is a quick comparison between Cooler Master eXtreme Plus 460 W and other power supplies below 500 W we’ve already reviewed:
Thermaltake Purepower 430 W: costs the same thing but has a worse efficiency and can’t deliver 430 W (during our tests we could only pull up to 350 W from this Thermaltake unit), while eXtreme Power Plus 460 W can.
Seventeam ST-420BKV: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 460 W is also better than this unit, as it provides a higher efficiency and an auxiliary power cable for video cards.
Kingwin ABT-450MM: Can deliver more power than the reviewed power supply, but on the other hand this model from Cooler Master has over power protection (OPP), feature not found on this model from Kingwin.
Huntkey Green Star 450 W: Can’t deliver more than 360 W, even though it presents a higher efficiency than the reviewed unit. Doesn’t have over power protection and exploded when we try pulling 450 W from it.
Zalman ZM360B-APS: See how things are funny. This model from Zalman can deliver more power than this model from Cooler Master model, even though it is labeled as a 360 W unit. The problem is that this unit from Zalman doesn’t have an over power protection circuit. This model from Zalman presented a higher efficiency but it is more expensive (USD 63) than this model from Cooler Master.
Corsair VX450W: A terrific product, better than the reviewed power supply. It can deliver more power, has far better efficiency, has lower noise level, has all protections but costs the double.
In summary, the only real flaw from this product considering its price range is its wrong label; this power supply should be sold as a 430 W unit. Nonetheless we think this is a good product for the average user that doesn’t need a lot of power and wants to save money.
