So, let me get this straight: a. B/c Johnny Guru tested a similar PSU that had an FDB fan and not rifle bearing fan, this review is bad? b. Even if the fan is FDB (wtf is that anyway) and not rifle bearing, how exactly is this the best realization that ever dawned on humanity after penicillin?
I really don't want some of whatever you are smokin'.
Because jonnyGURU tested this exact power supply model - and it's 1000W brother - and determined that this had an FDB fan, this review is incorrect in at least one simple area.
You'll note that nobody in the replies -- other than you -- said this review is bad, or that not being able to identify a fluid-dynamic bearing over a rifle bearing is important in the history of humanity.
The comments offered opinions on what reviewers do such a good job that they set the standard by which all other PSU reviews are measured. If you have an alternative with equal or greater demonstrated competence, I'm sure the people reading this power supply review would love to have another trustworthy reviewer to consult.
It's an FDB fan. NOT a rifle bearing. This is stated on Corsair's website and the reviewer's guide included with the press kit. Also, the part number on the fan is different than the rifle bearing used in the RM Series.
I had this for a few months now, it's an excellent PSU. But I'm curious about which way it should be mounted: Fan side up so heat can escape easily when the fan is off or fan side down ?
I have a bottom mounted 750 watt corsair ps with a load/temp activated fan. It would cycle when mounted fan side down to blow out accumulated heat. I turned it fan side up and the fan never cycles. (silence)
^^ This. Fan down and the heat will rise into the PSU PCB until the fan kicks in. Fan up and the heat rises out of the PSU housing and the fan will hardly ever kick in.
While the Corsair marketing says that the PSU's fan doesn't turn on until 30% load, that really depends on multiple conditions. The fan controller used in these uses an algorithm of load, temperature and duration to determine when the fan should turn on and at what speed.
Better with the fan facing up as you said the heat will escape easily and the fan will hardly ever spin since you don't use too much power most of the time.
Actually i do not agree with you mentioning, that a 750W System is intrinsically so load that the noise of a PSU doesnt matter at all. I dont know if it's a european thing, but at least here the ultra-low noise market is growing extraordinarily, meaning more and more people are build machines, even their top-end gaming rigs, and demand it to be litteraly inaudible.
Really big tower coolers, custom GPU designs and of course custom water cooling (again a rapidly growing market in the EU) help with this, but the one thing most people end with is the annoying scenario of having the PSU left as the only source of noise. Of course one can buy one of these semi-passive devices designed for 1500Watts to power their 600Watts gaming rig just to make sure its fan doesnt start to run, but thats not a viable option for most users.
There are only a few companies who had an ear for those users, with beQuiet! (German brand/company i think) beeing to most renown and most recommended manufacturer for this market. I guess Corsair is also good advised to focus more on their accoustics.
Using a 1500w PSU to make it more silent is just irresponsible. PSU's have much better efficiency when they're between about 40 and 70% load. Getting a 1500w psu like that, despite the additional cost with buying, generally means you will be operating at a load level that is moderately to highly inefficient.
Not if you get a 80+ Titanium rated semi-passive 1500W PSU, e.g. Corsair AX1500i. It's very, very quiet (with the fan facing upwards, of course).
Of course, the 80+ Platinum SeaSonic 520W fanless PSU (SS-520FL2) is totally silent, with no coil whine to speak of, and 1/3 the price. It's good for a quiet single-GPU build.
N.B. Low ripple is especially important for the longevity of your computer components. And the lower the ripple, the higher the quality, and price.
Would help if you read their link on how they measure power supplies rather than repeating it in every article:
"Cold Test Results For testing PSUs, we use 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."
(The article links it in the text) they state:
"Our Extech 380803 power analyzer does a very good job at reporting the level of power that our PSU requires at any given time. We should note that all testing is being performed with a 230V/50Hz input, delivered by a 3000VA VARIAC for the perfect adjustment of the input voltage. Unfortunately, we cannot perform tests at 110V/60Hz at the moment, as that requires a high output, programmable AC power source. As a rough estimate, conversion efficiency drops by 1% to 1.5% when the input voltage is lowered to 110V/ 60Hz."
