14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when 80 Plus Gold was the highest efficiency rating that power supply units could achieve. Then some ambitious people set about overcoming it, leading to the 80 Plus Platinum standard.
But even that wasn't enough for some, so they toiled until they attained the 80 Plus Titanium certification, something that Corsair intends to do for the AX1500i, its upcoming high-end PSU.
The world really has come a long way since the days of power supply brute force, when only the wattage mattered.
Back then, decades ago, a 500W PSU could very well have an actual output of 300, with the rest wasted.
But environmental and cost-saving concerns eventually became too high to ignore, so the 80 Plus standard was set in place.
It takes some effort to reach even the lowest rating, simple 80 Plus, after which it gets progressively harder to strike the higher steps, 80 Plus Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Titanium.
Curiously enough, the 80 Plus Silver seems to be the second rarest rating, after Titanium. Or the third rarest, since Platinum is pretty sparse as well. Anyway, 80 Plus Bronze and Gold make the news most often, reflecting user demand for them.
Once in a while, though, companies have to make a stand, to strike awe into the hearts of their potential buyers, even if they don't expect to sell their wonder product all that much.
That's what Corsair is doing with the AX1500i, or will do once the item comes out, whenever that is: acquiring some serious bragging rights.
The PSU has over 90% efficiency at all load levels: 91.23% efficiency at 10% load, 92.63% efficiency at 20%, 94.04% efficiency at 50%, and 91.34% efficiency at 100%.
Thus, it won't waste even 10% of those 1500W, allowing it to power four high-end graphics cards at the same time (has eight PCI Express cables), and everything else that makes up a powerful gaming/enthusiast/overclocking system.
As for the fan, it is a 140 mm fluid dynamic bearing spinner that doesn't start until the load goes over 450W, though Corsair claims it is “ultra-quiet” even at 1500W.
The Corsair AX1500i 80 Plus Titanium PSU will have a price of $450 / €325 - €450 when it starts shipping (whenever the ETA is). The item will be backed by a 7-year warranty.
The box will include the Corsair Link software, which will act as a virtual monitor for your PSU, showing you its status and work parameters whenever you feel like checking on it.