Test Setup

All measurements were performed using two Chroma 6314A mainframes equipped with the following electronic loads: six 63123A [350 W each], one 63102A [100 W x2], and one 63101A [200 W]. The aforementioned equipment is able to deliver 2500 W of load, and all loads are controlled by a custom-made software. The AC source is a Chroma 6530 capable of delivering up to 3 kW of power. We also used a Rigol DS2072A oscilloscope kindly sponsored by Batronix, a Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a Picotech TC-08 thermocouple data logger, two Fluke multimeters (models 289 and 175), a Keithley 2015 THD 6.5 digit bench DMM, and a Yokogawa WT210 power meter. We also included a wooden box, which, along with some heating elements, was used as a hot box and had at our disposal three more oscilloscopes (Rigol VS5042, Stingray DS1M12, and a second Picoscope 3424) and a Class 1 Bruel & Kjaer 2250-L G4 Sound Analyzer we equipped with a type 4189 microphone that features a 16.6-140 dBA-weighted dynamic range. You will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow in this article. We also conduct all of our tests at 40°C-45°C ambient to simulate the environment seen inside a typical system more accurately, with 40°C-45°C being derived from a standard ambient assumption of 23°C and 17°C-22°C being added for the typical temperature rise within a system.

To control the Chroma 6530 source, we use a GPIB-USB controller, which avoids its extra picky Serial port. This controller was kindly provided by Prologix.

Primary Rails Load Regulation

The following charts show the main rails' voltage values, recorded over a range from 60 W to the maximum specified load, and the deviation (in percent) for the same load range.

5VSB Regulation

The following chart shows how the 5VSB rail deals with the load we throw at it.

Hold-up Time

Hold-up time is a very important PSU characteristic and represents the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, a PSU can maintain output regulations as defined by the ATX spec without input power. In other words, it is the amount of time the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. The ATX specification sets the minimum hold-up time to 16 ms with the maximum continuous output load. In the following screenshot, the blue line is the mains signal and the yellow line is the "Power Good" signal. The latter is de-asserted to a low state when any of the +12V, 5V, or 3.3V output voltages fall below the undervoltage threshold, or after the mains power has been removed for a sufficiently long time to guarantee that the PSU cannot operate anymore.



The RM1000i registered the highest hold-up time of all competiting1 kW units, which shows that Corsair takes hold-up-time performance seriously.

Inrush Current

Inrush current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. Because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s), PSUs produce large inrush-current right as they are turned on. Large inrush current can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers; as a result, the lower a PSU's inrush current right as it is turned on, the better.



Easily surpassing the 16 ms hold-up-time threshold, inrush current was close to what we expected from a 1 kW unit.

Load Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the RM1000i's efficiency. The applied load was equal to (approximately) 10%-110% of the maximum load the PSU can handle, in 10% steps.

We conducted two additional tests. In the first test, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load while the load at +12V was only 0.10 A. This test reveals whether the PSU is Haswell ready or not. In the second test, we dialed the maximum load the +12V rail can handle, all while the load on the minor rails was minimal.

The RM1000i's load regulation was tight on all rails, and overall efficiency was high. The fan also didn't spin at up to the 50% load test, and speeds didn't exceed 1600 RPM in even the worst case scenario, which kept output noise fairly low. The PSU even managed to deliver its full power flawlessly at up to 48°C, which proves that it can handle high operating temperatures well.

Corsair Link Screenshots

Several screenshots of the Corsair Link software, which we took during our test sessions, follow. The order of these screenshots is the same as the order of the tests in the table above (10% load to Cross-load 2 test).



Efficiency readings in all but the CL1 test were close to those we measured with our lab-grade power analyzer. That said, voltage readings at especially +12V weren't too accurate.