You know when people use human or anatomical analogies to describe parts of a PC, like how the CPU is the brain, the motherboard is the skeleton, your liquid cooling pipes are arteries, and power cables are… veins? OK, we've never heard of some of those either, but few anatomical analogies are more apt than the PSU (Power Supply Unit) being the beating heart of your PC, pumping the requisite amount of voltage into all those components.
It's not the most glamorous part of your PC, but a lot depends on it. A high-quality power supply will supply your GPU, CPU, motherboard, hard drives, you-name-it, with all the power they need to function at peak performance while its fan whirs quietly in the background. An energy-efficient PSU will keep your rig-running bills low over the long run, and you can even get modular ones to keep the inside of your PC case cable- and clutter-free.
PC hardware masters Corsair need no introduction—you may well be using their headset, SSD, AIO cooling unit, or other part right now—but their range of high-quality power supplies deserves some extra spotlight. So here's Corsair's latest range of PSUs, ready to power any PC build you slot them into.
Corsair AX1600i
The flagship end of Corsair's PSU lineup, the Corsair AX1600i rules supreme. Delivering over 94% efficiency thanks to its state-of-the-art nitride transistors and 80 PLUS Platinum rating, it's a PSU capable of supporting the biggest, most demanding PC setups. Its large 140mm Patented FDB fan runs quietly, or even silently thanks to a Zero RPM Fan Mode, turning the fan off completely at low usage.
Delivering 1600W (or 860W) of power via a single 12v rail, with a microprocessor digitally monitoring power output throughout your PC, this PSU may be overkill for the mid-range PC build, but a must for the no-expenses spared super build. A fully modular design will ensure those cables stay neat too!
Corsair HXi series
The HXi 1500i is a powerful PSU series at a sensible budget, capable of powering everything an Nvidia 4000 series GPU or AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU can throw at it. Thanks to its Magnetic Levitation fan (with Zero RPM mode), it will purr away quietly in the background, and its EPS12V connectors deliver 80 PLUS Platinum-rated power efficiency.
Like the AX1600i, the HXi Series comes with an impressive 10-year warranty, showcasing Corsair's confidence in its product.
Corsair RM/RM Shift series
With the same EPS12V connectors as the top-end AX 1600i, but with 80 PLUS Gold efficiency, the RM and RM Shift series cover Corsair's High- to Mid-Range PSUs. With choices ranging from 550W-1000W, these PSUs can handle gaming rigs with mid to high power draw, and pride themselves on being virtually silent in operation.
This series is fully modular, with a 140mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan that uses a specially calculated fan curve for the combo of high performance and low noise (with Zero RPM Mode too, of course). It's Intel ATX 3.0 Certified and PCIe Gen5-compliant.
The RM Shift series has the added bonus of a side connector interface, giving it more versatility when it comes to that precious cable management. Its reliability, meanwhile, is backed up by a 10-year warranty, letting you get on with your gaming worry-free.
Corsair CX series
For the PC builder on a budget, the CX range offers 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency that weaves wattage throughout your system at an excellent price. The 120mm thermally controlled low-noise cooling fan stays quiet even under duress, and its compact design will easily fit most modern PC builds.
Its slick black-sleeved cables and black powder-coated casing should coolly camouflage with its surroundings inside your PC, and it comes with a three-year warranty to boot. The wattages of the CX series range from 450W to 750W.
Corsair SF/SF-L
$185/£155 (SF) | $180/£150 (SF-L)
Looking to build a cute and compact build that you can easily carry over to friends' houses for old-school LAN parties? You'll want a matching compact PSU for the job, which is where the SF and SF-L come in. These dense little PSUs pack in 80 PLUS Platinum ratings offering up to 92% efficiency and have Zero RPM Fan Modes, lowering both noise and bills, and are designed to fit Micro- and Mini ATX PC cases.
Both SF and SF-L ranges are ATX 3.0 and PICe 5.0-compliant, designed for the latest PC hardware. The more compact SF comes in 600W and 750W variants, while the slightly larger SF-L has 850W and 1000W.
Read to give your PC that heart transplant it deserves? Head over to the official Corsair site, or follow the latest events in their tech lab on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or Facebook, or check out their videos on Twitch and YouTube.
