PSUs exploding during water loop test.

[sblantipodi]

If you search the internet there are a lot of users with Corsair PSUs exploded during a simple water loop test,
with only the water pump connected.

I had the exact same problem on my "old HX1200i" that worked well until the first test with a water pump.

Is this a known issue?
Is there some problems with loading a PSU with a DC pump without any other components attached to it?

 

[masterdeejay]

Google: corsair hx1200i recall

And there is a minimum recommended load for ATX PSU. Some low quality/bad build ones can't handle that low.
I use an old 300w delta psu, or sometimes a generic 12v psu for pump/loop testing.

 

[sblantipodi]

but an I use my brand new HX1200i (2024 version) for the next pump/loop testing or not?
I have never seen minimum load on the specs.

 

[Viruzz]

but an I use my brand new HX1200i (2024 version) for the next pump/loop testing or not?
I have never seen minimum load on the specs.

I purchased on aliexpress adapters from 12V external HDD power adapter to SATA and to MOLEX, some even have on/off switch
and after my PSU exploded i only use these

 

[freeagent]

That is frikkin brutal man.

I thought they made the bestestest PSU's??

 

[Solaris17]

That is frikkin brutal man.

I thought they made the bestestest PSU's??

I have not and will not buy another corsair PSU since my hx1000 24pin welded itself to my board and didn’t trip any protection.

as for testing I always use a spare they are nice to have.

 

[ir_cow]

Your the same one that had USB connection problems with the 1200HXI. It seems like you just had a bad unit. Of the 2 Corsair PSUs I used for filling loops, none exploded

 

[freeagent]

I have not and will not buy another corsair PSU since my hx1000 24pin welded itself to my board and didn’t trip any protection.

as for testing I always use a spare they are nice to have.

I swore Corsair off many many moons ago. I have nothing good to say about them. I gave them four tries, and I was burned four times.

To me they are just a fancy Thermaltake. I dunno though.. heard TT is making a comeback in the quality dept.

 

[Viruzz]

That is frikkin brutal man.

I thought they made the bestestest PSU's??

Mine exploded running single pump run ROFL
And than I received a brown Box replacement that was from defective batch, these would not boot on than brand new Intel z690 or boot and then turn off.
Corsair knew about this and had defective serial numbers advertised, YET they also sent me a replacement from that butch, go figure.
So I said 'WT'F and they said 'we fucked it up' and sent me brand new Retail sealed PSU.
BUT I cant live without a PC, so during all that shipping replacements from Asia, i went across Amazon web sites and found in amazon Germany SUPER cheap beQuiet Straight Power Platinum 11, 1200W
Maybe because its German it was cheaper there [i dont remember maybe 250USD], so thats what I use and keep the corsair for backup.

I also got brand new MSI digital PSU, 1200W to 1350W [dont remember exact model, it also sealed] it has one of the new plugs and USB and i kept it for future upgrade that supposed to happen yesterday.
yesterday I went to buy 285K and then decided NAH, it wont be upgrade over my old 13900KF, ill wait for 9950x3D benchmarks [hopefully November] and MAYBE Intel and MS release some windows patches, bioses and microcodes to fix 285 issues like they did for Ryzen, so ill decide which one to buy.
i dont like AMD they have very few mobo options [almost no white options] and even high end x870E mobos steal x8 lanes from CPU for m.2, intel boards have 5-6 m.2 for free and some have x7 m.2 [yes in this case they also steal from CPU], but i need 4 minimum and 5 optional, also i need 5ghz nic so i could upgrade 2.5gb fiber to 5gb

Your the same one that had USB connection problems with the 1200HXI. It seems like you just had a bad unit. Of the 2 Corsair PSUs I used for filling loops, none exploded

I can confirm what he said, i had the same exact issue on same exact model.
Until NOW i was sure it exploded because i pluged ATX24 adapter with switch, you know the one to turn on PSU without mobo, they gift one with water cooling kits, but mine had on/off switch
So i was sure its the reason and now after seeing his post, i know it was Corsairs fault

 

[jonnyGURU]

The reason the old one blew up is the same reason almost any other PSU would have blown up. 99% of PSUs out there doing have a heatsink or thermistor on the minor rails, so if you just load the minor rails and not the 12V for an extended amount of time, they will eventually overheat. That's why the newer Corsair PSUs have such a high fan RPM when the minor rails are loaded. It's to keep them cool. A lot of people that "don't get it" complain about the noise (especially when they have a lot of RGB, which uses a lot of+5V), but I'd rather have a loud PSU than an exploding one.