"It appears that Corsair shot themselves in the foot, as there is no reason not to prefer the AX760i to the HX750i, not even if the AX760i is selling at $184 without any rebate, let alone while it is cheaper than the HX750i."
This is what happens when you saturate your lineup. Corsair, stop making so many god damn PSU's. You only need 3-4 Categories (80 Plus Bronze, Silver, Gold...and perhaps Platinum) and only a few models in each category. They shouldn't be dividing up the models by modular or fixed cables, either, since this creates inconsistency within the category (the modular category has various 80 Plus ratings!)
For the 80 Plus Bronze: 400, 550, 650 watt For the 80 Plus Silver: 400, 600, 750 For the 80 Plus Gold: 550, 750, 900, 1200 For the 80 Plus Platinum: 500, 650, 800, 1000
They have 8 categories with a dozen products or so in EACH of them. I don't even understand why they have non-80 plus (VS series) products being that they want a reputation of delivering high quality products.
I didn't go to school for marketing, so I'm not an expert at this...but I question whether Corsair's marketing department went to school for marketing...their product lineup is all over the place and there is no consistency.
I'd say cut the silver out all together. Not that it matters Corsair has gotten silly with PSU pricing anyway. Their value lineup is ok but once you hit the $100 mark and on up there are very good alternatives that corsair isn't matching price wise.
Honestly, AXi (aside from 1500i, which is newer) is worse. It has a pretty cheap mediocre fan, and many units have an issue where the fan makes a tapping sound every 13 seconds at idle. I returned my AX760i and swapped it for an HX850i
This particular model that is being reviewed cost a flippin' 140 bucks at Newgg. Do they even know how much better stuff competitors offers at $140? 850W Evga G2 made by the best consumer level PSU OEM, Superflower.
I'm not aware of what the Corsair link USB junk does. It would help to cover that as it is a feature that not all PS's have. I'm suspecting it has been covered before in another article; linking that other article would work for me.
Another thing I look for in power supplies is if it has two 8 pin 12V ATX CPU cables. Usually it is one 8 plus a 4+4 providing the second 8. This matters if you're going to be able to hook it up to a 2P board for servers. I like to buy power supplies I can use in a desktop or server. This feature can end up costing more like in the Antec HC gamer vs. HC Pro PS's. The Antec gamer lacks this, while the Pro is sporting it.
Some high end desktop boards are doing 8+4 or 8+4+6 as well; unless you normally replace your PSU with each build, it's something I'd recommend getting when specing out a new PSU for a high end enthusiast system.
I'm still using both an HX520W and an HX620W power supply, they have stood the test of time ! Excellent PSUs giving excellent service several years after purchase..
Forget the haters! this is a great PSU and a great review. You've gotta love the quality of Corsair's PSUs and the warranties are great. I have the HX750, (not the HX750i), it's Gold Cerified but came withe a 7yr warranty. It has been running great for the past 3 years.
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EzioAs - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Isn't the fan FDB, not rifle bearing?Galcobar - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
It is FDB according to the jonnyGURU review in August.While Anandtech has a well-deserved reputation for quality reviews, with about 300 reviewed power supplies since 2007 I'll trust OklahomaWolf.
djscrew - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Yep, OklahomaWolf or nothing else when it comes to PSU reviews. Bobnova isn't half bad either.djscrew - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
That being said, Corsair usually ranks from excellent to near perfect for their higher end PSUs like this one.tabascosauz - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
TPU is quite good as well. I'd say OklahomaWolf and crmaris are two of the top PSU reviewers out there.Achaios - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
So, let me get this straight: a. B/c Johnny Guru tested a similar PSU that had an FDB fan and not rifle bearing fan, this review is bad? b. Even if the fan is FDB (wtf is that anyway) and not rifle bearing, how exactly is this the best realization that ever dawned on humanity after penicillin?I really don't want some of whatever you are smokin'.
