I think I found an error. The table lists only 1 4+4 pin CPU power cable. Corsair lists 2 (as does newegg). In addition there're 5 12v connector ports on the PSU, 2 CPU and 3 GPU cables would fill this out nicely. And with the proliferation of new high end boards expecting 8+4 or 8+8 CPU power connections only 1 would be a poor fit for the enthusiast market.
I also have a question. Do the PCIe cables split into a Y with 2 independent wire bundles at the PSU or are the two connectors daisy chained on a single wire bundle.
I'm asking because with the proliferation of single 8 pin power connection GPUs the daisy chain topology makes cable management a lot easier since you don't have to hide an entire 18 or 24" wire bundle. Having to do so sorta defeats the purpose of modular design IMO.
Hopefully you'll never need it. My HX850 has been going strong through multi-gpu and overclocked CPU setups since Sept 2011. Currently it's got a light load of an overclocked i7-5820k and GTX 1080 ti.
Good PSUs tend to be rather reliable so probably not. Over the last 15 years I've gotten about 35-40 years or so of run time over 7 or 8 different PSUs in my personal computers. 0 failures with anything electrical. 1 mechanical fault from a modular connector plug that somehow got smashed back into the body of the PSU and no longer made good electrical contact with the cable plugged into it.
Attrition in models over the years has been mostly due to changing standards. 3.3/5v vs 12v focused models. Sata plugs instead of molex. The CPU connector going from 4 pins to 8 pins (and to twin connectors whenever I build a new high end box). PCIe power plugs being added, increasing in number and getting 8 pin versions. At the bottom end I think I retired a basic 80+ model after working out that over the boxes lifespan a more efficient one would pay for itself.
They leap frog each other. Seasonic stalled for a while, allowing CWT to put out better products for a number of partners. But with the Prime line, Seasonic has jumped back ahead. Still... I'd take a newer CWT over an older Seasonic.
Got an almost 12 year old HX620 humming along fine in a Core 2 Quad QX9770 @ 3.8ghz + 8GB DDR2 + Radeon 7970 rig. Still plays the latest games at 1080P every day.
Only PSU's I will buy are Corsair... Another company would need to prove they have the reliability+features+warranty and beat Corsair on price for me to even remotely consider them.
Corsair (HX or AX series only) is one of only three PSU manufacturers I consider for builds as well. I have seen good reliability out of them with their HX and AX series supplies. Judging by your criteria, I propose considering Seasonic for your short list as well. I've installed several of their old X-Series power supplies that are about the same age as your H620 and still going strong. Two of them are 24-7 operators (Folding@home or gaming) with multiple GPUs. The irony is Corsair used Seasonic's platform for a lot of their earlier HX and AX series PSUs so your HX620 may in fact be a Seasonic platform. Their prime series has some of the best performance in the industry (Similar to Corsairs Flextronics based AX1200/AX1500) and they come with a 12 year warranty. About the only thing missing (for those who can use it) is a Corsair Link equivalent. Pricing is competitive with Corsairs HX and AX series supplies and the better deal usually comes down to which one is on sale.
As a Canadian who has to translate from USD to CAD all the time mentally, I'm always surprised when I find out you review your power supplies at 230V/50Hz (i.e. not in North America). I guess you get to do that bit of mental translation too.
Good to know the Corsair supplies are still solid. I've had an HX750 since I bought my i7-2600k and it ran SLI 680s and an overclocked CPU since whenever that was. The 680s have since been replaced with a 1080 but if I ever need a PSU, shouldn't be too hard to choose...
It's funny how we've come full circle with power supplies. At first a Single 12V rail was desirable but nowadays, a Multiple rail system is preferred with the advent of virtual rails. I have a question. I have a RMI 1000x PSU from Corsair which also has Single and Multi-rail options. So is it generally preferred to keep it operating in multi-rail mode? Could a single 1080Ti or a 7900X CPU OC'd for example -- go over the 40A rating. (I think the RMi1000 has the same multi-rail setup as this one, albiet more rails.)
1080ti can go easily to 40A when you unlock the power and voltage limit. Not by default as most if not all cards have power limit at around 355W. I flashed my FTW3 with XOC BIOS and I am easily hitting 400W (I am using the FTW3 air cooler) so I don't dare to push the card more even if I could but then the very high temps would lower my clocks significantly so it would be pointless.
Yup. We started with multiple rails due to a max current safety requirement. Then PSU makers started ignoring that limit and making single giant rails. The standard was updated to allow this. (Were any compensatory safety requirements added?) The safety benefits from smaller overcurrent limits never went away though, so now we're seeing them added back to individual outputs.
It'll be interesting to see if the PSUs that have an internal USB2 header cable and a control app let you customize the max for each output port separately instead of being a single all or nothing option.
I'll let you known if that's possible here in a couple of days as i'm building a 7900x with a RM1000i Power supply w/ Corsair Link. Being able to set the max amperage per 12v rail would be ideal for enthusiast.
