Now we plan to
check a couple of the “Platinum” power supply units whose capabilities are 760
and 860 watts and they belong to two different series: AX and Axi. Which one is
more suitable for those who desire for the most efficient power supply for
their system?
The 1,200W power supply units of Corsair
belonging to the AX and Axi series have been mentioned in our previous reviews
(the AX has already been outdated and just satisfied the 80 PLUS Gold
standards). Therefore, we would like you to be aware of the junior products
from this series. Their estimated capacities are 760 and 869 W.
What
makes other junior products different is their contract manufacturer
While all 1200W models are based on the
Flextronics platform, what makes other junior products different is their
contract manufacturer. Flextronics is for the Axi series, while the AX series,
which is placed at the lower position in Corsair hierarchy, is built based on
the Seasonic platform.
In our AX 1200i review did we discussed the
benefits of the Corsair Link interface implementing in the Axi series, so we
would not emphasize on that point here. We would limit ourselves to compare the
electrical parameters of the PSUs which use different platforms.
In terms of the loading capacity of each
power rail, the parameters seem to be very similar. Both series meets the
highest standard of 80 PLUS Platinum, but could they perform that similar in
reality?
Testing methodology
The following article shows the details of
our testing methods as well as the equipment and brief explanation about the
meaning of the specific record parameters of the power supplies: X-bit Labs
Presents: Power Supply Units Testing Methodology. If these figures and the
definitions covered in this review somehow make you feel overwhelmed, just
refer to the Methodology.
You can also visit the Cases/PSU area to
have a look over our review about all of the other PSUs that we have checked in
our lab.
We will mark the actual power consumption
of three of the system configurations (discussing in our PC Power Consumption
Report: How Many Watts Do We Need?) in the cross-load diagram. This will help
you realize whether the tested PSU satisfies the requirements of a real PC.
Testing components
Corsair
AX 760 and 860
These two PSU owns the same packages and
accessories. The only difference is the evaluated wattages recorded in the box.
The
box is moderate in size and painted black and red
The box is moderate in size and painted
black and red, just like the AX 1200i that we reviewed on last time.
A
brief description of the product’s functions
You can find a brief description of the
product’s functions, a list of the power connections, and a map of specified
output power, efficiency and fan adjustment algorithm on the back side of the
box.
Accessories
The accessories is comprised of a package
of discrete cables, a simple fabric bag for the PSU itself, a Corsair sticker
for you system case, some one-use cable straps, screws, a manual and a warranty
booklet.
External design
A
glance at the product is enough to realize the real manufacturer of this PSU
A glance at the product is enough to
realize the real manufacturer of this PSU. The case is designed in a non-standard
way. The unique Sanyo Denki fan shape allows you to look through the vent grid,
together with the entire cable system and fan controller on the connector
panel. All of these things are typical characteristics of Seasonic.
Every
PSU is the same from the back view
These Corsair PSUs can be easily mistaken
with the original products of Seasonic in some point of view, but every PSU is
the same from the back view.
There
are not many differences between these two models in favor of their internal design
As you may easily see here, there are not
many differences between these two models in favor of their internal design
(the picture above shows the AX760 and the AX860 is in the picture below). A
pair of components has uncertain ratings and the one that owns the higher
wattage would have some additional capacitors.
The
hardware platform is just similar to that of the KM3 series of Seasonic
We have also noted that the hardware
platform is just similar to that of the KM3 series of Seasonic that we checked
except for the black version like the typical Corsair product.
Therefore, these Corsair PSUs are based on
the XP2 Platinum certificate. The more updated version is based on the XP
platform.
The internal design is almost the same as
that of the Seasonic’s KM3 series, so there is no need to dig deeper into this
point again.
Corsair
PSUs use the electrolytic United Chemicon capacitors
Just like the original products of
Seasonic, Corsair PSUs use the electrolytic United Chemicon capacitors (which
are known as the Nippon Chemi-Con).
Cables and connectors
All modular AX760 and AX860 are equipped
with these cables:
·
One connector for a mainboard power cable
·
Six connectors for CPU and PCIe power cables
·
Five connectors for peripheral power cables
Each model is
accompanied by the same choice of discrete cables:
·
One mainboard power cable with a 20+4-pin
connector (61 cm)
·
Two CPU power cables with 4+4-pin connectors (65
cm)
·
Two graphics card cables with two 6+2-pin
connectors on each (60+15 cm)
·
Two graphics card cables with one 6+2-pin
connector on each (60 cm)
·
Two cables with four PATA power connectors on
each (45+10+10+10 cm)
·
Two cables with four SATA power connectors on
each (40+10+10+10 cm)
·
One cable with four SATA power connectors (55+10+10+10
cm)
·
Two adapters from a PATA power connector to a
floppy-drive plug (10 cm)
It comes out to
be a fair comparison between the cable system of PSU AX760 and AX860 and that
of Corsair’s Gold-certified PSUs based on Seasonic’s KM series. They provide more
connections but not enough short cables with less SATA/PATA power connections
on each.
The power cables for the graphics cards
have one or two connection, providing more flexibility. Up to three graphics
cards with two power connections on each are allowed without any adapter. On
the other hand, PSUs might not be capable of providing that much power, which
must be the reason why only four 6+2-pin PCIe power cables are provided by
Season together with its original 760W model.
