Introduction
When it comes to “uber” high-end and high-wattage power supplies there is one name that stands out from the crowd and is widely recognised – the Corsair Ax1200i. Today we have managed to get our hands on this somewhat revolutionary power supply to bring you a review. The Corsair AX1200i isn’t redefining the wheel but what it is doing is changing the way power is typically delivered. The Corsair AX1200i is one of few power supplies to take advantage of a digital power delivery method or what Corsair are calling “Hybrid Digital Control Architecture”. In short this means the AX1200i uses a server grade Digital Signal Processor (DSP) combined with a power train architecture. The AX1200i as a result can make on the fly adjustments to control and monitor voltage and stability in real time. The DSP also allows for automatically DC output compensation to hold stable power, prevent droop and minimise ripple & noise in the power outputs.
Other digital aspects of the Corsair AX1200i include a digital interleaved power factor and a digital PWM control. This allows the power supply to continually adjust in real time to maximise PFC and minimise acoustic output. We can of course go on forever about the mechanics and internals of this particular power supply, but digital components aside this is still a conventional power supply, though the digital aspect should have a significant impact on performance. The specifications of the power supply that Corsair provide on their website product page can be seen below:
As we progress through this review it is worth keeping in mind the key principles of the Corsair AX1200i to see if it delivers on those. Corsair point out the following:
- 80 Plus Platinum Efficiency
- Low noise and Fanless operation at 30% or less load
- Ripple/Noise 3X better than ATX specification
The AXi series are the PSU’s to get if you’re unfazed by the eye bulging price or simply want to say you bought the best. For the more rational among us there are PSU’s that can do the job just as well for substantially less.