[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
The Value 430 from Nexus is an entry-level power supply that the manufacturer claims to be one of the quietest power supplies available today. The manufacturer also promises efficiency above 80%, even though this unit doesn’t have the 80 Plus certification. Let’s see if the Nexus Value 430 is a good buy.
The reviewed power supply is manufactured by ATNG.
Figure 1: Nexus Value 430 power supply
Figure 2: Nexus Value 430 power supply
The Nexus Value 430 is only 4.9” (125 mm) deep, using a 120 mm sleeve bearing fan on its bottom (Muhua Industrial MH1225L12S).
The reviewed power supply doesn’t have a modular cabling system. All cables are protected with nylon sleeves that come from inside the unit. This power supply comes with the following cables:
- Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 22” (56 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 19.7” (50 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- One cable with one six-pin connector for video cards, 22” (56 cm) long
- One cable with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 22” (56 cm) long
- Two cables, each with two SATA power connectors, 24.4” (62 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
- One cable with three standard peripheral power connectors, 16.9” (43 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, 16.9” (43 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum recommended gauge. This power supply comes with two cables for video cards, which are not commonly found on 430 W power supplies.
Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.
[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the Nexus Value 430″]
We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.
On this page we will have an overall look, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.
Figure 7: The printed circuit board
[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]
As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.
In the transient filtering stage, this power supply is flawless, with one X capacitor and two Y capacitors more than the minimum required, and with two additional Y capacitors and one additional X capacitor after the rectifying bridge.
Figure 8: Transient filtering stage (part 1)
Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 2)
On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the Nexus Value 430.
[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]
On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the Nexus Value 430. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.
This power supply uses one GBU806 rectifying bridge, which is attached to the same heatsink as the active PFC and switch transistors. This bridge supports up to 8 A at 100° C. So, in theory, you would be able to pull up to 920 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 736 W without burning itself out. Of course, we are only talking about this particular component. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.
The active PFC circuit uses one IXTH22N50P MOSFET, which supports up to 22 A at 25° C in continuous mode or 50 A at 25° C in pulse mode. Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn’t mention which is the current limit at 100° C. These transistors present a 270 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic
called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.
Figure 11: Active PFC diode and transistor
The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by one 220 µF x 400 V electrolytic capacitor from Teapo, labeled at 85° C.
In the switching section, two IXTP12N50PM MOSFETs are employed using the traditional two-transistor forward configuration. Each of these transistors support up to 6 A at 25° C in continuous mode or up to 30 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 500 mΩ (which is high). Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn’t publish the current limits at 100° C.
Figure 12: The switching transistors
The primary is managed by a CM6805 active PFC/PWM combo controller.
Figure 13: Active PFC/PWM combo controller
Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.
[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]
The Nexus Value 430 uses a regular design in its secondary, with Schottky rectifiers.
The maximum theoretical current that each line can deliver is given by the formula I / (1 – D) where D is the duty cycle used and I is the maximum current supported by the rectifying diode. As an exercise, we can assume a duty cycle of 30 percent.
The +12 V output uses one S40D60C Schottky rectifier, which supports up to 40 A (20 A per internal diode at 100° C with a 0.70 V maximum voltage drop). This gives us a maximum theoretical current of 29 A or 343 W for the +12 V output.
The +5 V output uses one S30D40C Schottky rectifier, which supports up to 30 A (15 A per internal diode at 125° C with a 0.55 V maximum voltage drop). This gives us a maximum theoretical current of 21 A or 107 W for the +5 V output.
The +3.3 V output uses another S30D40C Schottky rectifier, giving us a maximum theoretical current of 21 A or 71 W for the +3.3 V output.
Figure 14: The +12 V, the +5 V, the +3.3 V, and the +5VSB rectifiers
This power supply uses a WT751002 monitoring integrated circuit, which supports only over voltage (OVP) and under voltage (UVP) protections. The under voltage circuit doesn’t monitor the +12 V rail.
The electrolytic capacitors that filter the outputs are from Teapo and labeled at 105° C, as usual.
[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]
In Figure 16, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.
This power supply has a single +12 V rail, so there is not much to talk about here.
How much power can this unit really deliver? Let’s find out.
[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]
We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”
First we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.
If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.
The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, both inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. We connected the power supply EPS12V connector to the load tester’s +12VB input.
Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
+12VA | 3 A (36 W) | 6 A (72 W) | 9 A (108 W) | 12 A (144 W) | 14.5 A (174 W) |
+12VB | 3 A (36 W) | 6 A (72 W) | 9 A (108 W) | 12 A (144 W) | 14.5 A (174 W) |
+5 V | 1 A (5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) |
+3.3 V | 1 A (3.3 W) | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) |
+5VSB | 1 A (5 W) | 1 A (5 W) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 3 A (15 W) |
-12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) |
Total | 90.4 W | 169.7 W | 257.2 W | 337.9 W | 424.5 W |
% Max Load | 21.0% | 39.5% | 59.8% | 78.6% | 98.7% |
Room Temp. | 45.8° C | 45.4° C | 44.8° C | 44.8° C | 45.6° C |
PSU Temp. | 49.4° C | 48.5° C | 48.1° C | 48.5° C | 49.5° C |
Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
AC Power | 107.2 W | 197.6 W | 303.1 W | 405.8 W | 525.3 W |
Efficiency | 84.3% | 85.9% | 84.9% | 83.3% | 80.8% |
AC Voltage | 118.3 V | 117.3 V | 116.0 V | 114.8 V | 113.4 V |
Power Factor | 0.990 | 0.984 | 0.983 | 0.985 | 0.986 |
Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The Nexus Value 430 passed our tests, with efficiency between 80.8% and 85.9%, which is outstanding, since this product doesn’t have the 80 Plus certification.
Voltage regulation was superb, with all voltages closer to their nominal values (3% regulation) during all tests. The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values.
Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.
[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]
Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.
The Nexus Value 430 provided extremely low ripple and noise levels, probably one of the lowest we’ve seen to date, as you can see below.
Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
+12VA | 6.8 mV | 6.2 mV | 7.4 mV | 8.0 mV | 8.8 mV |
+12VB | 6.8 mV | 5.6 mV | 6.8 mV | 7.2 mV | 7.6 mV |
+5 V | 5.2 mV | 6.6 mV | 6.6 mV | 6.8 mV | 7.2 mV |
+3.3 V | 7.4 mV | 8.8 mV | 9.4 mV | 11.2 mV | 12.6 mV |
+5VSB | 9.2 mV | 10.4 mV | 11.4 mV | 14.2 mV | 15.4 mV |
-12 V | 21.8 mV | 20.6 mV | 22.4 mV | 23.6 mV | 25.0 mV |
Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.
Figure 17: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 424.5 W (8.8 mV)
Figure 18: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 424.5 W (7.6 mV)
Figure 19: +5V rail during test five at 424.5 W (7.2 mV)
Figure 20: +3.3 V rail during test five at 424.5 W (12.6 mV)
[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]
Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. The objective of this test is to see if the power supply has its protection circuits working properly. This unit failed this test, as it burned during the configuration listed below, meaning that it doesn’t have an over power protection circuit.
Input | Overload Test |
+12VA | 20 A (240 W) |
+12VB | 20 A (240 W) |
+5 V | 8 A (40 W) |
+3.3 V | 8 A (26.4 W) |
+5VSB | 2 A (10 W) |
-12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) |
Total | 562.4 W |
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specifications for the Nexus Value 430 power supply include:
- Standards: NA
- Nominal labeled power: 430 W
- Measured maximum power: Burned at 562.4 W
- Labeled efficiency: 80% minimum at all loads
- Measured efficiency: Between 80.8% and 85.9%, at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
- Active PFC: Yes
- Modular Cabling System: No
- Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector
- Video Card Power Connectors: One six-pin and one six/eight-pin on separate cables
- SATA Power Connectors: Four on two cables
- Peripheral Power Connectors: Six on two cables
- Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: One
- Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): NA
- Are the above protections really available? This unit has over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP, not monitoring the +12 V output), and short-circuit (SCP) protections.
- Warranty: NA
- More Information: https://www.nexustek.nl
- Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 60.00
* Researched at Amazon.com on the day we published this review.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
We were really surprised with the Nexus Value 430. Touted as an entry-level product, it presents remarkable performance, with efficiency between 80.8% and 85.9%, three percent voltage regulation, and extremely low noise and ripple levels (one of the lowest we’ve seen to date).
It is very interesting that Nexus opted for not getting the 80 Plus certification for this power supply, since it could easily get it.
The main highlight of this product, according to the manufacturer, is the ultra quiet fan used. We don’t have the means to correctly test noise levels, but we trust Mike Chin from silentpcreview.com, who said this is the power supply with the quietest fan he had reviewed. This makes the Value 430 the perfect choice for Home Theater PCs (HTPCs) and small form factor (SFF) computers, where the main goal is to build a quiet computer.
The only negatives of this power supply are the relatively low number of SATA power connectors (two on two cables) and the fact that it doesn’t have an over power protection (OPP) circuit. However, since this power supply is targeted to entry-level PCs and HTPCs, these should not be a problem.
Also noteworthy is the depth of the power supply, only 4.9” (125 mm). PC power supplies nowadays are usually 5.5” (140 mm) deep. This should help you get a little more room inside your small form factor (SFF) computer for routing cables, and possibly improving airflow.
Leave a Reply