Published: January 31, 2023 | Source: OC3D Internal Testing | Author: Mark Campbell

Corsair RX1200x SHIFT ATX 3.0 PSU Review

Conclusion – It’s great to see something different from PSU manufacturers

The idea behind Corsair’s RMx SHIFT series is simple. Create a power supply that has easier to access cables than standard ATX units. In this area Corsair has succeeded. The RMx SHIFT is a revolutionary PSU design for frequent upgraders, allowing users to access their PSU cables quickly and easily to make system upgrades an easy process.

While most PC builders do not need to change their PSU cables often, when you do it is probably a huge hassle. With most PC cases, adding a new modular PSU cable often requires a some disassembly, probably requires the removal of your PSU from your PC, and redoing a lot of cable management afterwards. While PSU shrouds have done a lot to improve the look of most PCs, they have also made PSUs difficult to access, making cable changing a huge hassle. With the RMx Shift series, you can simple access your PSU’s cables from behind your PC’s motherboard tray.

We love what Corsair has done with their RMx SHIFT series, but we will note that their new design does have its problems. For starters, the RMx SHIFT series is not compatible with all PC cases, and potential buyers will need to make sure that there isn’t a steel sheet blocking where this PSU’s modular inputs will be. On top of this, this is the first Corsair PSU to use new Type-5 cables, which means that pre-braided replacement cables aren’t currently available.

When we asked Corsair about the potential release of pre-braided Type-5 PSU cables, Corsair simply stated that they do not comment on unreleased products. CableMod however has confirmed that they plan to support Corsair Type-5 PSUs as soon as they are able to. RMx SHIFT users can rest assured that pre-braided cables are coming, if not from Corsair, 3rd parties like CableMod will make custom pre-braided Type-5 cables.

The RM1200x SHIFT’s unique selling point, easy to access PSU cables, and in this regard the SHIFT series is a huge win for Corsair. Add on its Gold efficient ratings from 80+ and Cybenetics, its ATX 3.0 certifications and 12VHPWR support, and users can rest assured that this PSU will meet their current and future needs.

In our testing, Corsair’s RM1200x SHIFT PSU performed exactly as expected in terms of power efficiency, but its ripple performance at high loads is not as good as what we typically expect to see from modern Corsair PSUs. Part of this could come down to the PSU’s re-oriented design, but it’s worth noting here that the voltage ripple that we saw with this unit is still a great result and is more than stable enough to all PC related use cases. As such, we do not view this result in a negative light.

Corsair’s RM1200x SHIFT is now the latest winner of the OC3D Innovation Award. To be honest, this award was an easy one to give, as this product is something that we at OC3D now wish that we had for years. Upgrading and reworking our test systems would have been a lot easier with a power supply like this, especially given how often we have to move from 12VHPWR connectors to standard 8-pin PCIe connectors when testing graphics cards.

The RMx Shift series is a refreshing sight, and it proves that there is room for innovation within the PSU market. With all that cable space at the front of PSUs being freed up by this design, I wonder if Corsair now plans to use that space for added intake airflow with future cases, or additional HDD/SSD mounts?