Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply Preview
Introduction, Specs and Bundle
Corsair is one of the few companies in the PC enthusiast space that has been able to expand their product offerings, while also maintaining or even bolstering their solid reputation in the community. All too often, a company will attempt to build upon some initial success by entering a new market with a “me too” or re-badged product and end up losing credibility with enthusiasts along the way. Corsair seems to take a different approach, however. Instead of simply re-branding a product just to quickly gain a presence in a new or fledgling market, Corsair, more often than not, seems to bide their time to customize or design a product (or product family) to specifically cater to enthusiasts. And then they launch it with a clearly defined feature set that differentiates the Corsair products from the competition. Of course it also helps that Corsair seems to design some of the more aesthetically appealing and best performing products for enthusiasts as well.
Corsair’s attention to detail and understanding of the enthusiast community has allowed the company to evolve from a memory manufacturer into a well-regarded supplier of cases, cooling hardware, input devices, PC audio, power supplies, gaming accessories and storage devices. Their latest product, the Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply, takes things a step further and blazes a trail by adding some innovative and useful features not found in any competing products.
The Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply’s name hints at this PSU’s 1200 watt rating, but beyond its monstrous power output, the AX1200i is also highly efficient and sports a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to provide digitally-controlled power and an interface to Corsair’s Corsair Link software for real-time monitoring and control. There are quite a few other features to the AX1200i worth mentioning as well, which we’ll get to on the pages ahead. First up, here’s a quick peek at some of the unit’s specs and a look at what Corsair includes in the AX1200i’s box...
The Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX PSU
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Warranty | 7 years |
Dimensions | 50mm x 86mm x 200mm |
Modular | Fully Modular |
Power Output | 1200 watts |
80 Plus Certifications | Platinum |
ATX Connector | 1 |
EPS Connector | 2 |
PCI-E Connector | 6 |
4-Pin Peripheral Connector | 12 |
SATA Connector | 16 |
Floppy Connector | 2 (via adapters) |
MTBF | 2,000,000 hours |
Corsair AX1200i PSU Cable Bundle
Corsair includes a myriad of cables with the AX1200i PSU, in addition to a few other accessories. The cable break-down is detailed in the list of specifications above. As you can see in the list, there are a multitude of SATA (16), 4-pin peripheral (12), and PCI Express (6) power connectors / cables present, along with a couple of adapters that’ll convert two of the 4-pin connectors to floppy connectors. Also included with the AX1200i is a bag with mounting screws, 10 nylon zip-ties, a “Powered by Corsair” case badge, and a strip of double-sided tape to facilitate mounting of the Corsair Link device.
The Corsair AX1200i is able to interface with Corsair’s Link software through the included Corsair Link USB dongle. The dongle connects to an available motherboard USB header and then a thin cable connects the Link device to the PSU. We’ll talk a little more about the Corsair Link device and dongle a little later.