CORSAIR AX Series AX860 860W 80 PLUS PLATINUM Haswell Ready Full Modular ATX12V & EPS12V SLI and Crossfire Ready Power Supply

Pros: -Fully modular. -Completely silent! -Platinum!

Cons: -Multiple "double" wires on the 24-pin connect make sleeving difficult! Not a true con, just a warning to anyone planning on sleeving this PSU! Also, wires cross preventing you from sleeving an even pattern.

Overall Review: I managed to fully sleeve the PSU, despite the double wires and uneven routing. It looks great and can't be heard! Awesome!

Pros: 1. Build quality all around looks and feels great! Website reviews stated interior build and component quality is top notch, thanks to it being from Seasonic. 2. Fully modular cable system is SOOO nice! I had no idea what I was missing out on after years of semi modular Antec PSU's. 7. Insane 7 year warranty. 8. Cable sleeving is well done, much better then Antec's over the years. 9. Hybrid fan switch gives you option of full 24/7 cooling or silence mode under low loads if your that picky about noise. 10. Modular cable plugs and outlets are FINALLY labeled! 11. Being from Corsair means you are well covered for any issues that could happen. 12. Bonus case badge! 13. Even the box looks and feels sexy! 14. You could power 3 way SLI/Crossfire with this bad boy if you really wanted to. 15. Platinum powa efficiency!

Cons: 1. Not cheap. I got mine for $150 after promo discount and MIR but you get what you pay for for this model lineup. 2. Fan isn't as quiet as my old Antec PSU's was, but still hardly audible unless your paranoid about noise in which case, use the hybrid fan mode. 3. Cables are a bit stiff. 4. Power supply makes a "click" noise during power on and off. 5. The GPU power plugs have a new thing where there is a piggy bag plug for two 6 or 8 pins off one cable instead of using dual cables with one end on each. I can see benefit of one less cable but the loop caused by the piggy bag looks stupid, it just kinda sticks out. 6. I wish the PSU casing had the look of the AXi models.

Overall Review: I decided it was time while I had the money to get myself a new future proof PSU for whatever comes down the road before I move outa state, especially if I need to go SLI to extend the life of my gaming rig if funds are tight. This thing should handle anything I throw at for years to come and its been running with no issues on my i5 2500k @ 4.6ghz and evga 670 FTW gaming setup. Heck, I think the PSU just laughs at how little power my setup uses and just begs for me to throw in another 670 FTW! The AXi models seem to have some software issues according to users so I passed on them and saved some cash in the process.

Pros: Still one of the best power supplies on the market after it's original release around 3yrs ago. The cables are well made and plentiful for almost any configurations. The SATA/Molex cables are flat which makes them easy to zip-tie flush with the rear motherboard tray and drive cages. Voltages are incredibly stable under any load with very low ripple. The "AX860" logo on the side is printed to be shown up-right regardless of whether the PSU is mounted with the fan on the top or the bottom which is nice attention to detail. Corsair offers individually braided cables that can be purchased optionally to replace the standard black/sleeved cables that come with the unit which is a nice+. The PSU comes with a 7yr warranty which is fantastic and is nice peace of mind. Cables are of good length and can easily accommodate a 760T -one of the more popular cases chosen by my customers/clients. Which I might add can accommodate 1xODD+1xSSD+1xHDD all with a single SATA power cable thanks to the spacing provided in the case and the positioning of the connectors on the cable. Can't remember if I've used this PSU on the bottom of an Anctec Nineteen Hundred or not... so I'm not 100% sure but I believe the cables are more than long enough to accommodate that obelisk of a tower without the need for extension cables)

Cons: None thus far with any of them.

Overall Review: System builds and repairs are what I do and when the customer/client asks for recommendations on what PSU to use it is an easy choice to make. (as long as it fits their budget and power requirements) Of the builds I've done with this PSU I haven't had but a single person contact me regarding issues with their unit and it was a non-issue as the fan indeed worked but was set on "Hybrid", they were concerned that it wasn't moving any air most of the time and were unaware dual fan-mode feature. I'm currently using an older OCZ ZT750W as I got an irresistible price on it years ago. However, I'm going to purchase one of these for myself as my current PSU is now causing my over clock to become unstable under load after 2yrs. (I just hope it hasn't damaged my CPU as the voltages fluctuate too-much and it produces a bit more ripple/noise than I'm comfortable with) Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this is the only top-tier PSU you can buy... that would be preposterous and a lie. However, if you're in the market and want the best of the best in terms of quality and reliability then I can strongly recommend this PSU. Their are incredibly detailed reviews out there if you need information to help you make a decision on which power supply to purchase, I can't provide links in this review but I can advise that you do a Google search for jonnyguru/kitguru which provide invaluable information on a plethora of PSUs. On a side note, I noticed alot of negative rating here on this power supply which confuses me as I've used so many of them in multiple builds. All I can really say on that note is if by some chance you happen to get a defective unit whether it's DOA or fails after a short period of time, both Newegg and Corsair are incredibly awesome when processing RMAs. I've had to do them in the past with both companies over the years and it's been a pleasant experience on all occasions. I think at least a good percentage of the time when someone has a negative experience in regards to anything related to customer service, the individual was negative to begin with. I see people that are furious when denied for something that is far outside a covered warranty. Obviously that is a small fraction of people, but know (I've worked in customer service/advocacy at a few jobs over the years) you always have a much higher percentage of people that make their voices heard when they have a negative experience or don't get what they feel they should have then those who are content or very pleased. ...but back to base, it's all-in-all one heck of a power supply and definitely one that should be given close consideration if you're in the market and can fit it in your budget. I hope the small amount of information given can provide even the slightest in assistance to help make a decision one way or the other. Happy Building/Gaming/Editing/Mining/BingeWatchingGameOfThrones guys and gals!