Galcobar - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Because jonnyGURU tested this exact power supply model - and it's 1000W brother - and determined that this had an FDB fan, this review is incorrect in at least one simple area.You'll note that nobody in the replies -- other than you -- said this review is bad, or that not being able to identify a fluid-dynamic bearing over a rifle bearing is important in the history of humanity.
The comments offered opinions on what reviewers do such a good job that they set the standard by which all other PSU reviews are measured. If you have an alternative with equal or greater demonstrated competence, I'm sure the people reading this power supply review would love to have another trustworthy reviewer to consult.
Galcobar - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Bah, typos. Really wish we had an edit button. It's/Its, etc.Lukeroge - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
It looks very similar to the rifle bearing in the RM series, but it's a higher-end FDB bearing like the AX1500i.jonnyGURU - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
It's an FDB fan. NOT a rifle bearing. This is stated on Corsair's website and the reviewer's guide included with the press kit. Also, the part number on the fan is different than the rifle bearing used in the RM Series.icebox - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
I had this for a few months now, it's an excellent PSU.But I'm curious about which way it should be mounted:
Fan side up so heat can escape easily when the fan is off or fan side down ?
RedEye9 - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
I have a bottom mounted 750 watt corsair ps with a load/temp activated fan. It would cycle when mounted fan side down to blow out accumulated heat. I turned it fan side up and the fan never cycles. (silence)jonnyGURU - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
^^ This. Fan down and the heat will rise into the PSU PCB until the fan kicks in. Fan up and the heat rises out of the PSU housing and the fan will hardly ever kick in.While the Corsair marketing says that the PSU's fan doesn't turn on until 30% load, that really depends on multiple conditions. The fan controller used in these uses an algorithm of load, temperature and duration to determine when the fan should turn on and at what speed.
EzioAs - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Doesn't really matter actually but if your chassis has a filtered bottom intake, might as well mount it with the fan facing down.Strunf - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Better with the fan facing up as you said the heat will escape easily and the fan will hardly ever spin since you don't use too much power most of the time.malkolm - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Nice review, thx for it!Actually i do not agree with you mentioning, that a 750W System is intrinsically so load that the noise of a PSU doesnt matter at all. I dont know if it's a european thing, but at least here the ultra-low noise market is growing extraordinarily, meaning more and more people are build machines, even their top-end gaming rigs, and demand it to be litteraly inaudible.
Really big tower coolers, custom GPU designs and of course custom water cooling (again a rapidly growing market in the EU) help with this, but the one thing most people end with is the annoying scenario of having the PSU left as the only source of noise. Of course one can buy one of these semi-passive devices designed for 1500Watts to power their 600Watts gaming rig just to make sure its fan doesnt start to run, but thats not a viable option for most users.
There are only a few companies who had an ear for those users, with beQuiet! (German brand/company i think) beeing to most renown and most recommended manufacturer for this market. I guess Corsair is also good advised to focus more on their accoustics.
Kutark - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Using a 1500w PSU to make it more silent is just irresponsible. PSU's have much better efficiency when they're between about 40 and 70% load. Getting a 1500w psu like that, despite the additional cost with buying, generally means you will be operating at a load level that is moderately to highly inefficient.Dr.Neale - Saturday, January 17, 2015 - link
Not if you get a 80+ Titanium rated semi-passive 1500W PSU, e.g. Corsair AX1500i. It's very, very quiet (with the fan facing upwards, of course).Of course, the 80+ Platinum SeaSonic 520W fanless PSU (SS-520FL2) is totally silent, with no coil whine to speak of, and 1/3 the price. It's good for a quiet single-GPU build.
N.B. Low ripple is especially important for the longevity of your computer components. And the lower the ripple, the higher the quality, and price.
That's my experience, anyway.
EzioAs - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Doesn't really matter actually but if your chassis has a filtered bottom intake, might as well mount it with the fan facing down.EzioAs - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
I was actually trying to reply to icebox...when are we going to get an edit fuction?HollyDOL - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Please note at what input voltage were the conversion losses and efficiency measured... Usualy 230V tends to be about 2% better than 115V...patrioteagle07 - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Yup... subpar review... I don't know what I am looking at here.Meaker10 - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
Would help if you read their link on how they measure power supplies rather than repeating it in every article:"Cold Test Results
For testing PSUs, we use 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."
