Corsair TX750M 750W Modular Power Supply Review

Introduction, Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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Introduction

Corsair recently refreshed their TX series of power supplies. We took a look at both the 750W and 850W versions and found that they were both good units. Our main complaints with the two units were connector availability as the connector selection was a tad outdated. It would seem that we weren't the only ones to notice this and Corsiar has introduced a few new models into the TX series.

These new units all feature modular cables and a revamped selection of cables and connectors. The TX modular power supplies are available in four different wattages ranging from 550W to 850W. Today we are taking a look at the 750W model, the TX750M. As these units are based on the TX V2 line that we have already taken a good look at and had seen how well they can perform, we have high hopes for the new modular unit.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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One would expect very little difference between the Corsair TX750M and the TX750V2 and many will think that the only difference lies in the modular cables. There are some output differences as well. As you can see, the minor rails have been bumped up a bit to 30A each, but still have a combined output of 150W. The 12V rail remains unchanged with an output of 62A. The 5VSB rail still puts out up to 3A while the -12V rail gets a small bump up to 9.6W.

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As the TX750M is part of the Enthusiast series of power supplies from Corsair, you would expect it to be packed full of features. Looking at the chart above, you can see that Corsair has nailed everything that we check for. The one thing that the TX750M offers that the TX750V2 didn't is the modular cabling. All of the cables are fully sleeved except for one and it is a modular cable of the ribbon type and isn't necessary.

Anyone wanting to track down the new TX750M shouldn't have any issues at all as it is widely available. Corsair has set an MSRP of $129.99 on the TX750M, which is what Newegg is shifting the unit for at this time and is free of any shipping charges. The Corsair TX750M carries the same warranty as all other TX series power supplies and is covered for 5 years.

The Packaging

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The TX750M comes in the same black and yellow packaging we've seen with numerous other TX series power supplies.

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On the back we have a connector availability chart at the top. There are some charts at the bottom denoting efficiency, noise levels and DC outputs.

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The top of the box finally yields the warranty information and a few other tidbits.

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Taking a look at the bottom reveals a little more information, letting us know the dimensions of the power supply and that it supports ATX V2.3 standards.

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Both sides are the same and are devoid of any information other than make and model.

Inside the Box

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The TX750M is packed well, with at least a 1/2 inch of foam protecting the power supply on all sides. This design has worked very well in the past for Corsair, so there is no real reason to change it. As you can see from the previous pictures, our box got a little banged up on the way here. The power supply arrived undamaged so the packaging did its job.

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Corsair has located the I/O specification label on the top of the TX750M.

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On both sides are the TX series logos.

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A glance at the back shows us the AC input, on/off rocker switch and honeycomb grill for ventilation.

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Moving to the front, we find the four modular connectors which are new to the TX series.

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The bottom contains the large 140mm fan and grill that keeps the TX750M cool.

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Also included in the box are the modular cables, user manual, warranty card, AC power cord, black mounting screws and some zip ties.

Cabling Arrangement & A Look Inside

Cabling Arrangement

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Corsair's TX750M has a pretty decent selection of cables and connectors. We get two ATX/EPS12V connectors, eight SATA, four Molex, four 8-pin PCI-E and of course the 20+4 pin Main. Making things even better is that we now have FDD connectors available, but only via the included Molex to FDD connectors.

The last time we took a look at the TX series power supplies, we had some issues with connector availability. This has been fixed to a certain extent as we now have a great list of connectors, but the selection of which cables to make modular and how many seems to be odd here.

Molex connectors are almost never used anymore with the exception of fans. It would have made more sense to have two natively wired SATA cables and a single modular Molex cable. There two modular connectors shared between the two modular PCI-E cables AND the modular ATX/EPS12V cable, so you can't use them all at once.

Lastly, we have two modular connectors for peripheral cables, but there is only one cable provided to utilize the two connectors.

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Rail distribution is kept simple with a single 12V rail.

A Look Inside

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Popping the bottom off the TX750M, we see that the power supply has received a slight cooling downgrade. The heatsinks are no longer finned on the top like they were with the TX750V2 and TX850V2.

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The single primary capacitor is manufactured by Panasonic.

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Over on the secondary side, Corsair utilizes the Japanese made Nippon Chemi-con capacitors.

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The same Yate Loon D14BH-12 is back again with the TX750M providing the cooling for the unit.

Test Results & Final Thoughts

Test Results

Our load tests utilize a couple of FAST ATE active load testers and a variety of other equipment such as an oscilloscope, power conditioner, temperature probe and a power consumption meter. You can read more about our standard testing approach here.

The tests performed are based around six conceivable setups that are out there and progressively load down the PSU up to the power supply's limits or 1000W, whichever comes first. Since our test equipment's limits are higher than that of the Corsair TX750M, we can test it to the maximum.

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Taking a look at the result table above shows some very good results for the Corsair TX750M. Nothing surprised us here, but we already had high hopes for the unit as all the TX series power supplies we have tested in the past performed quite well too. Voltage regulation was a flat 2% across the board on all three rails. You can't ask for much more out of a power supply built for an enthusiast on a budget.

Even in the one area of testing that you would expect the unit to slip a little bit, it manages to hold strong when we looked at the DC Output quality. The TX750M starts off barely showing any ripple on the oscilloscope for the 12V rail, measuring in at 9mV peak to peak. This steadily increased to 21mV as the loads were increased to 75% of the unit's capacity. Even under full load, the TX750M managed to stay under 30mV of noise on the 12V rail.

Perhaps one of the weakest areas of the Corsair TX750M is its efficiency. The TX750M is rated for 80Plus Bronze efficiency which means it must be 82%/85%/82% efficient at 25%/50%/100% loads respectively. Corsair's new power supply starts off strong, showing around 85% efficiency at 25% load. This increased to around 86% during Test 2 which is approximately 43% load. We then saw a rapid decline in efficiency till we fully loaded down the power supply. At 82.3% efficiency, the unit is extremely close to failing the Bronze rating, but it does hang in there.

Final Thoughts

Once again, Corsair has done a great job improving the TX series of power supplies with the TX750M. It takes the great performance that we have seen in the past from the series, adds modular connectors and keeps the price affordable. It performs great for a budget power supply as far as voltage regulation and DC output quality are concerned and does achieve the 80Plus Bronze efficiency rating as advertised.

Corsair appears to have listened to the complaints about connector availability in the TX series power supplies as they changed things up for the better. They still could have done things better even more if they had applied a little more thought into which cables to make modular and how many to include. Even so, it is a step in the right direction and Rome wasn't built overnight. What matters most, though, is that Corsair has once again blended great performance at an affordable price, then backed it by a great 5-year warranty.