Before i begin i would like to state this is not a bash or hate thread of any kind, if you want to take it that way and be personal then please dont bother reading this thread, any and all personal attacks will be reported for breaking OCN terms of service.
Last anyone that does not read the OP and just read title of the thread you got no right to complain and anyone that does will be ignored, if you cant keep it civil you will simply be reported and blocked if you cant follow OCN terms of service.
You have been warned.
A link to OCN terms of service.
http://www.overclock.net/a/terms-of-service
One thing i would like to say as is this thread is about ALL! of the RM models not just the 750 and 850 watts as some fools like to think, i am getting very annoyed by people that dismiss this thread without even reading any of it!
If you have an RM its not going to blow up or kill your PC, its not a crappy PSU, but it has some flaws about it which is what i will talk about in this thread.
This time i am going to talk about the Corsair RM series as everyone seems to think this is a great series for a great price
Its really not and am going to talk about it below so please read it all
First problem is price its price in the same area as the Seasonic G series the XFX XTR (which is a fully modular Seasonic G series) the Rosewill Capstone and the semi and fully modular modular Cooler Master V/VS series as well as the Super Flower Leadex/EVGA SuperNova G2/P2
Despite its more money its worse then all of those listed above and i am going to show why, First off there was the well known problem of overheating on the first batch of Hipro/ Chicony Power Technology made units, This has been fixed so no need to beat a dead horse
So lets move on, First thing i want to talk about is the choice capacitors on the RM. Where the Seasonic G has 100% high end japanese capacitors from the likes of Nippon Chemi-Con and Enesol the RM series only has a few on the primary side, But almost every capacitor on the secondary side is Taiwanese Teapo´s and Chinese CapXon´s
So there you have it lower build quality for a higher price below i am going to compare the RM to the
Rosewill Capstone
Seasonic G
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
First of is voltage regulation
Lets start with the Seasonic G
Next is the Rosewill Capstone
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
Next is ripple
Again Seasonic G
Rosewill Capstone
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
Bigest loser ripple wise is the CWT made Corsair RM
Bigest loser voltage regulation wise is the Rosewill Capstone
Last lets compare the platforms same order as before
Part 2
As said before the 750 and 850 watts RM is not made by CWT but by Chicony Power Technology
Its different then the other models in RM series this is both good and bad
The VRMs use two Taicon electrolytic caps for ripple filtering. All the other caps in the secondary side are by Ltec. Corsair's cap choice definitely isn't the best. Lowering production cost was apparently a prerogative, yet the warranty for this product is still set to five years
The filtering caps in the secondary side are provided by Ltec-not our favorite choice. We think Corsair should use higher quality caps here since this unit usually runs in passive mode. Time will tell if they were right to trust Ltec caps or whether many units will be RMAed instead.
All capacitors on the secondary side is Taicon and Ltec
Soldering quality isn't the best we have seen. The production line probably needs some time to hit optimal quality levels. CWT implementations are clearly superior in this area, so Chicony has some catching up to do. The large metal bar shown on the fourth of the above photos is used to transfer earth to the modular panel, while the smaller bar is used by the +12V rail. We also spotted three current sense resistors right in front of the +12V pads on the modular PCB.
Other reasons
The fan enters the party rather late (allowing for high internal temperatures)
Capacitor choice in the secondary side
Corsair Link USB header not included
Limited functionality of the Corsair Link software (only monitors fan speed and +12V current output)
Part 3
Now i want to talk about the temperatures inside the units as it turns out that the RM runs quite a bit hotter then the units units in this thread, this is due to the low fan speeds the RM fan uses.
Seasonic G
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
EVGA SuperNova G2 750 watts
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made RM
As you can see in those graphs above the CWT made RM actually runs hotter then all the other units does, and this is a unit that uses chinese CapXon capacitors in a closed box with little to no cooling on them, do i really need to say that this is not good?
So there you have it the RM series is overpriced for what you get and you can almost always find better options in the same price range, Why pay more money and get something thats worse then pretty much everything else in the same price range?
Now if they make a huge price drop and its going to be cheaper then the VS / Capstone / G / XTR then it might be worth picking up, But untill then its overpriced for what you get.
Last i also want to talk about how the series that was supposed to be coil whine and noise free have had reports coming in about problems with coil whine, Note that these are few but they are still there, So the coil whine free PSU has coil whine problems talk about irony.
