The Corsair RM1000x and RM1000i 1000W Power Supply Review
by E. Fylladitakis on September 30, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- RM Series
- Corsair Link
Cold Test Results
For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts. For a thorough explanation of our testing methodology and more details on our equipment, please refer to our How We Test PSUs - 2014 Pipeline post.
Note: As the RM1000i and the RM1000x are technically identical, their performance during our testing naturally was identical as well. As such, one set of results is displayed in this review for clarity.
The electrical efficiency of the RM1000i/RM1000x is very stable and easily meets the 80Plus Gold efficiency certification standards. In fact, the units went beyond 80Plus Gold and reached 80Plus Platinum efficiency standards during our testing. However, that level is efficiency is was reached using a 230VAC input, therefore the 115VAC input used for 80Plus compliance testing could drop the efficiency below the 80Plus Platinum limits at 50% or 100% load.
The units have a maximum conversion efficiency of 92.8% at 50% load and an average of 91.8% within the nominal load range (20% to 100% of the unit's capacity). It is worthwhile to mention that the older RM1000 had a higher peak efficiency at 50% load, but lower overall efficiency. Corsair also improved the low load efficiency in comparison to the RM1000, bringing it up to 87.8% at 10% load and 80.1% at 5% load.
With the RM1000i/RM1000x operating outside our hotbox, the load had to reach 560 Watts before the fan even started spinning. The thermal performance of the newer models is clearly superior to that of the original RM1000 and astonishing for PSUs with that kind of power output, especially at lower loadings, where the fan is still not spinning. Once the fan starts, it remains practically inaudible. As the load increases however, the fan's speed will increase to meet the increasing cooling demands. The fan becomes clearly audible when the load is greater than about 800 Watts.
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HOOfan 1 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
There is about a 2% difference in efficiency between these 1000W PSUs, and a 650W 80 plus Platinum PSU at 100W of DC usage. So, we are talking about using an extra 2 Watts...big whoop.lozikosaz - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
1- Those numbers are made up by you.2- You are ignoring different vendors and models.
3- A modern, powerful rig may consume like 50W when browsing or doing office work.
4- There is nothing wrong in saving 1% of power by using a more appropriate PSU, and surely a cheaper one.
HOOfan 1 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
1- No they are made by actually reading reviews and looking at the numbers.Go find Kitguru's review of the RM1000x. They get 87.32% efficiency from the RM1000x at 100W. Go look at the Jonnyguru.com review of the EVGA P2 650 he gets 87.6% efficiency at 65W and 90.7% at 142W. So you are looking at around 88%-89% efficiency at 100W. Guess what, that is a 2%-3% difference.
You haven't provided ANYTHING
2- This article was about the RM000i/RM000x...so why should I talk about different vendors?
3- At 50W, a 5% difference in efficiencies is 2.5W....so the lower the power draw, even with a difference in efficiency, you are still wasting less power than you would be at higher loads.
4- There is also nothing wrong with using an over rated PSU which can provide a lot more power before the fan kicks on.
5- These sites publish what brings in readers. Reviewer after reviewer has said that the high power PSU reviews bring in more viewers.
HOOfan 1 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
Or you could do a more apples to apples comparison from the Kitguru, since they use the same testing equipment and AC sourceCorsair RM1000x 87.3% efficient at 100W DC draw
Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 11 89.5% efficient at 110W DC draw
Coolermaster V 550 88.6% efficient at 110W DC draw
So the 80 plus platinum 550W unit is only 2.2% more efficient than the 1000W 80 plus gold and the 80 plus gold 550W unit is only 1.3% more efficient than the 1000W 80 plus gold
lozikosaz - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
@ArbieIn case you didn't read, I mean :"I wish that Anandtech made more reviews for PSU in the range of 500/750W", which overkills any powerful single GPU rig.
Arbie - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
@lozikosaz - I was being facetious... I agree with you.paul878 - Sunday, October 4, 2015 - link
Too many models Corsair, your product line is getting confusing.