The Cooler Master GX power supply series was released a while ago with 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W models. Now the manufacturer is releasing a 450 W version. Let’s see if it is a good buy.

It is important to understand that while the other GX models are manufactured by Seventeam (relabeled PWL series units), the GX 450 W is manufactured by Enhance Electronics and is internally identical to the BFG LS-450 (except for the active PFC transistor).

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Figure 1: Cooler Master GX 450 W power supply

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Figure 2: Cooler Master GX 450 W power supply

The Cooler Master GX 450 W is 6.3” (160 mm) deep, using a 120 mm fan on its bottom. This fan is an ADDA AD1212MS-A71GL, which is a sleeve bearing fan with a maximum rotation of 2,050 rpm and a maximum airflow of 80.5 cfm.

This unit features active PFC, of course, and doesn’t come with a modular cabling system. The cables are protected with nylon sleeves and the unit comes with the following cables and connectors:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 19.7” (50 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• One cable with one six-pin connector for video cards, 19.7” (50 cm) long
• One cable with three SATA power connectors, 17.7” (45 cm) to the first connector, 3.9” (10 cm) between connectors
• One cable with two SATA power connectors, 17.7” (45 cm) to the first connector, 3.9” (10 cm) between connectors
• One cable with three standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 18.1” (46 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

All wires are 18 AWG, except the +3.3 V, +5 V and +12 V wires on the main motherboard cable, which are thicker (16 AWG).

The cable configuration is compatible with a mainstream 450 W product, with only one video card power connector and a reduced number of peripheral power connectors. We wish there were more space between the SATA connectors.

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Figure 3: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.