Corsair does give a 5 year warranty on the RM so there is that, But if the RM will last the last untill the warranty ends remains to be seen
Part 4 Techpowerup reviews the 1000 watts Corsair RM and its ripple suppression is rubbish
This is some of the worst ripple i have ever seen on a big brand named unit its worse then even the HighPower made Thermaltake Tough Power Grand and the HEC made EVGA 430/500 and thats pretty shocking.
Quote from techpowerup
The PSU couldn't deliver its full power at or above 44°C-45°C ambient (OTP triggered) over prolonged periods
Ripple suppression at +12V and 3.3V rails was bad
Less than 16 ms hold-up time
Short distance between peripheral connectors
The fan should spin during start-up to make sure it is working properly
Last anyone that does not read the OP and just read title of the thread you got no right to complain and anyone that does will be ignored, if you cant keep it civil you will simply be reported and blocked if you cant follow OCN terms of service.
You have been warned.
A link to OCN terms of service.
http://www.overclock.net/a/terms-of-service
One thing i would like to say as is this thread is about ALL! of the RM models not just the 750 and 850 watts as some fools like to think, i am getting very annoyed by people that dismiss this thread without even reading any of it!
If you have an RM its not going to blow up or kill your PC, its not a crappy PSU, but it has some flaws about it which is what i will talk about in this thread.
This time i am going to talk about the Corsair RM series as everyone seems to think this is a great series for a great price
Its really not and am going to talk about it below so please read it all
First problem is price its price in the same area as the Seasonic G series the XFX XTR (which is a fully modular Seasonic G series) the Rosewill Capstone and the semi and fully modular modular Cooler Master V/VS series as well as the Super Flower Leadex/EVGA SuperNova G2/P2
Despite its more money its worse then all of those listed above and i am going to show why, First off there was the well known problem of overheating on the first batch of Hipro/ Chicony Power Technology made units, This has been fixed so no need to beat a dead horse
So lets move on, First thing i want to talk about is the choice capacitors on the RM. Where the Seasonic G has 100% high end japanese capacitors from the likes of Nippon Chemi-Con and Enesol the RM series only has a few on the primary side, But almost every capacitor on the secondary side is Taiwanese Teapo´s and Chinese CapXon´s
So there you have it lower build quality for a higher price below i am going to compare the RM to the
Rosewill Capstone
Seasonic G
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
First of is voltage regulation
Lets start with the Seasonic G
Next is the Rosewill Capstone
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
Next is ripple
Again Seasonic G
Rosewill Capstone
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made Corsair RM
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
Cooler Master V
Bigest loser ripple wise is the CWT made Corsair RM
Bigest loser voltage regulation wise is the Rosewill Capstone
Last lets compare the platforms same order as before
Part 2
As said before the 750 and 850 watts RM is not made by CWT but by Chicony Power Technology
Its different then the other models in RM series this is both good and bad
The VRMs use two Taicon electrolytic caps for ripple filtering. All the other caps in the secondary side are by Ltec. Corsair's cap choice definitely isn't the best. Lowering production cost was apparently a prerogative, yet the warranty for this product is still set to five years
The filtering caps in the secondary side are provided by Ltec-not our favorite choice. We think Corsair should use higher quality caps here since this unit usually runs in passive mode. Time will tell if they were right to trust Ltec caps or whether many units will be RMAed instead.
All capacitors on the secondary side is Taicon and Ltec
Soldering quality isn't the best we have seen. The production line probably needs some time to hit optimal quality levels. CWT implementations are clearly superior in this area, so Chicony has some catching up to do. The large metal bar shown on the fourth of the above photos is used to transfer earth to the modular panel, while the smaller bar is used by the +12V rail. We also spotted three current sense resistors right in front of the +12V pads on the modular PCB.
Other reasons
The fan enters the party rather late (allowing for high internal temperatures)
Capacitor choice in the secondary side
Corsair Link USB header not included
Limited functionality of the Corsair Link software (only monitors fan speed and +12V current output)
Part 3
Now i want to talk about the temperatures inside the units as it turns out that the RM runs quite a bit hotter then the units units in this thread, this is due to the low fan speeds the RM fan uses.
Seasonic G
Cooler Master VS
Super Flower Leadex
EVGA SuperNova G2 750 watts
CWT made Corsair RM
Chicony Power Technology made RM
As you can see in those graphs above the CWT made RM actually runs hotter then all the other units does, and this is a unit that uses chinese CapXon capacitors in a closed box with little to no cooling on them, do i really need to say that this is not good?
