Corsair says it improves upon the previous generation in two manifest ways. Efficiency is raised from 80 PLUS Gold to 80 PLUS Platinum, meaning the fully-modular AX860i is at least two per cent more efficient across a wide-load range. Secondly, a major improvement of the AXi rests with the ‘digital’ nature of how Corsair goes about delivering clean, consistent power at all times.
Most PSUs use a series of analogue components to produce the necessary voltage, ripple regulation and efficiency, with better supplies able to keep closer to the ideal – meaning perfect voltage under load and near-perfect suppression of AC input – than cheaper ones.
The mid-wattage AXi PSUs replace some of these parts with a digital signal processor (DSP) whose job is the same, that is, to regulate the voltage and ripple, ensuring it’s as close to perfect as possible. Corsair claims that the AXi PSU’s DSP, by actively measuring data and using a feedback system, on-the-fly, is able to keep DC 12V output regulation to +/- 1.5 per cent.
AX860i purpose is to offer better voltage regulation, ripple suppression, and greater efficiency than the previous class-leading supplies from the company.
The AX860i measures a compact 160mm x 150mm x 86mm (WxDxH) and, befitting a high-end PSU, is fully-modular in design. This means that all cables, which are bundled in a nicely-presented bag, need to be connected separately.
CablesCables, type, length, plugs on cable
Main20+4-pin (61cm)
ATX/EPSP4+P4 (65cm) x2 cables (2)
PCIe6+2-pin (60cm-75cm) x6 cables (6)
Peripheral 14x SATA (70cm) x2 cables (8)
Peripheral 24x SATA (85cm) x1 cable (4)
Peripheral 44x Molex (75cm) x2 cables (8)
Peripheral 5Floppy (100cm) x 2 cables (2)
Six separate PCIe, eight Molex, and 12 SATA are enough to power most PCs
