The Emperor of Efficiency: Corsair's AX1600i PSU Rules Alone (Review)
by E. Fylladitakis on April 18, 2018 9:30 AM ESTCold Test Results
For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.
Even though it received its 80Plus Titanium certification with an input of 115V AC (and lower requirements), the new Corsair AX1600i easily meets the stricter requirements for a 230V AC input as well. The maximum efficiency we measured was 96.6% at 50% load, with the unit surpassing the 90% point with just a 7.5% load. Even with a load of just 80 Watts (5% of the unit's rated capacity), the AX1600i has an efficiency of nearly 88%, outperforming the best possible efficiency of most budget-level PSU designs. The average efficiency within the nominal load range (20% to 100% of the unit's capacity) is an astonishing 95.4%.
The outworldish efficiency of the Corsair AX1600i allows it to deliver similarly astonishing thermal performance as well. Our test sample barely even got warm while testing in room temperature, even while operating at maximum output. The fan of the AX1600i is not even bothered to start before the load surpasses the 600 Watts mark and barely becomes audible when the load is over 1.1 kW. As it would take a system with at least three powerful GPUs to reach that kind of power demand, it is highly unlikely that the AX1600i will ever be noticeable over the cooling fans of the graphics cards and the system.
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TelstarTOS - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
Now, please scale down this platform and gimme an 800W AXI with a pricetag of 300W and I'll buy it for my next system.SirPerro - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
Well that's exciting.Now build one of those for normal people.
Ninjawithagun - Thursday, May 10, 2018 - link
Um, define 'normal people' please?baka_toroi - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
Isn't this the perfect mining PSU?Ryan Smith - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
Too expensive. There's actually a passage I cut from the article that I'll go ahead and post here."One could argue that the PSU might be appealing to cryptominers, but we find that to be unlikely. Cryptominers usually only care about having a reliable high output regardless of the power quality or noise, and thus prefer to source regular >2 kW designs that sell for a fraction of the AX1600i's price"
zodiacfml - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
Correct. Server grade PSUs are being used for mining. There are Chinese branded PSUs with similar capacity and efficiency not far from the Corsair but just above $100.I just read somewhere that it is actually easier to make a more efficient PSU with high capacity, around 1KW and above.
The_Assimilator - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
$100, you are smoking your socks. Unless you're willing to buy something that some random dude has spliced a bunch of PCIe connectors onto and only gives a 30-day warranty on.gavbon - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
I don't think I have spent less than $150 on a PSU in the last 5 years - Obviously price tag doesn't necessarily equate to quality, but you're more likely to buy quality at higher price points...as this review proves, this unit is TOP quality, but you're always going to pay big bucks for itAdrianB1 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
You can buy a Corsair with 2 year warranty for $75 in my part of the world (Europe). Semi-modular, not 80 Plus Titanium rated, but still a very decent PSU. Same for Antec or other brands, you can find a decent Fortron much cheaper. Most computers you buy here have ~$25 PSU + case combo and they are covered by 2 year warranty that you can extend to 4 years and the reliability is surprisingly good. Building PSU's is no rocket science anymore.Spazilton - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link
They are using stuff like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-PWS-1K21P-1R-1...