Corsair RM1000 Power Supply Review
by E. Fylladitakis on April 24, 2014 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- PSUs
- RM Series
Hot Test Results
From the tables below, it can be seen that the output power quality of the Corsair RM1000 is very good. The maximum voltage ripple that our instrumentation recorded was just above half of the ATX design guide suggested limit (the limits are 120 mV on the 12V line, 50 mV on the minor voltage lines), under full load and inside the hotbox. Cross-load testing negatively affects the power quality of any power supply, yet the RM1000 manages to pass the test, with the 12V line registering up to 98 mV while delivering a massive 800W.
| Main Output | ||||||||
| 203.84 W | 506.25 W | 752.95 W | 997.56 W | |||||
| 20.38% | 50.62% | 75.29% | 99.76% | |||||
| Line | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts | Amperes | Volts |
| 3.3 V | 4.14 | 3.40 | 10.36 | 3.37 | 15.53 | 3.34 | 20.71 | 3.30 |
| 5 V | 4.14 | 5.14 | 10.36 | 5.11 | 15.53 | 5.00 | 20.71 | 4.98 |
| 12 V | 13.80 | 12.21 | 34.50 | 12.13 | 51.76 | 12.04 | 69.01 | 11.97 |
| Line |
Regulation (20% to 100% load) |
Voltage Ripple (mV) | |||||
| 20% Load | 50% Load | 75% Load | 100% Load | CL1 12 V | CL2 3.3 V + 5 V | ||
| 3.3 V | 3.0% | 16 | 24 | 26 | 30 | 10 | 26 |
| 5 V | 3.1% | 18 | 26 | 30 | 36 | 12 | 30 |
| 12 V | 1.95% | 26 | 30 | 54 | 70 | 98 | 24 |
The impact that the higher ambient temperature has on the energy conversion efficiency is virtually miniscule, reducing the average nominal load (20-100%) efficiency of the RM1000 from 91.8% down to 91.4%. This is an excellent result for such a powerful power supply, especially when the ambient air temperature increased by more than 20 °C.
The large increase in the ambient air temperature naturally has an effect on all of the temperature readings. This time the fan starts a bit earlier, at 40% load, and its speed increases rapidly, obviously reacting to the high heat. The speed of the fan virtually maxes out at 70% load, with the cooling system giving everything it has to keep the RM1000 cool enough. The fan becomes clearly audible but not overly loud even while the unit is severely stressed, but its speed cannot be increased any further and so it is unable to help the thermal performance of the RM1000 beyond a certain point.
While the power supply keeps operating just fine, the temperatures are significantly elevated, above what we consider a "comfortable limit". This however also is with an ambient temperature significantly higher than the 40 °C rating of this power supply, therefore the fact that it can keep delivering its maximum output and electrically perform well enough to maintain its specifications is quite a feat.
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Daniel Egger - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
I think you and I might as well give up as I sense a lot more of those nonsense^Wniche product reviews coming up...mattgmann - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
Your statement is true, except for the mass demand of high wattage PSUs for mining. Many 1k units are constantly sold out at major retailers because of the demand for mining rigs.derpherp - Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - link
This actually doesn't work that well when I try to use the zoom mod script:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y16XoA3ZFTI
Ubercake - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
My TX950 was built by CWT and continues to be a solid performer. I would have no issue buying this PSU at $170. That's a good price for 1000W 80-plus gold supply. Is there anything else close for that price?Two standard R9 290xs in crossfire will require 600W+ themselves without an overclock. Even though CPUs seem to be improving with regard to power usage, for souped-up gaming systems, more wattage is still required and GPUs seem to be requiring more power these days.
Antronman - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
More like 450ishzlandar - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
Like to see some reviews on small form factor PSUs that can fit into smaller cases.eanazag - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
I agree. Looking for itx case power supplies is not a lot of fun. Also, looking for low wattage PSUs sucks. Solid performers at 350 and below are interesting.meacupla - Saturday, April 26, 2014 - link
There is the Corsair CS series for that, which is gold and standard 140mm depth.But if you want higher quality than CS series, Antec earthwatts platinum is also good.
2late2die - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
Other than the size this looks like a great PSU for any high-end system. By the way, while the marketing for the RM series emphasizes the no-fan operation at low loads, I believe the AX series has the same feature and won't kick in its fan until 40+% loads.Antronman - Thursday, April 24, 2014 - link
It's too bad that Corsair's RM series are horrible quality.