So there you have it the RM series is overpriced for what you get and you can almost always find better options in the same price range, Why pay more money and get something thats worse then pretty much everything else in the same price range?
Now if they make a huge price drop and its going to be cheaper then the VS / Capstone / G / XTR then it might be worth picking up, But untill then its overpriced for what you get.
Last i also want to talk about how the series that was supposed to be coil whine and noise free have had reports coming in about problems with coil whine, Note that these are few but they are still there, So the coil whine free PSU has coil whine problems talk about irony.
Corsair does give a 5 year warranty on the RM so there is that, But if the RM will last the last untill the warranty ends remains to be seen
The Corsair RM series power supplies are designed to run without active cooling for up to 40% load at typical room temperatures (25°C, or 77°F) and are capable of continuously outputting 100% of output capability at ambient temperatures of up to 40°C (104°F). We have found that our power supplies are typically used in environments much lower than 40°C and tend to have some natural aspiration within the chassis that allows for some air movement, such as from a nearby graphics card or chassis fan, within the PSU housing, when temperatures exceed normal room temperatures. We have found that this normal aspiration can maintain Corsair's Zero-RPM fan-less mode even at temperatures as high as 35°C (95°F) when only at 40% load for durations of up to 15 minutes.
Thanks to recent feedback provided by an early reviewer, we have discovered a PSU fan operation issue that can be triggered with the RM750 and RM850W under highly unusual operating conditions. For the issue to occur, the PSU must be run for more than 15 minutes at:
Ambient temperature 35°C (95°F) or higher
Zero ambient airflow, i.e. no airflow provided by system fans or by fans on other components
Under these conditions, impacted PSUs may shut down before the cooling fan starts spinning. This shutdown will cause no damage to the PSU or the system. As these conditions are extraordinarily harsh, we believe most users will not be impacted. If you feel you have a unit that has been impacted, we are offering advance replacement returns for the PSU, with Corsair paying all freight costs. Please click here for instructions on how to obtain a replacement unit, or to ask any questions.
Thank you for choosing Corsair; we are committed to making sure you are completely satisfied with your purchase.
Update - November 14, 2013:
In an effort to improve our products for all of our users, we have updated the RM750 and RM850 to resolve this issue. The thermistor circuit that is used to measure the temperature for the fan controller and OTP has been changed in all RM750 and RM850 PSU's moving forward. An additional resistor has been added that will result in the fan turning on prior to the condition that causes the PSU to shut down in the event that temperatures exceed 45°C
The affected units are in lot codes < 1341 (the first four digits of the S/N.)
Thanks to recent feedback provided by an early reviewer, we have discovered a PSU fan operation issue that can be triggered with the RM750 and RM850W under highly unusual operating conditions. For the issue to occur, the PSU must be run for more than 15 minutes at:
Ambient temperature 35°C (95°F) or higher
Zero ambient airflow, i.e. no airflow provided by system fans or by fans on other components
Under these conditions, impacted PSUs may shut down before the cooling fan starts spinning. This shutdown will cause no damage to the PSU or the system. As these conditions are extraordinarily harsh, we believe most users will not be impacted. If you feel you have a unit that has been impacted, we are offering advance replacement returns for the PSU, with Corsair paying all freight costs. Please click here for instructions on how to obtain a replacement unit, or to ask any questions.
Thank you for choosing Corsair; we are committed to making sure you are completely satisfied with your purchase.
Update - November 14, 2013:
In an effort to improve our products for all of our users, we have updated the RM750 and RM850 to resolve this issue. The thermistor circuit that is used to measure the temperature for the fan controller and OTP has been changed in all RM750 and RM850 PSU's moving forward. An additional resistor has been added that will result in the fan turning on prior to the condition that causes the PSU to shut down in the event that temperatures exceed 45°C
The affected units are in lot codes < 1341 (the first four digits of the S/N.)
Part 4 Techpowerup reviews the 1000 watts Corsair RM and its ripple suppression is rubbish
This is some of the worst ripple i have ever seen on a big brand named unit its worse then even the HighPower made Thermaltake Tough Power Grand and the HEC made EVGA 430/500 and thats pretty shocking.
Quote from techpowerup
The PSU couldn't deliver its full power at or above 44°C-45°C ambient (OTP triggered) over prolonged periods
Ripple suppression at +12V and 3.3V rails was bad
Less than 16 ms hold-up time
Short distance between peripheral connectors
The fan should spin during start-up to make sure it is working properly