(The article links it in the text) they state:
"Our Extech 380803 power analyzer does a very good job at reporting the level of power that our PSU requires at any given time. We should note that all testing is being performed with a 230V/50Hz input, delivered by a 3000VA VARIAC for the perfect adjustment of the input voltage. Unfortunately, we cannot perform tests at 110V/60Hz at the moment, as that requires a high output, programmable AC power source. As a rough estimate, conversion efficiency drops by 1% to 1.5% when the input voltage is lowered to 110V/ 60Hz."
So try reading a bit.
Samus - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
"It appears that Corsair shot themselves in the foot, as there is no reason not to prefer the AX760i to the HX750i, not even if the AX760i is selling at $184 without any rebate, let alone while it is cheaper than the HX750i."This is what happens when you saturate your lineup. Corsair, stop making so many god damn PSU's. You only need 3-4 Categories (80 Plus Bronze, Silver, Gold...and perhaps Platinum) and only a few models in each category. They shouldn't be dividing up the models by modular or fixed cables, either, since this creates inconsistency within the category (the modular category has various 80 Plus ratings!)
For the 80 Plus Bronze: 400, 550, 650 watt
For the 80 Plus Silver: 400, 600, 750
For the 80 Plus Gold: 550, 750, 900, 1200
For the 80 Plus Platinum: 500, 650, 800, 1000
Currently, their lineup is:
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/power-supply-units
They have 8 categories with a dozen products or so in EACH of them. I don't even understand why they have non-80 plus (VS series) products being that they want a reputation of delivering high quality products.
I didn't go to school for marketing, so I'm not an expert at this...but I question whether Corsair's marketing department went to school for marketing...their product lineup is all over the place and there is no consistency.
just4U - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 - link
I'd say cut the silver out all together. Not that it matters Corsair has gotten silly with PSU pricing anyway. Their value lineup is ok but once you hit the $100 mark and on up there are very good alternatives that corsair isn't matching price wise.Lukeroge - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Honestly, AXi (aside from 1500i, which is newer) is worse. It has a pretty cheap mediocre fan, and many units have an issue where the fan makes a tapping sound every 13 seconds at idle. I returned my AX760i and swapped it for an HX850iStrangerGuy - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
This particular model that is being reviewed cost a flippin' 140 bucks at Newgg. Do they even know how much better stuff competitors offers at $140? 850W Evga G2 made by the best consumer level PSU OEM, Superflower.AnnonymousCoward - Thursday, January 15, 2015 - link
Love the revieweanazag - Friday, January 16, 2015 - link
I'm not aware of what the Corsair link USB junk does. It would help to cover that as it is a feature that not all PS's have. I'm suspecting it has been covered before in another article; linking that other article would work for me.Another thing I look for in power supplies is if it has two 8 pin 12V ATX CPU cables. Usually it is one 8 plus a 4+4 providing the second 8. This matters if you're going to be able to hook it up to a 2P board for servers. I like to buy power supplies I can use in a desktop or server. This feature can end up costing more like in the Antec HC gamer vs. HC Pro PS's. The Antec gamer lacks this, while the Pro is sporting it.
DanNeely - Saturday, January 17, 2015 - link
Some high end desktop boards are doing 8+4 or 8+4+6 as well; unless you normally replace your PSU with each build, it's something I'd recommend getting when specing out a new PSU for a high end enthusiast system.Tuvoc - Tuesday, January 20, 2015 - link
I'm still using both an HX520W and an HX620W power supply, they have stood the test of time ! Excellent PSUs giving excellent service several years after purchase..BaRaKuda - Friday, August 14, 2015 - link
Forget the haters! this is a great PSU and a great review. You've gotta love the quality of Corsair's PSUs and the warranties are great. I have the HX750, (not the HX750i), it's Gold Cerified but came withe a 7yr warranty. It has been running great for the past 3 years.