Refurbished Corsair AX1600i 1600W PSU’s in 2026

[crestfa11en]

Are Corsair factory refurbished AX1600i 1600W psu’s with at most 12 months warranty at around £210-£250 relevant in the in high end gaming space in 2026, I would extend that to costumer returned units, or is it purely a enthusiast or even crypto mining rig psu, due to being less user friendly and lacking in ATX 3.1 spec, or can it still hold its own against the current day Corsair HX1500i with 10 year warranty, at around £280-£300 both are probably overkill to most.

 

[crestfa11en]

Only just saw recent post on the AX1600i by another user before this one was posted, feel free to delete as duplicate post, would do so myself but don’t know how?

 

[Tetras]

or is it purely a enthusiast or even crypto mining rig psu

Most regular PSU ranges go up to 1200. Beyond that, they often use a different design/platform and they cost more relatively.

Single GPU consumer systems (e.g. regular AMD AM5 or Intel 1851, with a single 5090) generally have no use for a higher wattage than 1200.

or can it still hold its own against the current day Corsair HX1500i with 10 year warranty

The AX1600i is a unique PSU design (it still outperforms the HXi) and doesn't really compare to other models.

Only just saw recent post on the AX1600i by another user before this one was posted

Don't worry, it wasn't a buying advice post anyway.

 

[crestfa11en]

I have confidence in the quality of the Corsair refurbishment, I ordered it and cancelled it in the same day at £209, it seems a steal if a little out side of my indented price range, if you wanted a higher end card with a high power draw like 5090 without the ATX 3.1 spec, you could get effectively soft locked from using that card with that psu, theoretically I could order a custom 12V-2x6 cable from cableMod,.

Putting aside that it’s refurbished unit, would you feel comfortable troubleshooting a AX1600i with a rtx 5090?

 

[pastymuncher]

Personally I wouldn't touch one. If I am spending that sort of money on a psu I want at least a 10 year warranty not 1 or 2 years. You say you have confidence in the refurbishment but you don't know if it's been refurbished properly as in taken apart, cleaned, parts replaced if needed, reassembled and then tested thoroughly or if it's just been switched on to see if it works and put back in a box. If it's been "refurbished" by Corsair then it had to have failed to be back with them in the first place. If it's from the Bolton store then I wouldn't trust their idea of "refurbished" at all. Better to spend money on a brand new psu and get a full warranty.

 

[Darujhistan]

I absolutely would not buy a refurb or "B-Grade" Power Supply.

 

[Tetras]

Putting aside that it’s refurbished unit, would you feel comfortable troubleshooting a AX1600i with a rtx 5090?

No, I wouldn't. I do acknowledge that it is a high performing PSU with a unique design, but a refurbished unit is too much of a compromise for me.

A regular unit in the 1000-1200 range is good enough for a stock 5090 and if you're paying in the £200 region, then you can get a good one with a 10 year warranty.

 

[crestfa11en]

Undeniably logic, besides second hand accounts of people on the hotukdeals website over the years, that it is at its most basic is operational, as in works on the most minimal level as a psu, but like myself they lack the thousands of pounds in diagnostic equipment it would take to confirm that said refurbished units operates any wear near the intended titanium efficiency rating, regardless as to weather a brand new Corsair AX1600i would be a good buy at this price point, the temptation to cut corners on a lower profit margin PSU is there.

 

[crestfa11en]

If I recall correctly PSU’s are at their most efficient at 50% load, and that the efficiency of PSU can effect fan noise in a GPU amongst other things the operational life span of components, and if the current ram-apocalypse is as bad as think it could be, my new build may need to last a very long time, the most comparable PSU is Corsair HX1500i, what are your thoughts, perhaps Seasonic or a be quiet PSU is better let me know?

 

[Gray2233]

If I recall correctly PSU’s are at their most efficient at 50% load, and that the efficiency of PSU can effect fan noise in a GPU amongst other things the operational life span of components, and if the current ram-apocalypse is as bad as think it could be, my new build may need to last a very long time, the most comparable PSU is Corsair HX1500i, what are your thoughts, perhaps Seasonic or a be quiet PSU is better let me know?

Why are you fixated on ultra high wattage Corsair PSU's, including refurbished units, when you want your build to last a long time? Surely warranty would be more important in that instance?

Your PSU has little to nothing to do with memory prices, it's one of the few components that do not.

The efficiency thing is more or less out of date (was always questionable for actual use) too, and frankly isn't relevant because why would it be? You're looking at saving a few pennies over the course of a year vs a similar rated much lower wattage unit.

