The CX450M (2021) is an affordable PSU, with high enough overall performance and good build quality. In my sample, I found good electrolytic and polymer caps, which, along with the rifle-bearing fan, will allow the PSU to survive the five-year warranty, which is pretty long for a budget PSU. Corsair took a proven CWT platform for the CX-M line, and the results are promising. I would like to see the same platform used in the CX line instead, but this is not possible due to the increased production cost. You should not be confused by the semi-modular cable design of the CX-M line versus the fixed cable of the CX models. The latter uses a modern platform that costs more, so Corsair wants to stop the CX line and replace it with the more affordable CX-M one.

The primary opponents for the CX450M are the XPG Pylon and the Thermaltake Smart BM2 units with similar capacity, which use the same CWT platform with some changes in parts. The XPG Pylon looks to be the best, achieving a higher overall performance supplemented by the fluid dynamic bearing fan, allowing for lower overall noise output. The significant advantage of the CX450M over the Pylon 450 was the extended warranty period. Still, in May 2022, XPG decided to increase its Pylon products' warranty to five years, matching Corsair's and Thermaltake's (for the Smart BM2 models) offerings. If you need a low-capacity PSU, I suggest you buy any of the three units above you find, at the lowest price possible, especially during this period where it is not as easy to find hardware.