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Affordable power supplies can achieve high performance and more than decent efficiency levels. Corsair's CX650 is definite proof of this. The sample that we tested uses a Great Wall platform featuring a modern design, given its price tag. The topology used in this power supply is the same used in the high-end category, and the same goes for the LLC resonant converter on the primary side, and the synchronous rectification of the 12V rail and the DC-DC converters that generate the minor rails.
The build quality is quite good, also. Don't expect to find fully Japanese caps, but Corsair's engineers selected all parts wisely. They managed to keep the cost at normal levels and achieve the highest possible reliability. After all, this product is supported by a five-year warranty and has a 40-degree Celsius temperature rating.
