We were really surprised by the original Corsair CX430, a unit that doesn’t have the 80 Plus certification but is able to present a terrific performance for its price point. Corsair updated the CX430 to include the standard 80 Plus certification and to extend its warranty from two to three years. The good news is that the new CX430 V2 is available at exactly the same price as the original CX430. Let’s see how the new CX430 V2 stacks up against the original CX430.

The CX series, also known as the Builder series, is the most entry-level power supply series from Corsair, with 400 W, 430 W, 500 W and 600 W models. The 400 W model has been discontinued by the manufacturer, and all other models were recently updated to include the 80 Plus standard certification and extended warranty. These updated models have a “V2” after their names.

It is important to understand that while the CX400W was manufactured by Seasonic, all the other models are manufactured by CWT.

The Corsair CX430 V2 is internally identical to the original CX430, with the exception of the active PFC transistors and +12 V rectifiers, which were upgraded.

Look at Figures 1 and 2, and notice how the “V2” is not written after “CX430” on the labels available on the sides of the product, but in very small letters on the main power supply label. So, you must pay close attention to look for and buy the correct unit.

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Figure 1: Corsair CX430 V2 power supply

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Figure 2: Corsair CX430 V2 power supply

The Corsair CX430 V2 is 5.5” (140 mm) deep, using a 120 mm sleeve bearing fan on its bottom (Yate Loon D12SH-12, maximum of 3,000 rpm, and 101 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, 24.4” (62 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 24.4” (62 cm) long
• One cable with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• Two cables, each with two SATA power connectors, 16.5” (42 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• One cable with three standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 16.5” (42 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum required gauge.

The cable configuration is compatible with an entry-level 430 W product, with only one video card power connector and a reduced number of SATA and peripheral power connectors. This is the same configuration as the original CX430.

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Figure 3: Cables

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