[SOLVED] Hx1200i vs Ax1200i vs Ax1600i

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

Have been looking into PSU data and comparing, and have narrowed it down to these three.

The EVGA PSUs seem great too but they also seem to generate a lot more noise so I setting those aside for the moment.

The Seasonic Prime series also looked good but the stats for the Corsair stuff seemed a little better.

Any advice? They all seem very quiet, efficient, and with good ripple but I'm trying to better assess tradeoffs that I may be overlooking.

Please assume cost is not an issue here. I want the best of all worlds here in terms of quality, long term stability, ripple, efficiency, low noise overall (low/med/high end), etc. I am also considering the bigger-rated PSUs in the event I add more hardware later / more aggressive OCing etc. I want this thing quiet and powerful.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

The AX is supposed to be the better model over the HX; but both are exceptionally good. You'd have to look up the professional reviews and compare them yourself. If you have standard cooling on your CPU and GPU(s) then I doubt you would ever hear any of those PSUs running under full load over the sound of your CPU and GPUs.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

The AX is supposed to be the better model over the HX; but both are exceptionally good. You'd have to look up the professional reviews and compare them yourself. If you have standard cooling on your CPU and GPU(s) then I doubt you would ever hear any of those PSUs running under full load over the sound of your CPU and GPUs.

I would be watercooling the CPU and GPU (using Heatkillers), total of three 360 rads.

 

[jonnyguru]

The HX1200i. ;-)

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

The HX1200i. ;-)

I have the HX1200i and I have zero complaints. But I'm curious, why that over the AXi if price isn't a factor?

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

That's my main question as well -- why the HX1200i over the AX1200i, or the AX1600i?

 

[jonnyguru]

I have the HX1200i and I have zero complaints. But I'm curious, why that over the AXi if price isn't a factor?

Mature platform with zero "known issues". It's like buying a Ford F150. It's not the most powerful, most luxurious option, but it'll last forever.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

Are there any notable / known issues with the Ax1200i or the Ax1600i that crop up that don't tend to crop up in the Hx1200i?

Right now the Hx1200i is probably what I will end up going with but still, wondering what exactly makes the other two less reliable/mature/etc.

 

[jonnyguru]

Are there any notable / known issues with the Ax1200i or the Ax1600i that crop up that don't tend to crop up in the Hx1200i?

Right now the Hx1200i is probably what I will end up going with but still, wondering what exactly makes the other two less reliable/mature/etc.

No known issues with the AX1600i, but only a few thousand units a month are sold, so it's hard to say. The AX1200i can sometimes be plagued with a cracked SMT capacitor mounting on the modular PCB that can cause an open circuit during heat cycles.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

So is the preference of the HX1200i over the AX1600i more of a "the AX1600i still needs to stand the test of time like the HX1200i has" kind of deal?

 

[jonnyguru]

So is the preference of the HX1200i over the AX1600i more of a "the AX1600i still needs to stand the test of time like the HX1200i has" kind of deal?

Other than the handful of overclockers that use the AX1600i in competitions where LN2 is used to OC CPUs and GPUs, and the workstations that have multiple Quadro or Tesla cards in them, the user base for AX1600i is pretty small. I've never seen one fail during an event, but if they fail "behind the scenes", nobody ever knows because those guys are sponsored and they just throw one PSU away and grab another. The workstation builders will buy 100 at a pop and maybe return 3 for various reasons.

That said, AX1600i did have the engineering teams of Flextronics and Transphorm behind it's TWO YEAR development, and those guys specialize in mission critical hardware, so it could very well be bulletproof.

And on paper, and that would be looking at all the professional PSU reviews out there, there is no better performing PSU in the world than the AX1600i. Period.

You asked for my opinion. HX1200i has been out for over 5 years and I've never seen one fail. Then again, I drive a 2005 Hyundai Elantra with well over 100K miles on it and I've only replaced a CV axle, rear wheel bearing and a radiator and it's still going. Sooo.....


So pick your direction.

 

[MoreMoneyThanSense]

Other than the handful of overclockers that use the AX1600i in competitions where LN2 is used to OC CPUs and GPUs, and the workstations that have multiple Quadro or Tesla cards in them, the user base for AX1600i is pretty small. I've never seen one fail during an event, but if they fail "behind the scenes", nobody ever knows because those guys are sponsored and they just throw one PSU away and grab another. The workstation builders will buy 100 at a pop and maybe return 3 for various reasons.

That said, AX1600i did have the engineering teams of Flextronics and Transphorm behind it's TWO YEAR development, and those guys specialize in mission critical hardware, so it could very well be bulletproof.

And on paper, and that would be looking at all the professional PSU reviews out there, there is no better performing PSU in the world than the AX1600i. Period.

You asked for my opinion. HX1200i has been out for over 5 years and I've never seen one fail. Then again, I drive a 2005 Hyundai Elantra with well over 100K miles on it and I've only replaced a CV axle, rear wheel bearing and a radiator and it's still going. Sooo.....


So pick your direction.

Gotcha, makes sense, thank you.

How often does the cracked SMT issue occur with the AX1200i / how can you tell when it's happening / how is it typically fixed? I'm not finding much about this on Google.