Specifications

This PSU is, like the rest of the AXi PSUs, 80 Plus Platinum certified, and it can deliver its full continuous power at up to 50°C. The protection features include everything except for Under Voltage Protection. OTP (Over Temperature Protection), one of the, in our opinion, most crucial protection features, is present. The fan has a diameter of 120 mm since the unit's dimensions are compact, and it is equipped with double-ball bearings in order to operate flawlessly throughout the PSU's entire warranty period, which is extra-long at seven years. The price tag is really high, especially if someone focuses on the AX860i's capacity without taking into account the unit's more exotic features that are made possible through the technology it utilizes; technology that is being used for the very first time in commercial PSUs. Anything new and good will, unfortunately, always come at a, at first, high price; that is, until production costs come down, or until the competition responds.


The PSU normally comes with a single +12V rail that can deliver the full power of the unit on its own. Software support, however, allows you to set an OCP for up to six virtual +12V rails. The minor rails are strong enough for a contemporary system, and the 5VSB rail can deliver a little bit more power than the minimum seen nowadays (2.5 A).

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The AX860i is equipped with exactly the same amount and type of connectors as its smaller sibling, the AX7601, which is not a disadvantage since the latter packs a lot of connectors. With six PCIe and two EPS connectors available at the same time, the unit is able to support a three-way SLI or Crossfire configuration and a server mainboard with two installed CPUs. The twelve SATA connectors will suffice in every case, and the eight peripheral connectors will easily cover extra fans, lights, etc.

All connectors are installed on pretty long cables. Most of you won't face any problems, even with a large full-tower chassis. The distance amongst the PCIe and the SATA connectors is also sufficient, but we can't say the same of the distance amongst the peripheral connectors. Contrary to SATA HDDs/SDDs that are usually installed close to each other, the components that use peripheral connectors are, most of the time, installed away from each other, and having no more than 100 mm in-between connectors will, most likely, cause headaches. Thankfully, a lot of 4-pin Molex connectors will probably alleviate this problem.

Finally, the 24-pin ATX connector utilizes thicker 16AWG gauges for lower voltage drops, while the other connectors (except for the FDD ones) use the standard 18AWG wire.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have much to say about its power distribution except that you can set up to six virtual rails with a configurable OCP through the Corsair Link software.