The Corsair SF450 Platinum SFX PSU Review: Corsair's Best SFF PSU Gets Even Better
by E. Fylladitakis on October 23, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- PSUs
- 450W
- SFX
Hot Test Results
Earlier SFX PSU designs were notorious for their poor power quality figures. More recent models, like the SilverStone SX700-LPT and the Enermax Revolution SFX 650W, were greatly improved. The Corsair SF450 places the standards even higher, delivering electrical performance that most ATX units would be envious of. The 12V voltage line regulation is at 0.4%, an exceptional figure, which goes up to about 1.3% for the less strictly controlled 3.3V and 5V lines. Line filtering is excellent too, with our instruments recording a maximum of 26 mV, 14 mV and 12 mV on the 12V, 5V and 3.3V lines respectively. These figures hardly change even when the PSU is heavily cross-loaded, which is to be expected from a modern platform.
| Main Output | ||||||||
| Load (Watts) | 90.88 W | 226.97 W | 339.62 W | 452.63 W | ||||
| Load (Percent) | 20.2% | 50.44% | 75.47% | 100.59% | ||||
| Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | |
| 3.3 V | 1.29 | 3.38 | 3.22 | 3.37 | 4.82 | 3.35 | 6.43 | 3.34 |
| 5 V | 1.72 | 5.07 | 4.29 | 5.06 | 6.43 | 5.03 | 8.58 | 5.01 |
| 12 V | 6.43 | 12.1 | 16.08 | 12.09 | 24.12 | 12.07 | 32.16 | 12.07 |
| Line | Regulation (20% to 100% load) |
Voltage Ripple (mV) | |||||
| 20% Load | 50% Load | 75% Load | 100% Load | CL1 12V |
CL2 3.3V + 5V |
||
| 3.3V | 1.1% | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 14 |
| 5V | 1.2% | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 14 |
| 12V | 0.25% | 6 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 24 | 14 |
The Corsair SF450 managed to retain most of its energy conversion efficiency while it was operating inside our hotbox. Despite the adverse operating conditions, the average efficiency drop was less than 1% and evenly distributed across the entire load range, suggesting that the components are handling these adverse conditions very well, with no signs of thermal stress.
The small 92 mm cooling fan handled the cooling needs of the SF450 much better than what we expected it would. Even though the ambient temperature is very high and the fan starts with a load of just forty Watts, the noise output remains at comfortable levels until the load exceeds 250 Watts.
After that point, the speed of the fan will increase at a significantly greater rate and the SF450 does become loud when heavily loaded inside our hotbox. These are not regular operating conditions and yet the Corsair SF450 shows that it can maintain trouble-free operating characteristics, even if at the expense of its acoustics performance.
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Spoelie - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
Actually installed the 2015 in my ITX build one month ago (2700x & RX580) - both this and the 2018 were available in the shop but the most recent version came at a 25% premium (80 vs 100). I figured any improvements were not worth this premium, given how extraordinary the 2015 version already was (see jonny guru's review).JoeyJoJo123 - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
Yeah, the price increase is a bit disappointing, since going from ~$80 to $100 is a 25% price hike. That being said, assuming SF450-2018 comes down in price a bit (even $90 would be good), I feel like it'd be a good replacement for the previous SF450, considering the additional benefits the new model comes with, as the 80+Plat rating.The initial hurdle with Mini-ITX is just paying extra for the form factor in regards to the case, sfx psu, heatsink quality for price/size (as opposed to cheaply affordable Cryorig H7 or CoolerMaster Hyper 212 +/Evo). (Followed by another hurdle with installation tediousness/difficulty of the cramped space and potentially unknown compatibility with certain parts which theoretically would've fit if it weren't for a piece that stuck out). Having to pay another $20 for a 80+Plat PSU over what most would already consider is _already_ great for an equal wattage 80+Gold PSU might just be another Nvidia RTX issue, where their hardest competition is ironically their older product which provided a compelling value at a lower total cost.
meacupla - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
But have you ever used the ribbon cables that come with the Gold version?They suck shit.
The Platinum version already includes the individually sleeved cables, which are like $50 on their own.
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
I've used other PSUs with flat ribbon cables that appear the same sort as with the gold 450 before without complaint. What don't you like about them?meacupla - Thursday, October 25, 2018 - link
The ribbon cables are way too damn stiff and the sata connectors are 90d, which don't work with quite a lot of mITX cases.Unless you want to break sata connectors on the drives, you either use the more malleable individually sleeved cables, or you use extensions that have 180d connectors.
Aneker - Wednesday, December 23, 2020 - link
Human stupidity has no limits. Firstly, I have to say that Platinum coated cables are much more rigid and difficult to maneuver than ribbon cables. Secondly, the designation Platinum is just marketing and it is false because the only difference is in the coated cables and this is perfectly ridiculous. .JoeyJoJo123 - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
Uhhh... Yes? Have YOU ever tried stuffing cables in a low volume MiniITX build? It's not easy. I don't think I could've managed my build WITHOUT the thin ribbon cables that can be folded and wedged in nooks and crannies. The whole individually sleeved cable thing is just a meme to make PCs "look" prettier, but the fact of the matter is that those cables take a lot more volume and when you're building true miniITX, cable management becomes a big hurdle.https://imgur.com/a/HeiVayH
milkywayer - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
And the 2019 will be the year of SFF pc. So many awesome cases and psu coming out. Including the next version of Dan Case and DrZaber Sentry as well as Louqe's 2nd batch of Ghost SFF. What a year.jonnyGURU - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
FYI: It's not called "SF 2018". It's "SF Platinum". Calling it "2018" would imply it replaces the older, Gold version.. . Which it does not. Both are now being sold together, with the Platinum being sold at a slight premium.JoeyJoJo123 - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - link
Good to know both models will remain in circulation. The 80+Gold SF450 was probably the next best choice to go with if the user wasn't comfortable with going with an 80+Bronze unit from Silverstone or someone, and was price competitive with all the other high efficiency SFX power supplies on the market. I was a bit concerned that the 80+Plat being a possible replacement would have pushed it out of that ideal position, leaving ITX builders with tougher budgets to accomodate.