Google: corsair hx1200i recall

There was never an HX1200i recall.

You can Google just about anything and find people talking about it, but that doesn't mean it's real/it happened.

And there is a minimum recommended load for ATX PSU. Some low quality/bad build ones can't handle that low.
I use an old 300w delta psu, or sometimes a generic 12v psu for pump/loop testing.

Yes, and no. It's not a matter of "bad quality". The newer PSUs are made for more +12V load while an old Delta 300W has a massive 5V because back in the day the +5V was more important.

but an I use my brand new HX1200i (2024 version) for the next pump/loop testing or not?

As I said a number of times: The new HX1200i ais a completely different PSU. It's like asking "will a 2024 Ford Bronco have the same issue with broken U joints that the '86 had?" No.... no it won't.

I have not and will not buy another corsair PSU since my hx1000 24pin welded itself to my board and didn’t trip any protection.

This is because "OWP", or "Over Welded Protection" is not a thing.

If the 24-pin is going to have a melted connector due to an overloaded pin, poorly connected pin, or corrosion, there's no protection for that. OCP works on the whole rail. Not a single wire. And SCP only works once the plastic is melted away and the terminal touches another terminal and causes a short. Sorry it happened to you with a Corsair PSU, but it could have happened to you with any PSU.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

I have an RM850x and it seems solid.

 

[Assimilator]

The reason the old one blew up is the same reason almost any other PSU would have blown up. 99% of PSUs out there doing have a heatsink or thermistor on the minor rails, so if you just load the minor rails and not the 12V for an extended amount of time, they will eventually overheat. That's why the newer Corsair PSUs have such a high fan RPM when the minor rails are loaded. It's to keep them cool. A lot of people that "don't get it" complain about the noise (especially when they have a lot of RGB, which uses a lot of+5V), but I'd rather have a loud PSU than an exploding one.

This is actually fascinating because I would've expected the heat generated to trigger the fan to spin up (or spin faster) to combat it - is the issue that the heat generated by the minor rails is so small and so localised that it never raises the temperature enough to trip the fan? Or, do the components in question heat soak so much that by the time temps rise enough for the fan to kick in, it's too late?

 

[freeagent]

Or.. if this is a known issue, why not beef up the minor rails?

Get a leg up on the competition..

 

[ir_cow]

Idk, used both RX850 and HX1200 to fill loops. Paper clip on black and green wires (same as the connector they give out). After filling the loop I usually leave it running for 30mins. Can't see how a single D5 is enough to blow any rail unless the unit was already defective. Which would mean didn't matter what you did, it was going to die at some point either way.

 

[R0H1T]

Think of it this way, you took one for the team

 

[Viruzz]

The reason the old one blew up is the same reason almost any other PSU would have blown up. 99% of PSUs out there doing have a heatsink or thermistor on the minor rails, so if you just load the minor rails and not the 12V for an extended amount of time, they will eventually overheat. That's why the newer Corsair PSUs have such a high fan RPM when the minor rails are loaded. It's to keep them cool. A lot of people that "don't get it" complain about the noise (especially when they have a lot of RGB, which uses a lot of+5V), but I'd rather have a loud PSU than an exploding one.


There was never an HX1200i recall.

There was a recall, just silent, they published the data on their web page and if you had a model falling in the serial range you was entitled for a swap, I had such PSU myself that i received as replacement for the blown up HX1200i.

Here is the link and the serial numbers:

https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053138271-What-to-do-if-your-system-does-not-power-on-when-using-an-HX1200-or-HX1200i

 

[jonnyGURU]

There was a recall, just silent, they published the data on their web page and if you had a model falling in the serial range you was entitled for a swap, I had such PSU myself that i received as replacement for the blown up HX1200i.

Here is the link and the serial numbers:

https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360053138271-What-to-do-if-your-system-does-not-power-on-when-using-an-HX1200-or-HX1200i

That's not a recall for "PSU blows up". That's "PSU doesn't POST".

Entirely different issue.

 

[Viruzz]

That's not a recall for "PSU blows up". That's "PSU doesn't POST".

Entirely different issue.

BTW, are you frequent on Linus tech tips forum?
Years ago, you helped me expedite the PSU swap, i was waiting weeks for customer service replay.

Thank you

 

[jonnyGURU]

Or.. if this is a known issue, why not beef up the minor rails?

Get a leg up on the competition..

Cost. MOSFETs are exponentially more expensive as you beef them up. Prime example: GWs own SFX 1200 Ti barely hits Ti efficiency. But the Loki that uses the same platform passes with flying colors. This is due to a $5 investment in better PFC MOSFETs.

