Corsair AX1500i Power Supply Review
by E. Fylladitakis on September 11, 2014 5:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- PSUs
- 1500W
Conclusion
The AX1500i is definitely a special kind of product. It aims not for a particular group of users, but for the cream of hardcore overclockers, enthusiasts, gamers, and professionals. In other words, it targets users that both have crazy power requirements and, at the same time, require excellent overall performance. Of course, if you do not possess a very power-hungry system with multiple high end GPUs and CPUs, the massive output of the AX1500i would not make any sense to begin with.
Both externally and internally, the AX1500i has been very carefully designed and built. It is aesthetically appealing without being extravagant and the fully modular design is appreciable on a unit with so many cables. Only the size of the chassis could become a problem in smaller cases but we can hardly imagine someone purchasing a $450 PSU with the purpose of installing it inside a run of the mill case. Inside the AX1500i, Corsair uses fine quality components and has one of the most detailed assembly jobs ever performed. They really cut no corners when designing and building this power supply.
When it comes to performance, the Corsair AX1500i is almost frightening. Starting with the efficiency, as the 80 Plus Titanium certification is one of the primary selling points of this product, the AX1500i has a higher average efficiency than the top efficiency many 80 Plus Platinum units can achieve. It also has exceptionally high efficiency at low loads, which is very useful for a unit of this output, as the power requirements of even the most power hungry systems while idling are just a few percent of this unit's capacity. The quality of the output is also breathtaking, with very low voltage ripple even under massive loads and unparalleled regulation. Furthermore, due to the high efficiency, the AX1500i emits only very low volumes of heat, allowing it to operate virtually fanless across a large portion of its capacity range. The Corsair AX1500i undoubtedly delivers the best all-around performance that we have seen to this date.
With the release of the AX1500i, to our eyes, Corsair has simply tried to create the very best power supply possible, regardless of the cost and market potential. They did succeed on breaking almost every performance record we can come up with for a consumer-grade PSU... but that includes the record for being the most expensive unit a consumer can currently buy.
With a retail price of $450, this is definitely not a product aiming for the masses. Using any 1500W PSU to power even a high-end gaming PC, let alone a basic Home/Office PC, would be the very definition of the word "overkill". Corsair's AX1500i is a PSU meant for the most advanced gaming computers and workstations, and only for those users that are willing to spend a few hundred extra bucks in order to get the very best there is.
It's doubtful most of us will ever use such a product, but just as the 80 Plus program brought higher efficiency power supplies to the masses, products like the AX1500i will inevitably have a "trickle down" effect. Seven years ago the cost of a good 80 Plus Bronze 1000W PSU ranged from around $250 to over $300. Such power supplies were mostly overkill even then, but today you can find them for less than half the price, and higher efficiency 80 Plus Gold PSUs aren't much more. It may take some time to get there, but undoubtedly we will see much of the technology in the AX1500i makes it's way into more reasonable products. You have to start somewhere, and R&D often starts at the top.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
55 Comments
View All Comments
Pissedoffyouth - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
In the scheme of things if you were running this full bore you'd be able to power an extra i3 system as well on 220v.E.Fyll - Friday, September 12, 2014 - link
Actually, no, you should be seeing very similar results. I'm on a 230 V - 50 Hz grid, it is noted in the methodology section.Flunk - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
Why would a power supply need accessories? When I'm buying a power supply the unit itself is all I care about. Bundle a power cable that won't burn the house down and I'm good. The case badge, screws and bag are totally unnecessary.Vatharian - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
I consider spare cables with different plug configurations, if PSU is modular, a very good accessory. Screws always come in handy - if you don't need them just shove back in the box, but sometimes you have to build in the wild, where you don't have any extras. Over the years I accumulated nearly geological layer of such accessories from hundreds of devices, but sometimes it just happens you need them. Of course if you throw them out (or don't get them in the first place), there will be time you miss some :) And sticker is always handy too - I have a friend that's sticker junkie, his PC looks like it had accident at the printer shop)DanNeely - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
Gotta agree with the extra cables. A few 2/3 port molex/sata cables mean a lot less having to manage extra cable when you don't need all 4 ports on them. I've seen some vendors offer an alternate cable package (different plug counts, shorter cables, extra long cables, extenders, etc); but at this price I'd expect to see at least some of that tossed in.For that matter, why is modularity limited to the PSU-cable connection itself. Make a few cables that will let you break off the last connector or two to shorten them.
JlHADJOE - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
It's probably cheaper to just include a bunch of cables with shorter run/fewer terminations and be able to use standard components, than to engineer a completely new terminal with a breakoff/attachment point just to be able to provide a shorter cable.DanNeely - Friday, September 12, 2014 - link
All they'd need to do is take molex Y cables, and put both downstream connectors on the same cable; and then do the same with sata power connectors. No major engineering effort needed.hrrmph - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
What a sloppy review. It reads like an impassioned love letter. And hardly a comparable product mentioned or charted.My comments shouldn't be taken as directed at the product - I have no quarrel with the power supply - just the squishy drivel being published in an attempt to describe it.
sweetca - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
Question: Stipulating an identical draw of power, would this PSU, compared to a similar PSU with a lower max output, result in less heat generated?An example for clarification: System X draws 500 Watts. Would there be a difference in total heat generated, whether System X had a 1000 Watt PSU or 1500 Watt PSU? The assumption being the quality of both PSU's were almost identical
davidgirgis - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
Good Question...Heat losses depend on the quality of the PSU components and its ability to sustain such power efficiency at different power draws, so I believe the short answer is No, it shouldn't matter. This reviewer says that this specific power supply provides for good efficiency even at low power draw, meaning that it generates little heat regardless of whether your load is 200 or 1500 watts.
Of course your hypothetical 500W system will draw 500W at times, but maybe only 50W when idle...
The advantage of having more power than you need is to let the components breathe better, widen the pipeline so to speak. You may not need 1500W, but the extra headroom provides for stabilty and overclocking potential.
hope this helps...