The Enthusiast Series TXM is part of Corsair’s best price-performance range of power supplies, designed to meet the exacting standards and performance needs of demanding enthusiasts. TXM Series power supplies are ideal for performance enthusiasts who require an affordable, low noise, high-wattage, reliable and highly efficient PSU. Corsair TXM power supply gives the flexibility of using only the cables needed for a clean system build with optimal airflow.
$ 101.90
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Rock Solid Power Supply,
This is a great, rock solid power supply. This PSU is capable of handling almost anything that you can throw at it, except for some extremely exotic setups.
Most computers only consume around 100-150w, and even a high end computer might consume maybe 200w. That’s why most OEM computer manufacturers put small 250-350w PSUs in their systems. If you look at online reviews of highly overclocked systems with multiple video cards (SLI/Crossfire) they consume at most about 500-600w. Anandtech (a very trusted hardware review site) in a comparison of the ATI Radeon HD 4890 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 (google it) also did a roundup of other comparable video cards and some SLI/crossfire setups. Their review system was a Core i7 965 @ 3.2Ghz (non-overclocked), 6GB of RAM, and SSD drive, and X58 based motherboard. Idle power consumption ranged from 170-260w, and full load from 260-420w.
The point is you don’t need a 1000w PSU even if you have a high-end system. The wattage race is long over. A good PSU from a good PSU manufacturer is all you need. For regular desktop systems, a good choice is Corsair’s 400CX or Antec’s EA380. If you need a bit more power for an overclocked system, or multiple video cards this PSU is a great choice. Also for consideration in this price/quality range are Antec’s EA650, SeaSonic’s S12 and M12 550w & 650w versions, and PC Power & Cooling’s 650 & 750w versions along with Corasir’s own 750w version of this same power supply.
This power supply is also 80 PLUS certified, which means that it maintains at least 80{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} efficiency across a range of power usage from 20{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} of it’s capacity (~130w) all the way up to it’s rated maximum. This is *very* good. Most off-brand PSUs only make about 70-75{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} efficiency. This doesn’t just make a difference in your electric bill (not much, but every bit helps), but it also means the PSU runs cooler since less energy loss during conversion from AC to DC. Generally speaking the 80 PLUS certified PSUs use better quality components to achieve the higher efficiency which means they are less prone to failure than the other cheaper brands.
In addition to having quality components, it also looks very good in the case. A very dark grey matte finish accented by yellow and black markings. The cables are long enough to reach pretty much anywhere. This is in my Antec 1200 full-tower case, which has the PSU at the bottom. The 8-pin motherboard power connector has plenty of room to reach the top of the motherboard. However, I had to run the cable the “normal” way over the video card and past the CPU fan since it was not long enough to feed behind the motherboard tray as I was hoping. Then there are 2 cables with 4 SATA power plugs on each, 2 cables with 6-pin PCI-e video card cables (each having an optional 2-pin attached for those video cards that require 8-pin power), and 2 cables with 4 regular molex plugs each.
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|Unbelievably robust in harsh environments, handles dynamic loads with ease,
This review probably won’t speak to your uses for this item, but it will speak to the general bulletproofness of the Corsair. Sorry, I mean *BOMB*proof. I’ll let the other 50 reviewers tell you about how this works in a computer, which I’m sure it excels at. I, on the other hand, needed at least 600 watts for a mobile DJ rig that was running off a gas generator, rolling around in 105 degree heat and nonstop dust storms. Please know, before we continue, that my conversion of the Corsair 1) voids the warranty and 2) is not entirely safe for the electrical newbie, so please don’t go doing this unless you’re comfortable handling live wires and have done your research on hacking ATX PSUs. I’ll let you find that info on the internet and instead focus on the performance and reliability of the 750TX.
The environment this was in is knowing for destroying moving parts, devouring motors of all kinds, and generally ruining stuff in a hurry. It’s the alkali flats you always see those car commercials filmed in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. Temps soar and the dust is so fine it gets into EVERYTHING. If you run a motor or any kind with a fan, the rule of thumb is to clean or replace the filter daily. It’s hot and it’s nasty.
The Corsair was literally buried in dust at times, baking in the sun, and it never stopped fanning itself (silently) or providing steady power. And we’re talking hellishly dynamic loads here, too. Bass heavy music cranked to 11 will basically give you alternating zero to full loads. I blew up a lesser PSU doing this same thing before finding the Corsair (“melted, then popped” would be more accurate). This thing has gone for 20 hour stretches of this without a whimper. I blow fuses on the amps before this even gets warm. It’s actually never gotten warm, other than being in the sun, which is also handled without a problem. Using indoors in regular temps is a walk in the park for it, so I’ve also converted it for use in home theater without an issue. It’s provided enough power to blow fuses in the amps I’m using, which means it’s peaked at around 1 kilowatt of power. Let me repeat that – it has delivered A FULL KILOWATT OF POWER, albeit briefly, and stayed in one piece. That’s insane!!
Think of this like extreme conditions testing for something you’ll never use in those conditions, like when they test helmets by smashing them with battering rams. Normal computer users out there will *not* have a reliability issue with this item, I promise. I can’t imagine what the high level Corsairs could do – you could probably power a small town with them.
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|Absolutely the Best,
Corsair is THE best power supply manufacturer by far. I believe this particular model has a MTBF (mean time between failure) of 100,000 hours, which is insane. I am running a GTX 295, overclocked core i7, DVD burner, 10k hard drive, and 6 gigs of 1600 Mhz Ram with ease on this power supply with breathing room. When I get my other GTX 295 and hook up the Quad SLI, add another hard drive, blu-ray burner, and 6 more gigs of ram, I will need a 1200W power supply and I really wish Corsair made one. The only real “con” is that it isn’t modular so you need to have decent cable management to keep the airflow tip top. Buy this, you won’t be disappointed.
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