 

[crestfa11en]

Why are you fixated on ultra high wattage Corsair PSU's, including refurbished units, when you want your build to last a long time? Surely warranty would be more important in that instance?

Your PSU has little to nothing to do with memory prices, it's one of the few components that do not.

The efficiency thing is more or less out of date (was always questionable for actual use) too, and frankly isn't relevant because why would it be? You're looking at saving a few pennies over the course of a year vs a similar rated much lower wattage unit.

My apologies your of course correct in this regard, perhaps I should have prefaced my line of questioning with this thread, with the understanding that this is very much a an indulgence, not well grounded in practicality, that at the very least should be more honest about.
In all likelihood this thread is an attempt to justify my excesses, of wanting s tier product, but as you have rightly pointed out the high wattage ridiculous high for present and future needs, if you could talk me down a high rated Cybenetics platinum PSU.

 

[crestfa11en]

Get yourviolins at the ready a little trauma dump here, on my 1st build in 2012, I bought an Antec 750w high current pro, what I thought was the value option at the time, all these years later it’s just gathering dust in my cupboard, never really been used, random crashes of my build of the time Gtx 780 a GPU that aged like milk, tired to warranty return it, but Antec claimed that it was the motherboard manufacturer fault, there was some reports of bios problems with Asus maximus v genie and PSU’s at the time, they never even inspected it, simple denied returns over a support ticket.
I Replaced it with an Amazon wearhouse EVGA 1200 platinum, its been faultless on every system I’ve used on it since, sadly it ended up in my sister’s pc that I made,
I occasionally dust off the Antec 750w to try on other builds but same problem random crashes.

 

[Gray2233]

if you could talk me down a high rated Cybenetics platinum PSU.

The Asrock Steel Legend 1200G is excellent value right now for a higher wattage consumer focused PSU:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x ASRock Steel Legend SL-1200G 1200W ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: POW-ASR-06539) = £149.95

Total: £157.94 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

• 80 PLUS® GOLD Certified
• Cybenetics PLATINUM and LAMBDA A+ Certified*
• ATX3.1 & PCIe5.1 Ready
• Fully Modular Cable Design
• Native 12V-2x6 Connector Dual Color Design
• 100% Highly Reliable Japanese Capacitors
• 135mm Striped Axial FDB Fan
• iCool Intelligent Fan Control Mode
• Built-in 5V BOOST function
• Remarkable 10-Year Warranty

Also A rated on the SPL tier list, HEC is the OEM.

You can see a breakdown of it here, including pictures of the internals:

ASRock Steel Legend SL-1200GW PSU Review - KitGuru

Today we take a look at a new power supply that ASRock sent us for analysis - the company's latest S

www.kitguru.net

It's honestly one of the cleanest PSU's I've ever seen when opened up.

 

[crestfa11en]

I’ve got plenty to chew over, my current Linux build as it stands

Bought parts:
Fractal Meshify 3 XL
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MT/s CL30
WD Black 4tb

On my shopping list:
Amd Ryzen 7 7800x3d
The Asrock Steel Legend 1200G
MSI MPG B850 EDGE TI WIFI
Wanted an high end rx 9080 xt or above but AMD had gone Ai 1st mode,
Sapphire nitro Rx 9070 xt

My sincere thanks for your time,
In order of appearance:
Tetras
Pastymunchet
Darujhistan
Gray2233

​

​

 

[Gray2233]

I’ve got plenty to chew over, my current Linux build as it stands

Bought parts:
Fractal Meshify 3 XL
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MT/s CL30
WD Black 4tb

On my shopping list:
Amd Ryzen 7 7800x3d
The Asrock Steel Legend 1200G
MSI MPG B850 EDGE TI WIFI
Wanted an high end rx 9080 xt or above but AMD had gone Ai 1st mode,
Sapphire nitro Rx 9070 xt

My sincere thanks for your time,
In order of appearance:
Tetras
Pastymunchet
Darujhistan
Gray2233

​

​

All good choices, and the 9070XT is an excellent card in the current climate. I would argue that for the sake of £50 in the UK, I'd go with the 9800X3D instead. It doesn't always make a huge difference, but occasionally it very much does.

See here for one instance (@tamzzy is to thanks for pulling up this gem, plus I'm stealing his upload ):

I also want to add that your considered components would run just fine on a good 750W, but I'd be tempted by the Asrock 1200 right now myself at those prices if building new.

Be sure to let us know how you get on with things.

