Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Corsair’s expansion into the SFX (small form factor) arena brings two worthy additions to Corsair’s already formidable power supply lineup. The 600W SF600 proved to be an excellent power supply with very good voltage regulation, low AC ripple, and excellent efficiency. The SF600 features Zero RPM Fan mode which results in dead silent operation at low power. The power supply continues to be very quiet through mid-power thanks to the specially designed Corsair fan.
The SF600 is fully modular and comes with flat ribbon-style cables for easy routing and to help maximize airflow. While the SF Series is designed for use in small form factor enclosures, Corsair’s SF Series power supplies can also be used in standard ATX cases to save room via the optional SFX to ATX adapter bracket. Unfortunately the adapter bracket is not included with the power supply – you have to purchase it separately.
The only down side to the SF Series power supply is the relatively high cost because this is a smaller niche market.
The MSRP for the Corsair SF Series power supplies:
• SF450 $89.99 USD
• SF600 $119.99 USD
SFX Power Supply installed in Cooler Master Elite 110 Case
(This build would not have been possible using a full-size ATX power supply.)
Strengths:
• 450W and 600W models available
• Small Form Factor (SFX) design
• Very quiet with Zero RPM Fan Mode
• 92mm cooling fan optimized for low noise
• Excellent efficiency (80 Plus Gold certified)
• Very good voltage regulation with low AC ripple
• All-modular, flat ribbon-style cables
• 100% all Japanese made 105°C capacitors
• ATX12V v2.4 and EPS 2.92 compliant
• 6th Generation Intel Core processor Ready
• Safety Protections: OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OTP, and OPP
• 7-Year warranty
Weaknesses:
• Relatively expensive for a 600W PSU
• SFX to ATX adapter bracket must be purchased separately
Corsair SF Series Fully Modular Power Supply
Our thanks to Corsair for sending us the SF600 PSU to review; good job!
It can NOT be used in
It can NOT be used in standard ATX cases because the cables are too short!
Number 1. He means cases that
Number 1. He means cases that use “standard” ATX power supplies. Number 2. Obviously you wouldn’t use this in a full sized tower like a Corsair 900D. And why would you? Number 3. You can purchase longer cables and/or extensions if you had to. A small ps like this is more than likely going to be used in a smaller environment. What would be the point of putting this into a mid or full sized ATX environment? None.
Watercooling in a midtower
Watercooling in a midtower maybe? I have one sf600 in a itx environment but i was asking myself the same question. The only answer i found is more room for water pumps/ watercooling tubes in a atx/itx case.
Per example: the fractal
Per example: the fractal design nano S/ phanteks evolv itx cases are on the big size of itx case and they do support normal atx PSU but a SFX psu like the sf600 could make the difference in the watercooling space of somebody
At the moment there’s no
At the moment there’s no longer cables for the sf600, BTW don’t tell people to get longer cables, they are different, in many ways ,and can ruin a system. thanks
The picture supplied by
The picture supplied by Corsair labeling what the parts are matches my SF450 PS. #16 uses blue colored caps versus the red shown for SF600, is all i can see is different.
I’ve got the 450 watt running
I’ve got the 450 watt running in an unRAID server build. Powering 6 drives and I can’t say I’ve ever seen the fan come on. I had to order a separate bracket to fit in the case though. Even though the case will only fit an mITX motherboard and barely anything else, the cut out is for a full size ATX PSU. Case is a Lian-Li Q25B. Awesome little case for a NAS box or anything along those lines.
If these had been around when
If these had been around when I built my HTPC, I’d probably have stuck a 450W in there. Instead, I ended up with the Silverstone SFX-L 500W – not bad at all, but inside of a Fractal Node 304 you take all the extra space you can get. Also, these seem to perform admirably. Good to see Corsair making an effort when they only have a single SFX line (although Platinum or Titanium efficiency would be even better, of course).