Crosair Platinum PSU AX860i/AX760i VS AX860/AX760

[Richie]

So, I'm getting a PSU in the 760W-860W range, and have pretty much settled on the Corsair AX Platinum, because they fit in really well with the look and requirements of the build. 

Now, the main question is what's the differences are between the AX and the AXi series.

Obviously there's Corsair link, which I don't really care about as I will probably barely use it, if at all.

All I'm worried about is power delivery, reliability, ripple etc.

 

I can currently get the AX860i for about £30 cheaper than the AX860. Or I could get the AX760 for about £10 cheaper again. #

 

So, anyone's views on this would be appreciated! And if anyone can point me to some specific benchmarks and reviews, that'd be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks guys  :D

[Hyydrah]

I'm using the AX760 as of now and it's treated me well so far. It's capable of running two GTX Titans in SLI and doesn't come with the (in my opinion) gimmicky digital power functionality.

[Richie]

yeh like I said, I'm not too interested in link, but for an extra £10  I may as well unless there's a downside? 

[XiaoPigs]

The only differences between the AX and AXi series are Corsair Link and the fact that the AXi series have digital power. In any other case they are similar. Both are 80+ Platinum, both are able to power an equal amount of hardware, both are just as reliable. So your choice if you want to spend, you go ahead :)

[josh_05]

Check out the reviews of both here... http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/Corsair/AX860/1.html

They both are extremely close in terms of efficiency, ripple etc.

[Richie]

Yeh I was just looking at the reviews, and from what I read, the AX860i's fan turns on at a lower Wattage load, which is kind of a big deal for me as I'm trying to keep this build as silent as possible! (looks like about 180W vs 375W which is pretty substantial) Although presumably the fan curves are adjustable on the 860i... hmmmm

[christoi]

In a nutshell, the AX and AXi series are completely different internally, the regular is a rebranded Seasonic KM3 (with minor changes to primary caps) and the AXi is a custom flextronix unit with DSP. AX uses better quality components overall, while the AXi has better efficiency and tigher voltage regulation. I would just go with whichever's cheaper, real world difference isn't that noticable (with voltage regulation especially). Unit longevity is probably around the same too, at least very similar by the looks of things. The current implementation of Corsair link with power supplies isn't really worth bothering with, voltage and efficiency readings are known to be horribly innacurate.

 

Depending on your system specs, an AX760 would probably be fine. Depends on how much it costs though, there's currently an XFX 750w BEFX on dabs for £117, which is based off the same platform as the AX760.

[Richie]

Would you know anything about the fan-less mode? From those TechPower reviews, it looks like the AX860 can stay fan-less at a higher draw?

[Andi]

this is a really stupid poll... :D

 

Buy a "i" if you indend to use the extra functionality if not buy a normal one.

 

If you need that much power i asume you want to run some dualgpu thing, than i would buy the 860W version.

 

But i would also buy a Seasonic platinum !

[Andi]

Would you know anything about the fan-less mode? From those TechPower reviews, it looks like the AX860 can stay fan-less at a higher draw?

 

The AX are basically Seasonic PSUs sould run without fan up to 30% power

[Nit3Rid3R]

AXi has Corsair Link, AX doesn't. 

 

Corsair Link:

Put the AX860i under your control by connecting it directly to a USB header on your motherboard with the included cable, or to a Corsair Link Commander (available separately). Then, download the free Corsair Link Dashboard software for unrivaled power supply monitoring and control options. Monitor power input and output, efficiency, fan speed, and internal temperature, directly from the Windows based application. Or, take it to the next level and set up and modify fan speed profiles, or even select from virtual “single rail” or “multi-rail” software modes, with selectable OCP points." 

[Asusmad]

I have the AX860. At the time it was allot cheaper than the AX860i. I am very happy with it, and it looks great.

 

I would recommend it.

[JohnOrion]

Yeh I was just looking at the reviews, and from what I read, the AX860i's fan turns on at a lower Wattage load, which is kind of a big deal for me as I'm trying to keep this build as silent as possible! (looks like about 180W vs 375W which is pretty substantial) Although presumably the fan curves are adjustable on the 860i... hmmmm

if you are looking for silence this might not be for you. One thing none of the reviewers seem to touch on is the fact that in silent mode the fan will spin up to 1200 rpm randomly. This is very annoying. You can supposedly change it to a fixed rate of 40% using the link software but ... it will still randomly spin up to 1200 rpm which is audible. There is no fix found on the internet for this issue. I have contacted Corsair on this issue and waiting for a response now. It would seem that you are paying about 100 dollars for the 7 year warrenty on this item. The supply is probalby worth about 70-80 dollars.

[gt403cyl]

I'm using the AX860i currently in my main PC and I can't say anything bad about it.  It's quiet, quality is excellent, the efficiency (according to Corsairs software...) is great and the main reason I went with the 860w PSU is it gave me the head room if I wanted to run either x-fire or SLi in the future.  If you even think you might need that little bit of extra power and can afford it I can't give you a reason not to get it.