Edit: If you're after a white ATX motherboard, give this a look for a bit of a saving:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Sapphire Pure B850A WiFi7 (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05689) = £169.99

Total: £173.99 (includes delivery: £3.99)​

 

[Tetras]

If I recall correctly PSU’s are at their most efficient at 50% load, and that the efficiency of PSU can effect fan noise in a GPU amongst other things the operational life span of components, and if the current ram-apocalypse is as bad as think it could be, my new build may need to last a very long time, the most comparable PSU is Corsair HX1500i, what are your thoughts, perhaps Seasonic or a be quiet PSU is better let me know?

About lifespan: I have zero data to back this statement, but my opinion is that premium/ultra high-end PSUs are not likely to outlive a (good quality) mass market model. They may even be less likely, given that there are fewer produced and the platforms they use are less proven.

About fan noise: it is true that efficiency impacts fan noise, but the impact is fairly small, given the low number of watts delta between a platinum and titanium PSU. Modern PSUs are highly efficient between around 30-90% load.

Personally, I would not want to pay much extra on anything (e.g. motherboard, RAM, PSU, SSD) hoping that it will last a lot longer. You tend to get more features and a longer warranty on higher-end parts, but I'm not convinced about the durability. Obviously it does depend, I'm not talking about $20 PSUs here, but that's not the market you're interested in. I'd not buy a 650 watt PSU and rag it to death with a 5090 either, but a higher-end model like Antec's HCG Pro 1200 (derived from Seasonic's Verted)? No worries there for me. It'll last the warranty or it won't, not much we can do about that either way.

 

[Gray2233]

Personally, I would not want to pay much extra on anything (e.g. motherboard, RAM, PSU, SSD) hoping that it will last a lot longer. You tend to get more features and a longer warranty on higher-end parts, but I'm not convinced about the durability.

That has been my purview for close to 20 years when it comes to most components, motherboards are one that stand out. As an example, I bought a Gigabyte Z77 D3H for a 3570K build way back in the day -- that was the second cheapest Z77 motherboard supplied by Gigabyte, and on the entire market at that point. That particular 3570K ran at 4.8ghz (which is a hefty overclock) all day long without issue for a decade. For all I know it still is, I sold the thing on as a mobo/cpu/ram bundle.

I currently have a top tier AM4 CPU (5800X3D) running flawlessly on a budget Asrock B450 Pro 4 F that cost me £80 new years ago (it's went through 3 different CPUs), which again was either the second or third cheapest motherboard in the line for Asrock.

The only things you need to consider with motherboards are VRM vs CPU, and as a caveat on the low end whether or not there's heatsinks bunged on (being the case with the Pro 4), and then features. There were problems in the past with VRM's etc and companies cheaping out, but it's nowhere near as much of an issue now as they seem to overbuild in most cases.

Spending more money than is reasonable with tech has rarely if every really resulted in higher quality or performance, and that's less the case now.

 

[tamzzy]

Spending more money than is reasonable with tech has rarely if every really resulted in higher quality or performance, and that's less the case now.

agree. the parts to spend money on are the gpu and cpu to a lesser extent (and possibly ram depending on specific needs)
spending a pretty penny on the rest of the components will not provide any meaningful performance gains...good enough is good enough.

 

[Gray2233]

agree. the parts to spend money on are the gpu and cpu to a lesser extent (and possibly ram depending on specific needs)
spending a pretty penny on the rest of the components will not provide any meaningful performance gains...good enough is good enough.

Honestly, the only place I tend to be a bit more strict with is one which doesn't effect end performance at all; the bloody power supply.

I'm actually half tempted to order one of those Asrock units myself, it's really not a bad deal for £150 given good modular 850's are running over £105.

 

[tamzzy]

Honestly, the only place I tend to be a bit more strict with is one which doesn't effect end performance at all: the bloody power supply.

most of the other parts won't provide any meaningful improvement. take OP's spec list for example:

Bought parts:
Fractal Meshify 3 XL
Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MT/s CL30
WD Black 4tb

On my shopping list:
Amd Ryzen 7 7800x3d
The Asrock Steel Legend 1200G
MSI MPG B850 EDGE TI WIFI
Wanted an high end rx 9080 xt or above but AMD had gone Ai 1st mode,
Sapphire nitro Rx 9070 xt

Meshify 3 XL is what £160-250 depending on whether he got the RGB version or not - would the meshify do something that decent £70 case won't?
or the b850 edge ti wifi - that's £220, the sapphire pure is a good £60-70 less and just as capable, is there anything it won't run?
or even that antec psu for £150...is the OP running a 5090 that needs a 1.2kw psu? the cpu draws 70w, the 9070xt draws 310w, unless he's powering a heat pump in addition that's a waste of money there

what would make a meaningful upgrade is as you say the 9800x3d that would be easily funded from picking other components more wisely