14 DAY TRIAL // Corsair continues to thrive on high-end hardware alone. Most recently, it updated its collection of high-quality power supply units, even though there are a couple of mild-wattage ones in the new line.
Said new line is called CS Series Modular and is made of members featuring 450W, 550W, 650W and 750W outputs.
Some may say that 450W and 550W aren't low wattages, but others may disagree, at least when it comes to gaming systems and such.
Fortunately, that won't be too big a problem as long as you don't try to power a multi-GPU system with them.
The reason for that is simple: the newcomers have a very high energy efficiency, and because they don't waste power, they can handle the same demanding hardware as, say, cheaper but less efficient 550 W / 650W alternatives.
In fact, they are so efficient that they all bear 80 Plus Gold Rating. That's always good news, regardless of whether you have an AMD PC or one powered by Intel's Haswell (low-power c-states and all).
Anyway, the newcomers are modular. Well, semi-modular. The core motherboard power cables (24 pin and 8 pin EPS12V) are permanently attached, but the ones for graphics cards, storage units and fans are flat and detachable.
Furthermore, Corsair's CS Series Modular PSUs boast one 120mm fan each. Between that and the modular cabling, which maximizes cooling (less clutter means better airflow), there should never be a danger of overheating.
“The CS Series Modular PSUs deliver 80 Plus Gold efficiency and Corsair quality at Bronze level prices,” said Aaron Neal, Corsair’s product manager of PC Power Supplies. “They are perfect for users that want reliable, energy efficient power for their PCs at a price that won’t break their budget.”
Corsair's official announcement of the 80 Plus Gold CS Series Modular PSU line says that, in ascending order of output, the PSUs cost $89.99 / €89.99, $99.99 / €99.99, $109.99 / €109.99 and $119.99 / €119.99.
