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Corsair HX1200i vs HX1200i 2024

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Is It true that the old HX1200i was an analog PSU with digital monitoring funxtion while the new 2024 version is a complete digital PSU?

If yes what's the difference between the HX1200i and the AX1600i apart the obvious max wattage? Are they both fully digital PSU with digital voltage regulation?

this is the old one:
1723929070582.png


this is the new one
1723929084987.png
 

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First, understand this refers simply to the monitoring and regulation of the supply. Do NOT assume digital automagically means better. It does not. The outputs of these near identical switching PSUs are the essentially the same. Any improvement that can be attributed specifically to digital monitoring and regulation is negligible, at best.

I have not read any review that compared similar analog regulated supplies to digital supplies that indicated the digital model justified the extra costs. A quality supply is a quality supply. That's the point to remember or one of the points.

Another important point to remember is that motherboards and graphics cards tend to have excellent regulation circuits too - designed specifically to ensure the sensitive components on those devices receive the good, clean, stable power they need. And for sure, those circuits do a great job at that.

So IMO, the big deal about claiming digital regulation and monitoring is simply marketing hype to justify higher costs for more profit.

If me, I would use the savings I got by avoiding the over priced supply and use it towards a good UPS with AVR. When you feed quality, regulated power to a PSU, even a budget PSU, that PSU will be able to feed connected components better regulated power too. I am NOT saying it is okay to go with budget PSUs. You don't buy a new Porsche then fill it up at the corner Tobacco and Bait shop with watered down fuel. Never try to trim the budget with a cheap PSU. Always go with a quality PSU from a reputable brand. I am just saying we don't have to buy the highest tier, most expensive models they offer to ensure we provide our computers good, clean stable power.
 
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this is a two week old post but just FYI, HX1200i is semi- digital and 3.0 ATX spec. The AX1600i is fully digital but only ATX 2.4 spec (i think, not positive but definitely not 3.0) You can also split the 12v rail in the AX1600i via software if I recall.
 
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this is a two week old post but just FYI, HX1200i is semi- digital and 3.0 ATX spec. The AX1600i is fully digital but only ATX 2.4 spec (i think, not positive but definitely not 3.0) You can also split the 12v rail in the AX1600i via software if I recall.

No, there are two HX1200i, the latest one is fully digital, it's ATX3.1 and can split the 12V rail.
 
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It's a slight update to the same CWT platform used by BQ dark power pro 13 1300w
do corsair says "bullshits" in their web page? :)
it's probable, but I hope not.

1725394146190.png


they say: "fully digital"
if you see the ripple of this PSU it's very very good, it's less than half than older model.
11mV vs 30mV at full load.

a slight update will double the performance in ripple at all loads?
 
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I think they are being generous in their use of a marketing term as there are not that many true digital PSU out there. The slight update as I stated above is to the platform used by BQ not the old platform that's almost a decade old even if both are made by CWT.
 
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I think they are being generous in their use of a marketing term as there are not that many true digital PSU out there. The slight update as I stated above is to the platform used by BQ not the old platform that's almost a decade old even if both are made by CWT.
to me a digital psu is a psu that regulate its voltages with a microcontroller.
all other things are secondaries...

this PSU should regulate its voltages with a microcontroller, isn't it?

I'm not an expert, just asking.
 
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It does use microcontrollers for voltage regulation
 
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to me a digital psu is a psu that regulate it's voltages with a microcontroller.
That's exactly what it is. And when done right, it nearly eliminates ripple and other unwanted anomalies, and greatly enhances regulation by more quickly compensating for any deviation from the standard. And it does that much more efficiently such that totally passive (no fan) cooling is much more easily achievable. Or if a fan is used, it can be used with a significantly smaller heatsink and smaller fan that does not need to spin very fast. Thus it is quieter - and since I really hate fan noise, that is a very good thing indeed.

But the actual voltages supplied are DC. That is, straight line +12.0VDC, +5.0VDC and +3.30VAC. Or at least those voltages will appear that way to any connected device. That is, any switching frequency will be so fast, it will appear to be like the steady output of a battery. In theory anyway.

Of course the problem there is theory and real world don't always gibe. So we will have to see how well the manufacturers do when adapting truly "full" digital designs.
 
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So we will have to see how well the manufacturers do when adapting truly "full" digital designs.
the fact that Corsair hasn't updated the AX1600i in basically a decade should tell you the demand for truly full digital. I'm not sure Flex has any desire to update it. I know Delta built a solid fuly digital unit but not as good as Flex and I believe Seasonic (or Super Flower) recently released one but it basically gets back to your initial post of cost not necessarily going into real world performance for most people.

Ok thanks for the answers, I appreciate it
end of day, HX1200i is an excellent & modern unit designed to go against top tier consumer OEMs units. AX1600i was designed to show off what could be done if you ticked off every box in a "wish list" unit while still under a "somewhat reasonable" production cost. To this day it's often the best reviewed PSU on many PSU web sites and itself an extraordinary unit when launched but the platform is a decade old.
 
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he fact that Corsair hasn't updated the AX1600i in basically a decade should tell you the demand for truly full digital.
I am not sure if "demand" will even be the driving factor. I think just time (and money) will, however. That is, eventually, as advances in technology put more and more on a single chip, the move from multiple discrete component analog monitoring and control will just naturally evolve from analog to one chip digital. I could be wrong but history is on my side here.
 
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