Corsair AX850 or HX850?

Not really. The AX850 offers minor advantages over the HX850. It's fully modular, the fan doesn't start spinning until the PSU has reached a certain temperature, and it is slightly more efficient. However, I personally don't think those things are worth an extra $30. Whether or not you should spend the extra cash depends on your opinion.
 
Well if it saves me a few bucks on electric i'm sold! Buying a new system this week and I leave the comp on 24/7 usually. Thanks for that info about the fan.
 
The low load efficiency of these two PSUs probably aren't that different. So it might not really save you money on the 24/7 operation mode anyway.
 
There's no more than a 1-3% difference in efficiency between the two PSUs at any given load. In fact, the HX850 is technically certified as 80Plus Gold, but the rating was downgraded because Corsair could not guarantee that all the units they sold would be able to meet the requirements.
 
HOOfan_1 said:
The low load efficiency of these two PSUs probably aren't that different. So it might not really save you money on the 24/7 operation mode anyway.
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Low load efficiency. That's probably what I'll be in most of the time. I should probably go with the HX.

When I game I like to play for a while, but usually I'm doing homework or web surfing.

At least $1700 of grad school student loan money is going toward a good cause! :D

But seriously. Look at my sig computer that I've had FOREVER. It's a dinosaur.
 
I'm willing to bet that you will never recoup the $30-50 difference in energy saving.
 
I have the HX850 myself and couldn't be happier :)

I also had that DFI motherboard too. What a piece of crap.
 
polive said:
...ok where do I send the $50? :D
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Send it to me :D

Anyways, I would just go with the cheaper one, since the slightly higher efficiency isn't really worth it in my opinion. You save maybe 2-3 watts on idle, 10-12 watts at full maximum load (using the power supply's maxiumum rating of 850 watts). Load is most likely much lower depending on the game and hardware you use. That's 48-500 watt-hours (I'm being generous here) in a day. That's 1.440-15 kw-hours. At the US average of 9.7 cents per kilowatt hour, that's 14 cents to $1.45 per month. It'll only take you nearly 2 years to get back your $30 if you game a lot with high-end hardware, 9 years at constant idle.

There, I did the math for you :p
 
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DraGun said:
I have the HX850 myself and couldn't be happier :)

I also had that DFI motherboard too. What a piece of crap.
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No way about my DFI, man! I've had this thing running for 6 years solid, never a problem!
 
I have the HX-850 and also an AX-1200.

and a bunch of other Corsair models as well.

About the only thing you'll see as an advantage with the AX is a fully modular unit.
The HX has the 24 pin, the 8 pin cpu and a set of PCI-e hardwired, but honestly those are used anyway.

The 850 is a stout unit. I have it in my son's computer and he's online doing something almost all the time, not a hiccup.

All the reviews of the HX have been glowing.:D
 
Awesome, can't wait to get the parts in! Got the AX anyway, just for the little extras.

This thing is gonna SMOKE my old system. :D
 
If you're sleeving your PSU, a fully modular one is infinitely better. Not to mention its easier to remove the PSU and leave ALL the wiring in the case.

24pin.jpg
 
Looks really awesome :) Altrough i can live with the sleeving corsair did on HX750 ;)
 
The SanAce fan that only runs at higher load and completely black cabling were reason enough for me to go with the AX as well.
 
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