Specifications

Efficiency remained Gold; however, compared to the RM1000, the maximum temperature at which the PSU can deliver its full power continuously has been raised to 50°C, an increase of 10°C. The RM1000i also comes with all protections and an FDB fan, which will have the fan last longer than the riffle-bearing fan Corsair's RM units have. Corsair's semi-passive mode translates into zero noise output at light loads and the warranty is set at seven years, a long period that somewhat justifies the unit's $200 price tag.

In single +12V rail mode, the RM1000i can deliver more than 83 amperes at +12V, which easily meets the needs of a strong gaming system. At 150 W maximum combined power output, the minor rails are very strong as well, and while the 5VSB rail could afford to be a little stronger, 3A will cover most instances.

In multiple +12V rail mode, the RM1000i has eight rails with a 40A limit each. Definitely a high number of +12V rails, we believe it to be enough to cover any user who doesn't feel safe with single +12V rail PSUs. According to Corsair, each 8-pin modular connector has its own +12V rail in this mode, while the 6-pin connectors for SATA and Molex share another. The last +12V rail is for the two +12V leads on the 24-pin connector.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

There are enough PCIe and EPS connectors for a 1 kW PSU, and all of them are available at the same time. There are also a plethora of SATA and peripheral connectors to make sure anyone's needs are met. The RM1000i is among one of few PSUs to offer such a large number of peripheral connectors. Overall, the cables are long enough, and the distance between PCIe and SATA connectors is good. We would like to see the peripheral connectors spaced apart a little more since components that use these specific connectors are usually pretty far apart. The 24-pin ATX and PCIe connectors use 16AWG wires, the FDD adapters utilize 22AWG gauges, and all other connectors use 18AWG wires.

Since the ATX, EPS, and PCIe connectors have soldered-on capacitors to further suppress ripple, modders will have a hard time making their own cables. Corsair will also most likely not offer an individually sleeved cabling kit with these capacitors installed since such capacitors are expensive and won't look nice, which is the main reason behind utilizing cabling kits.