To clarify.. we started with multiple +12V rails until PC Power & Cooling, at the time one of the largest PSU vendors, screwed up and didn't split rails up accordingly for their Turbo-Cool line. Instead of correcting the issue, they went rogue and said "screw this rail B.S.! Make everything single +12V rail!!!" Because their marketing was so strong, they brainwashed everyone into believing that the mistake wasn't on their end and so all the other vendors had to switch to single +12V rail as well to maintain their market share.
I think you'd have to work hard to make a single GPU pull over 480W of power (;P), but if this worries you, just attach two power cables from different (virtual) rails for a total of 80 amps DC to your GPU.
Of course, an 850W PSU isn't going to be able to supply that much juice just to your GPU, but you knew that already of course. :)
Corsair Link seems to be the separating feature. Well that and type 4 PSU cables that reduce voltage droop by implementing capacitors along each 12v wire. The RM series are mostly Gold certified whereas the AX series utilizes platinum efficiency with a Digital switching controller (also missing from the TX line)
No. Really, the two difference between RMx and HX is that RMx is Gold and has a rifle bearing fan while the HX has Platinum efficiency and a Protechnic (patented) FDB fan. Otherwise, the platform is the same and the components are 97% similar.
AX does NOT feature anything digital. Only AXi does.
You probably could, but it would be stressing your PSU relatively close to its full capacity. Components live longer and run more efficiently if they're not pushed so hard.
My system is an i9-7900X and 2x R9 390X GPUs powered by a Corsair RM1000i, and when everything runs full tilt power draw can reach 750W+.
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26 Comments
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DanNeely - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
I think I found an error. The table lists only 1 4+4 pin CPU power cable. Corsair lists 2 (as does newegg). In addition there're 5 12v connector ports on the PSU, 2 CPU and 3 GPU cables would fill this out nicely. And with the proliferation of new high end boards expecting 8+4 or 8+8 CPU power connections only 1 would be a poor fit for the enthusiast market.http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hx-series-hx850-850-w...
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
I also have a question. Do the PCIe cables split into a Y with 2 independent wire bundles at the PSU or are the two connectors daisy chained on a single wire bundle.I'm asking because with the proliferation of single 8 pin power connection GPUs the daisy chain topology makes cable management a lot easier since you don't have to hide an entire 18 or 24" wire bundle. Having to do so sorta defeats the purpose of modular design IMO.
jonnyGURU - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
All of the Corsair PSUs that use Type 3 or Type 4 cables use "pig tail" cables that put two PCIe connectors on one cable.TEAMSWITCHER - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
That 10 year warranty is a nice feature.Golgatha777 - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
Hopefully you'll never need it. My HX850 has been going strong through multi-gpu and overclocked CPU setups since Sept 2011. Currently it's got a light load of an overclocked i7-5820k and GTX 1080 ti.DanNeely - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
Good PSUs tend to be rather reliable so probably not. Over the last 15 years I've gotten about 35-40 years or so of run time over 7 or 8 different PSUs in my personal computers. 0 failures with anything electrical. 1 mechanical fault from a modular connector plug that somehow got smashed back into the body of the PSU and no longer made good electrical contact with the cable plugged into it.Attrition in models over the years has been mostly due to changing standards. 3.3/5v vs 12v focused models. Sata plugs instead of molex. The CPU connector going from 4 pins to 8 pins (and to twin connectors whenever I build a new high end box). PCIe power plugs being added, increasing in number and getting 8 pin versions. At the bottom end I think I retired a basic 80+ model after working out that over the boxes lifespan a more efficient one would pay for itself.
just4U - Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - link
G..Your's was made by Seasonic, CWT has never been quite as good. The warranty is nice though.
jonnyGURU - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
They leap frog each other. Seasonic stalled for a while, allowing CWT to put out better products for a number of partners. But with the Prime line, Seasonic has jumped back ahead. Still... I'd take a newer CWT over an older Seasonic.StevoLincolnite - Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - link
Got an almost 12 year old HX620 humming along fine in a Core 2 Quad QX9770 @ 3.8ghz + 8GB DDR2 + Radeon 7970 rig. Still plays the latest games at 1080P every day.Only PSU's I will buy are Corsair... Another company would need to prove they have the reliability+features+warranty and beat Corsair on price for me to even remotely consider them.
BurntMyBacon - Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - link
@StevoLincolniteCorsair (HX or AX series only) is one of only three PSU manufacturers I consider for builds as well. I have seen good reliability out of them with their HX and AX series supplies. Judging by your criteria, I propose considering Seasonic for your short list as well. I've installed several of their old X-Series power supplies that are about the same age as your H620 and still going strong. Two of them are 24-7 operators (Folding@home or gaming) with multiple GPUs. The irony is Corsair used Seasonic's platform for a lot of their earlier HX and AX series PSUs so your HX620 may in fact be a Seasonic platform. Their prime series has some of the best performance in the industry (Similar to Corsairs Flextronics based AX1200/AX1500) and they come with a 12 year warranty. About the only thing missing (for those who can use it) is a Corsair Link equivalent. Pricing is competitive with Corsairs HX and AX series supplies and the better deal usually comes down to which one is on sale.
