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Corsair 1200AX FYI

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Jul 31, 2003
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Just wanted to let you guys know that the Corsair 1200AX has a known problem (the is supposedly corrected on newly manufactured units) that causes it to have a fairly loud and annoying whine when your system is under load.

I had read about this in another forum prior to purchasing it but since it was a thread from 2010 I assumed that it had been corrected. It wasn't and I have this loud annoying whine.

Corsair is replacing the unit of course but it's still a major pain.

On top of that, when I received the unit, brand new, shrink wrap still on it, from Newegg.com (a rather reliable seller), I was kind of surprised when I opened the PSU and saw greasy fingerprints all over the black unit, and as I was installing it I heard a rattling inside it. Shaking it left to right I heard it for a second, then it stopped, and I couldn't get it to rattle again. Shaking the PSU around upside down it started to rattle after a second or two..then a tiny black screw with a washer fell out of the PSU!

Thinking forensically I think what happened is the individual inspecting the unit heard it as well, hence the fingerprints, but as he/she shook it, it stopped rattling, (the screw got stuck to something), so they passed inspection on it....and here the screw fell out of the unit.

Really poor build quality, and I hate to say it...but is it manufactured in the USA? I was really disappointed with Corsair with this purchase.

The corsair forums acknowledge this was a known problem on the first builds of the PSU, but I'd figure they'd recall it, even if it does not cause any system damage, it's rather annoying.

I wouldn't have been able to figure out it was the PSU honestly if I didn't have my level 10 case. Each component is compartmentalized, so I took a cardboard box and covered the bottom part (the mobo, cpu, mem etc) and vice versa, until I definitively identified the PSU as the culprit.

It's not the fan hitting a wire, thats a different noise, and it's not a loose fan grill rattling, it's an electrical high pitch whine almost a squeal.

Just a fair FYI.
 
Yep. Coil whine. GPU's get it alot.
Sometime clear nail polish can help. But for that kind of PSU I would probably either RMA it or just live with it.
 
Coil whine FTL.

Weird that this is the first I have ever heard of it! Normally these are INCREDIBLE PSU's, at least from OW's reviews. Im shocked to hear this is a rampant problem. Do you have any links supporting your assertion?
 
Coil whine FTL.

Weird that this is the first I have ever heard of it! Normally these are INCREDIBLE PSU's, at least from OW's reviews. Im shocked to hear this is a rampant problem. Do you have any links supporting your assertion?

Yes here are a few links where it is either mentioned or discussed. Some people are assuming its the fan since it only starts to happen once your system starts pulling a load.

Calling Corsair today about my RMA they were more than willing to send me a brand new one with a "very current manufacture date" (stated by the employee), and are shipping it to me BEFORE I even ship my whining one back, without asking for a CC in advance. I didn't even have to mention anything else, just "it makes a annoying buzzing noise".

Links:
Corsair support forums

Another Linky


Yet another

And the best link
 
Really poor build quality, and I hate to say it...but is it manufactured in the USA?

Not a single computer PSU on the market that I know of is manufactured in the USA.

The coil whine issue has been known for some time. Some of the affected units may still be on store shelves even now.
 
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