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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 it
  • AdrianB1 - 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...
  • zodiacfml - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    I have two rated 2000W PSUs and one 1800W. I am not capable of measuring its efficiency but I once compared its power consumption to a 650W Bronze PSU with a 300 watt load. The consumption at the wall are similar. I've read some comments that they cannot keep up with 100% load but I don't have such requirements.

    This leads me to think that the Chinese branded 2000W PSU(~$130) has a 90% or higher efficiency at 50% load.
  • dgingeri - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Nice! It actually beats my HX750i at my idle load (~110W at 86% efficiency). I have been hard pressed to find a better PSU than my HX750i.
  • Ninjawithagun - Thursday, May 10, 2018 - link

    My 'old' AX1500i easily maintains 97% efficiency at 600W output. To add to that amazing efficiency, the PSU fan rarely ever turns on, which means silent gaming for my custom watercooled system ;-)
  • AdrianB1 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Give me one with 350-400W and the same shape of efficiency curve on the reduced power range; make it semi-modular because I don't need to remove the 24 pin ATX cord. It is perfect for a modern computer with a 95W TDP processor and a 150W TDP GPU.
    I have the Corsair PSU that has some of these specs, but not the efficiency: Corsair TX550M; semi-modular, fair output power, low efficiency especially at 100W when I watch Netflix.
  • Jon Tseng - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Agree it looks overspecced, but thinking about silver linings I guess if you ran one of these at reduced load to serve say an 800W system it would be significantly cooler/quieter than an 800W PSU running at full load?
  • PeachNCream - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    The sound measurements are in the review as is a statement that the fan doesn't even turn on at sub-600W loads in the cold test results. At 800W loads, it produces 35 (cold) to 41 (hot) decibels making it very likely to be much quieter than any 800W PSU running at full load.
  • Stas - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    that's how you're supposed to spec out a PSU
  • JohnUSA - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    I read that an actual owner who liked this very expensive model but hated its poor and cheap cables, and many of these cables were also quite short.
    Shame on the manufacturer to have such bad shortcomings and put an exorbitant price on this model.
    Hope they will fix these issues immediately.
  • nowwhatnapster - Friday, April 20, 2018 - link

    I doubt it, they want to push those premium sleeved cables. It would be nice if they were individually sleeved, but then it would be a $600 psu and you might want different colored sleeving at that price. Makes sense to sell the premium cables separate.

    I agree the stock cables are very ridged due to the in line capacitors. I used them for a brief time. They get the job done and do not compromise on quality, but they sacrifice aesthetics and usability.
  • bug77 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    And here I was thinking efficiency means buying a power supply that fits one's needs. I.e. 600W is more than enough for anyone that doesn't overclock and uses multiple GPUs at the same time...
  • bill.rookard - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Ideally, a proper sized PSU is double the wattage of the total of everything running full tilt. All PSUs hit their max efficiency at 50% load, so if you have a 100w CPU, a single 150w GPU, add in a few HDDs/SSDs (10w each) and motherboard (50w), your average single GPU/CPU system will be 300-350w. Double that is 600-700w. So on average (since most people have a similar config) that should be the most popular size.

    I can't even imagine a system which would be pulling 800-900w directly. I could probably do it with my computer which I do the folding on (Xeon 3470 @ 4.2ghz, Asus P7F7E-WS) which could easily do a quad-SLI setup... but I'd have to get a quad set of 1070's or 1080's to break 900w nominal.
  • DanNeely - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    You only want double max if your computer is almost always running at full load. IF you're not folding/mining/etc 24/7 and leave it on at idle you're paying a very large efficiency penalty most of the time. The low draw side of the efficiency curve is much worse than the high draw one (it's driven by fixed wattage loads vs the conversion efficiency that sets the peak, and temperature penalty that causes the slow drop off at max). In those cases 30-50% over will hit the sweet spot for efficiency, and if you have cheap power and don't load it a lot 15-20% may have the lowest total cost of ownership. You don't want to go much below that because running at maximum load also puts maximum stress levels on the PSU which will lead to faster aging and earlier death. (If you were foolish enough to get a no-name PSU loading it to just under max and keeping it there might let the magic smoke out if the number they put on the box is a peak power draw limit not a sustained power draw limit like it is in any half decent model.)
  • zodiacfml - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    Correct
  • nowwhatnapster - Friday, April 20, 2018 - link

    Corsair link shows 700-725 watts pull for a Ryzen 1800x, 2x 1080ti ftw3, 1 ssd, 4x noctua case fans, stock clocks. @96% efficiency

    A quad setup (although technically unsupported on 10xx series) would be closer to 1100w
  • Holliday75 - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Why does it feel like people purposely misunderstand the purpose of this product and the review posted here?

