Corsair HX1200i ’80 Plus Platinum’ Power Supply review

1. Introduction2. Corsair HX1200i (Bundle/Cabling)3. Corsair HX1200i (External)4. Corsair HX1200i (Internal)5. High Res Gallery6. Testing Methodology & Results7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:

• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
100W	1.55	3.34	1.75	5.05	6.65	12.22	0.50	5.02	0.20	-12.07
200W	3.13	3.34	3.50	5.05	13.50	12.18	1.00	5.02	0.20	-12.07
400W	6.40	3.33	7.05	5.04	27.50	12.14	1.50	5.02	0.30	-12.07
600W	9.80	3.33	10.77	5.04	41.70	12.12	2.00	5.01	0.30	-12.07
800W	13.25	3.33	14.55	5.04	56.40	12.08	2.50	5.01	0.50	-12.08
1000W	16.55	3.32	15.75	5.03	71.40	12.06	3.00	5.01	0.60	-12.08
1200W	22.01	3.32	22.01	5.00	85.00	12.02	3.60	5.00	0.80	-12.08

Load regulation is very good indeed, holding within 2%.

Corsair HX1200i	Maximum Load
	1344 Watts

We managed to get another 144 watts from the power supply before the protection circuitry kicked in. The supply was undamaged and it was ready to fire up again when we dropped the load to a more realistic level.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
1190W	4.0	3.34	3.0	5.05	88.0	12.00	0.2	-12.04	0.50	5.01
240W	19.0	3.33	22.0	4.99	2.5	12.15	0.2	-12.03	0.50	5.00

The Corsair HX1200i power supply delivered a great set of results in the demanding Cross load test, as shown above.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
100W	10	10	15	5
200W	15	10	15	10
400W	15	10	15	10
600W	15	10	20	10
800W	15	10	25	15
1000W	15	15	30	15
1200W	15	15	30	20

Fantastic results – all rails hold well within the industry rated tolerance levels.

Efficiency (%)
100W	85.8
200W	88.9
400W	93.0
600W	94.1
800W	93.8
1000W	92.6
1200W	92.2

The overall efficiency results are excellent, peaking at 94.1% at 600W. This drops to 92.4% efficiency at full load, a very impressive result overall.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide

10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
100W	<28.0
200W	<28.0
400W	<28.0
600W	31.5
800W	32.3
1000W	33.7
1200W	35.6

The Corsair HX1200i '80 Plus Platinum' Power Supply is a very quiet power supply and the fan was inactive below 500 watts. When the load rises, the fan starts to rotate, although noise levels are never a concern.

Even when delivering 1000 watts, the fan is not intrusive, although audible. Under 500 watts load, the unit is silent – our test equipment is limited to accurate results at no less than 28dBa.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
100W	35	37
200W	35	38
400W	37	43
650W	43	48
800W	45	54
1000W	47	57
1200W	50	63

Temperatures are well controlled as the fan spins actively once load hits 850W load and beyond.

Maximum load	Efficiency
1344W	91.7

Pushing the power supply above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 91.7%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.

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