BTW, are you frequent on Linus tech tips forum?
Years ago, you helped me expedite the PSU swap, i was waiting weeks for customer service replay.

Thank you

Was. But then the average IQ dipped to that of an uncooked eggplant, so instead of learning how to communicate in Cavan grunts, I just quit.

 

[Frick]

BTW, are you frequent on Linus tech tips forum?
Years ago, you helped me expedite the PSU swap, i was waiting weeks for customer service replay.

Thank you

jonnyguru basically invented PSU reviews.

This is actually fascinating because I would've expected the heat generated to trigger the fan to spin up (or spin faster) to combat it - is the issue that the heat generated by the minor rails is so small and so localised that it never raises the temperature enough to trip the fan? Or, do the components in question heat soak so much that by the time temps rise enough for the fan to kick in, it's too late?

Might as well program it to behave like that.

As I said a number of times: The new HX1200i ais a completely different PSU. It's like asking "will a 2024 Ford Bronco have the same issue with broken U joints that the '86 had?" No.... no it won't.

If it's a completely different PSU, why not call it something different, or at least toss a "v2" or something on it? It's honestly a real turn off when shopping for PSU's.

 

[jonnyGURU]

If it's a completely different PSU, why not call it something different, or at least toss a "v2" or something on it? It's honestly a real turn off when shopping for PSU's.

We do. There's a year suffix (new one says "2024") and the CP part number is completely different.

Come to think of it, I think most people use the suffix "ATX 3.1" for the new HXi.

 

[Redwoodz]

We do. There's a year suffix (new one says "2024") and the CP part number is completely different.

Come to think of it, I think most people use the suffix "ATX 3.1" for the new HXi.

Off topic but it's good to see you around man. I bought a review sample from you years ago, still going strong.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

We do. There's a year suffix (new one says "2024") and the CP part number is completely different.

Come to think of it, I think most people use the suffix "ATX 3.1" for the new HXi.

I just hope that the RM850X isn't affected! Because that became my go to PSU, ever since eVGA formally prepared to exit the market.
I almost bought another eVGA PSU, too!

 

[ir_cow]

EVGa never made any in-house PSUs anyway, just branded seasonic, great wall, etc.

 

[jonnyGURU]

EVGa never made any in-house PSUs anyway, just branded seasonic, great wall, etc.

Never Great Wall. Only one Seasonic. Typically HEC, some Super Flower a while ago, quite a few FSP based models.

I just hope that the RM850X isn't affected! Because that became my go to PSU, ever since eVGA formally prepared to exit the market.
I almost bought another eVGA PSU, too!

Again... TOTALLY different PSU. You wouldn't assume a Corvette is a piece of shit because the Chevy Vega is a piece of shit.

I have not and will not buy another corsair PSU since my hx1000 24pin welded itself to my board and didn’t trip any protection.

It's also interesting that the 12VO motherboards that just take 12v don't have heatsinks on the 3 and 5 rails. Does that mean they will pop with enough RGB as well?

They probably will if you overload them for any extended period of time.

ATX12V or ATX12VO are BOTH standards that don't take RGB and custom loops into consideration. And certainly it doesn't take into consideration multi-card use or motherboard manufacturers wouldn't be adding additional PCIe slots on the board just to support extra power to the slot.

I feel this is something that needs further discussion.

So the ATX standard has FOUR +5V and one +12V. This is because back then, CPU voltage regulation was done from the +5V rail. +12V rail was used primarily for fan headers.

Enter ATX12V. A second +12V is added to the +4 of the 20+4 for additional slot power and a 2x2 is added for CPU power because now CPU power is regulated from the +12V.

x16 slots require 5.5A from the +12V. Even if 16g wire is used, a +12V terminal on a 24-pin is only rated at 6A. 8A if HCS terminals are used.

So what happens when you add fan headers and a second GPU? Yeah... guess what? The 12V terminal on the 24-pin melts.

THJIS is why a lot of newer boards ads the second PCIe connector to the motherboard.

With ATX12VO, you now have THREE +12V terminations on the main connector. One more than before. And you're still using a 2x2 or 2x4 for CPU power. So this ATX12VO power is only for the PCIe slot and the fan header and D2D conversion for the +5V and +3.3V.

But, as stated, if you have a lot of RGB, that's still not enough. This is why a lot of these ATX12VO boards ALSO have a PCIe connector on the motherboard. But if we look at this at a high level, you STILL have less connectors/smaller connectors and more +12V leads to the motherboard. CLEARLY, ATX12VO is the way to go.