The Corsair SF450 Platinum SFX PSU Review: Corsair's Best SFF PSU Gets Even Better

Conclusion

Even though the demand for high performance SFX PSUs is on the rise, few companies actually allocate their R&D resources to improving their SFX units. Corsair is one of the rare examples of a company that released a very successful SFX PSU series and, instead of sitting on their laurels, redesigned those PSUs to improve their efficiency rating and overall performance without notably raising the retail cost. The SF450 version that we reviewed today is capable of powering the majority of gaming PCs, which comprise of a good CPU and a single high-performance graphics card.

Great Wall, the OEM behind the creation of the SF series, may be a relatively new company when it comes to high performance PC designs, yet the company repeatedly proved that they can deliver excellent products. Corsair’s engineers did a great job improving both the reliability and the performance of the platform, resulting to a new PSU that is more efficient, runs cooler, and performs better. Although the new 80Plus Platinum certified SF series is technologically rather simple, the platform is very efficient. Most of that efficiency comes from the very high-quality active components. These components also have very low thermal losses and a wide operating range, allowing the SF450 to remain very efficient regardless of the load and greatly improve the PSU’s longevity and overall performance. The passive components are of excellent quality as well, coming from reputable manufacturers.

In terms of performance, the SF450 pleasantly surprised us on just about everything. The electrical performance of the unit is exceptional, with line filtering and regulation that rivals most of the top-tier PSU platforms. The conversion efficiency initially seems barely good enough, honoring its 80Plus Platinum certification only when powered from a 115V AC source, but it is the extraordinary low-load efficiency that really stands out here, as well as the unit’s resistance to thermal stress. Finally, despite the use of a thin 92 mm cooling fan, the thermal performance of the SF450 is excellent and, on top of that, the noise output of the PSU is very low. It is unlikely that the noise coming from the SF450 will ever reach bothersome levels while the PSU is powering a typical gaming system, even if installed in a poorly ventilated environment.

With its high overall performance and considering its power delivery capabilities, the SF450 is the ideal choice for typical SFF living room gaming systems. The MSRP price of $99 seems a little high for a 450W PSU but, considering that retail prices tend to be significantly lower and the current price trends of SFX PSUs, it is not unreasonable. We believe that the new SF series will become a favorite amongst users who build high performance SFF systems.