Warranty Upgrade:
https://seasonic.com/seasonic-upgrades-prime-serie...
Article to check it out:
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/07/21/seasoni...
BurntMyBacon - Wednesday, October 25, 2017 - link
I should probably mention that there are a few different versions of prime supply differentiated by efficiency:Titanium:
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2016/07/21/seasoni...
Platinum:
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2017/06/13/seasoni...
Gold:
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2017/08/23/seasoni...
evilspoons - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
As a Canadian who has to translate from USD to CAD all the time mentally, I'm always surprised when I find out you review your power supplies at 230V/50Hz (i.e. not in North America). I guess you get to do that bit of mental translation too.Good to know the Corsair supplies are still solid. I've had an HX750 since I bought my i7-2600k and it ran SLI 680s and an overclocked CPU since whenever that was. The 680s have since been replaced with a 1080 but if I ever need a PSU, shouldn't be too hard to choose...
Morawka - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
It's funny how we've come full circle with power supplies. At first a Single 12V rail was desirable but nowadays, a Multiple rail system is preferred with the advent of virtual rails. I have a question. I have a RMI 1000x PSU from Corsair which also has Single and Multi-rail options. So is it generally preferred to keep it operating in multi-rail mode? Could a single 1080Ti or a 7900X CPU OC'd for example -- go over the 40A rating. (I think the RMi1000 has the same multi-rail setup as this one, albiet more rails.)TheWereCat - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
1080ti can go easily to 40A when you unlock the power and voltage limit. Not by default as most if not all cards have power limit at around 355W.I flashed my FTW3 with XOC BIOS and I am easily hitting 400W (I am using the FTW3 air cooler) so I don't dare to push the card more even if I could but then the very high temps would lower my clocks significantly so it would be pointless.
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
Yup. We started with multiple rails due to a max current safety requirement. Then PSU makers started ignoring that limit and making single giant rails. The standard was updated to allow this. (Were any compensatory safety requirements added?) The safety benefits from smaller overcurrent limits never went away though, so now we're seeing them added back to individual outputs.It'll be interesting to see if the PSUs that have an internal USB2 header cable and a control app let you customize the max for each output port separately instead of being a single all or nothing option.
Morawka - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
I'll let you known if that's possible here in a couple of days as i'm building a 7900x with a RM1000i Power supply w/ Corsair Link. Being able to set the max amperage per 12v rail would be ideal for enthusiast.jonnyGURU - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
To clarify.. we started with multiple +12V rails until PC Power & Cooling, at the time one of the largest PSU vendors, screwed up and didn't split rails up accordingly for their Turbo-Cool line. Instead of correcting the issue, they went rogue and said "screw this rail B.S.! Make everything single +12V rail!!!" Because their marketing was so strong, they brainwashed everyone into believing that the mistake wasn't on their end and so all the other vendors had to switch to single +12V rail as well to maintain their market share.FaaR - Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - link
I think you'd have to work hard to make a single GPU pull over 480W of power (;P), but if this worries you, just attach two power cables from different (virtual) rails for a total of 80 amps DC to your GPU.Of course, an 850W PSU isn't going to be able to supply that much juice just to your GPU, but you knew that already of course. :)
gammaray - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
so if the HX serie is for "overclockers and advanced enthusiasts" what is the AX and RM series for?Morawka - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
Corsair Link seems to be the separating feature. Well that and type 4 PSU cables that reduce voltage droop by implementing capacitors along each 12v wire. The RM series are mostly Gold certified whereas the AX series utilizes platinum efficiency with a Digital switching controller (also missing from the TX line)LordanSS - Tuesday, October 24, 2017 - link
If I remember correctly, Corsair markets the RM series as their "silent option" for PSUs. There's a couple reviews of RMs here in Anandtech.jonnyGURU - Monday, October 30, 2017 - link
No. Really, the two difference between RMx and HX is that RMx is Gold and has a rifle bearing fan while the HX has Platinum efficiency and a Protechnic (patented) FDB fan. Otherwise, the platform is the same and the components are 97% similar.AX does NOT feature anything digital. Only AXi does.
lazarpandar - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - link
Can 850w power 2x1080ti + OC Ryzen 1700?FaaR - Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - link
You probably could, but it would be stressing your PSU relatively close to its full capacity. Components live longer and run more efficiently if they're not pushed so hard.My system is an i9-7900X and 2x R9 390X GPUs powered by a Corsair RM1000i, and when everything runs full tilt power draw can reach 750W+.
lazarpandar - Friday, November 3, 2017 - link
thank youbluewaffles - Monday, November 20, 2017 - link
Blue Waffles is a new health problem that is going viral with many Women and Men fearing that they have the infectious disease. Many memes and trolls are also being created where a user sends a file named Blue Waffles and the receiver https://bluewafflesdisease.info/