    This is a Formula One race car where new technologies are tested, showcased and pushed to the extreme. Eventually it will filter down to the every day drivers we use. Very few people in the world NEED this product. This is the test bed for proof of concept for the consumer market. It is what it is. Its cool and exciting to see a glimpse into what the market can become down the road.
  • The_Assimilator - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Thank you.
  • jonnyGURU - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    Well said. Right now, the technology used doesn't scale economically. Would you pay 1600W pricing for a 500W PSU?
  • mtnmanak - Tuesday, April 24, 2018 - link

    Well, to be fair, micro-USB?

    My old flip phone called and wants its USB port back.
  • modeonoff - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    All sold out and in back order. Nobody knows when there will be stock again. Corsair has no comment :-(
  • nowwhatnapster - Friday, April 20, 2018 - link

    I got one in March for 450 direct from corsair. Had to stalk their website for several weeks. Scalpers are buying them up like GPU's and reselling them on ebay with crazy markup.

    Logistics aside, very happy with the PSU. Had a hx850 running at full tilt powering 2x1080ti and ryzen 1800x. The ax1600i barely breaks a sweat. About 700-725 watts at full load and stock clocks. Exhaust temps are much lower and zero fan noise from the PSU. If you factor in the 10 year warranty, it's a worthwhile investment. Now my PSU is operating at near peak efficiency. Over the life of the PSU the efficiency gains should offset the high initial cost.

    I did not like the cables that came with the PSU. They are extremely ridged, especially the 24pin with its shrink wrapped inline capacitors. I opted to shell out for the premium sleeved cables which are much more flexible and aesthetically pleasing.
  • Belldandy - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    For most people the Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium is the best PSU they will ever need.
  • IBM760XL - Wednesday, April 18, 2018 - link

    That's the one I want to buy next. I was curious if this would match it at my typical 100-200W loads, despite being so much lower on its efficiency curve than a 600-700W Seasonic Titanium model. But the price is pretty eye-watering. The environmentalist in me will be satisfied by the Prime Ultra.

    Still, glad to see technological progress being made. Put the new technology in a 700W PSU in a few years, with a bit more economy of scale, and I'd probably buy it.
  • SonicIce - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    Strange the Prime series was made in Taiwan (the only PSU I've ever seen not made in China), but the new Prime Ultra series is made in China. Hmmm.
  • rtho782 - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    My AX1500i died a month ago, and I got one of these as a warranty replacement :)

    It's a very nice PSU, even though it's still way overkill for me really. My system never draws more than about 750W. I am also very happy that it's a little shorter than the AX1500i.
  • rtho782 - Thursday, April 19, 2018 - link

    > The side stickers can be (permanently) replaced with those supplied with the unit's bundled items.

    Are you sure? Mine were magnetic.
  • nowwhatnapster - Friday, April 20, 2018 - link

    Can confirm, they are magnetic. It's a sleek cover up. Not permanent at all, which is a good thing IMO
  • CheapSushi - Friday, April 20, 2018 - link

    I dream about these designs getting smaller. Imagine this in SFX-L. As all our systems get more efficiency, smaller scaled, etc, the ATX PSU's are starting to seem like relics. Not the wattage, but the volume of the thing itself. SFX and SFX-L I hope become the de facto "standard" size. GaN components, like mentioned, is the step to that. I know people are making snide comments, but thank you Corsair for actually doing something to push PSU designs. A future SFX-L version would be amazing.
  • Ninjawithagun - Thursday, May 10, 2018 - link

    There is an SFX-L 800W Titanium PSU made by Silverstone:

    https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-SX80...
  • Ninjawithagun - Thursday, May 10, 2018 - link

    No need to replace my AX1500i Titanium PSU, but it's good to know Corsair has not fallen asleep ;-)

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