Pros: Very good PSU. While some may be dead on arrival or die shortly thereafter, it has a 7 year warranty. Corsairs warranty process is easy, you can submit a claim online yourself and about a day or two later they will either offer a suggested fix, or email you a shipping label to have it sent in. I haven't had to warranty my PSU, but I had to warranty a memory stick I had ordered at the same time. One stick was bad, the other wasn't. They sent me new ones the next day, not refurbished or just one stick, but a completely new, unopened package of two sticks to replace the two I had bought. The PSU is solid and puts out consistent steady voltage and amperage. Ignore the bad reviews. It has a seven year easy to preform warranty guys!

Cons: none

Pros: The "hybrid" feature turns the fan on only when necessary (60% load). This means not only less (no) noise, but less dust being pulled into your PSU. Overload AND underload protection. "Platinum" Certified ALL cables are removable including the main 24pin trunk line. Not necessarily a big deal, but if the standard should ever change again (like it did going from 20pin to 24pin), this unit is ready for it. Incredibly well thought-out, down to flipping the label on either side of the unit so that it's always right-side up no matter how you install your psu. Spare cables stored in a velcro box-bag than can be placed in an included carrying bag. A bit much, but a nice touch. Mounting screws and lots of cable tie-offs included.

Cons: VERY heavy. Best mounted in cases with bottom-mount PSU bays. No extra mounting screws if you lose one. Pricey.

Overall Review: Nearly a decade ago, I invested in a 750watt modular psu that was definitely overkill at the time. But it lasted me through three builds, so it was money well spent. My latest build, an overclocked Intel 4770k was probably what did it in. Cascading device failures (two fans, several hard drives and a usb hub) had me scratching my head until I thought to test my psu. It had indeed started to go bad and I decided to spend the extra dough to invest in another top-end psu. After much research, the AX860 was the best deal around (even over the 860i). Makes no noise whatsoever in hybrid mode (I have yet to tax it to the point the fan comes on). And with no fan constantly running, that means less dust/cat-hair to clog my psu filter and overheat the unit (which probably killed my last psu). With the new AX860, all of my computer problems disappeared. Drives that would spin but not detected in bios are working again. Dead fans and an intermittently working usb hub all work again as well. Because of the solid construction and quality components, this unit is probably 50% heavier than my old 750watt psu, increasing my computer's overall weight... a mild irritant for those times I need to move it to the workbench (rare.) The only difference between the AX860 and AX860i is (so I'm told) added monitoring software/interface that most people say doesn't work that well and not used enough to justify the extra cost. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this PSU and would recommend it easily.

Pros: Great looking, great packaging, is currently running nice and stable and hasn't given me any issues. I only hear a bit of coil whine when running 3D benchmark programs, but with regular games I do not hear any at all (some state a lot of whine or while PC is turned off or going in and out of games to desktop but I got lucky I guess). Currently I have the PSU fan on hybrid which turns the fan off at low consumption, but with my case fans and 780ACX going I honestly don't even recall that I've heard the PSU fan period. So far I am satisfied with this unit but am a bit worried for it's longevity, I guess only time will tell.

Cons: Is advertised as coming with 6 PCI cables yet it only comes with 4, many people have stated the same which is ridiculous if you're spending this much on an "enthusiast" PSU. Also the cable connections on the PSU side are too tight, you're supposed to be able to insert each modular cable with slight effort and hear a distinct click of the clip catching, but on these I had to man handle them in and out and was worried I may break it somehow. Also the main 24 pin power and PCI cables are nicely sleeved however the sata/molex cables leave some to be desired (HD/SSD Sata connections on my drive sleds were a pain to connect as they are so close together, the SATA cables don't bend well). User manual could be a little easier to understand as well.

Overall Review: Seems like it's pretty hit and miss with this unit, either you get an amazing one or one plagued with problems/DOA so it's a gamble. I was afraid of it nuking my system on first startup from reading other reviews so I only plugged in the essentials with power to make sure it worked first. It started up the first time like a champ and I felt more reassured with having nice clean power going to it from my APC UPS. Had I read more reviews in depth before purchasing I most likely would have gone with a PSU with a higher user rating, I've always used Antec but with a Corsair case and cooler I decided to give their PSU a try.

Pros: Lasted me about 5 years (I keep my computer on 24/7)

Cons: I suspect it's starting to die on me after 5 years of 24/7 usage.

Pros: It works

Cons: The rails are not completely labeled correctly which can cause some problems overall it's pretty good.