Should I take a gamble on a Corsair refurbished unit?

terroralpha · Oct 8, 2015

so newegg is selling refurb AX1200i PSUs for $130 in the US: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139131

anyone here buy refurb PSUs from corsair before? need opinions...

i need a back up PSU since I recently gave my back up away (at 500W it's too small for me to use anyway), but don't know what to expect. there are a couple reviews mentioning DOA units. but for some reason I think that at this price it may be worth taking the risk. I can take out 2 extra years of warranty on it for $24 and my CC will give me another 1 year. 4 years in total.

if it wasn't for those DOA reviews I would have already picked it up

Jetster · Oct 8, 2015

Nothing wrong with Newegg refurb but I wouldn't but a AX1200 refurb.

Just get a used Corsair TX650 As a backup psu. Used for like $50.

terroralpha · Oct 8, 2015

Jetster said:
Nothing wrong with Newegg refurb but I wouldn't but a AX1200 refurb.

Just get a used Corsair TX650 As a backup psu. Used for like $50.

it's not the AX1200, it's the AX1200i. big difference. i was hoping someone here other than myself took interest in this unit at this price.

I would never even consider a TX. they are too old, too weak and most importantly not modular. i'm assuming you are talking about the 2011 model made by seasonic. not the 2007 model. and no warranty is a 100% deal breaker.

Jetster · Oct 8, 2015

TX are great units but not modulsr. You said the reason you needed the psu was for back up that's I sujested it. You got rid of your back up 500w. AX1200 Is a big risk for a refurb. Especially if your concerned about warranties

silentbogo · Oct 8, 2015

1) New AX1200i is $330 versus $130 for refurbished unit. Just this comparison should raise some suspicion
2) Always check reviews. Out of 6 reviewers 3 people got a non-working PSU. Unless you can fix it yourself - don't bother. You'll spend more time/money/mental health on RMA.

I had a similar dilemma about 6-7 years ago with a refurbished 32" LCD TV (lived in US at the time). Price was too good to pass, plus I was assured, that "Refurbished products have been tested to ensure compliance with original manufacturer specifications", which means it should at least work. Well, I was wrong. Not only it had crazy screen artifacts out of the box, but also on the second power cycle it stopped turning on at all. So much for testing.

MIRTAZAPINE · Oct 12, 2015

silentbogo said:
1) New AX1200i is $330 versus $130 for refurbished unit. Just this comparison should raise some suspicion
2) Always check reviews. Out of 6 reviewers 3 people got a non-working PSU. Unless you can fix it yourself - don't bother. You'll spend more time/money/mental health on RMA.

I had a similar dilemma about 6-7 years ago with a refurbished 32" LCD TV (lived in US at the time). Price was too good to pass, plus I was assured, that "Refurbished products have been tested to ensure compliance with original manufacturer specifications", which means it should at least work. Well, I was wrong. Not only it had crazy screen artifacts out of the box, but also on the second power cycle it stopped turning on at all. So much for testing.

Technically that is what refurbished is. If you are lucky you could get an unused an unused refurbished that customer returned as they wanted something else. That is among the best refurbished. At worse a refurbished Is a product that is recalled or broken before and it was fixed up then put out on shelves for sale again.

blunt14468 · Oct 12, 2015

ill take the chance. Just ordered one

silentbogo · Oct 12, 2015

MIRTAZAPINE said:
Technically that is what refurbished is. If you are lucky you could get an unused an unused refurbished that customer returned as they wanted something else. That is among the best refurbished. At worse a refurbished Is a product that is recalled or broken before and it was fixed up then put out on shelves for sale again.

If my english did nod degrade over the past 3 years, refurbished means restored/repaired and even newegg claims that their refurbished goods are within manufacturer's specs. I doubt any "manufacturer specification" includes non-working untested devices.

I buy lots of broken PC/laptop hardware for parts or restoration, but those are in a whole another price category: most service centers or recycling firms sell untested or presumably non-working PSUs, VGAs, Motherboards at no more than 15-20% of the market price (if device is still on the market) and the total $$$ is always open for negotiation. Yesterday I got 3xGTX460's at $2/each and one of them is absolutely perfect, except the missing cooler.

Basically what I'm trying to say is: If you are planning to spend $130 and you are not a rich guy - you better make sure that you won't end up with another useless electronic brick in a closet.
Exceptions allowed only if you are a total dork like me (see attached photo)

terroralpha · Oct 13, 2015

i ended up getting an EVGA 1000W P2 from fleabay, second hand for $115. it's pretty much the same exact unit as the Super Flower PSU i have now. the unit looks mint, came in box and everything. i put a 770W load on it and it took it like a champ. all 3 main rails are on point with voltage. I'm a happy camper!

the AX1200i would still probably be a solid choice for $154 with the extra 2 year warranty.

blunt14468 · Oct 15, 2015

my unit arrived today. Looks like a brand new unit. Came with all of the cables and even a velvet bag :laugh:

. will test tomorrow if its all good it was money well spent. Unit does come with a 3 year warranty as well

jboydgolfer · Oct 15, 2015

Buy new,unless of corse you also paid 1/3 of the price for your cpu , gpu , mobo, etc. I know it isnt always that a dying psu can take out other components, but imo,its better to expect the worst and hope for the best and not the other way around

blunt14468 · Oct 15, 2015

Oh come on. I have replaced at least 40 dead PSU's and not 1 time did it cause any other component to fail.

xvi · Oct 16, 2015

Had an Enermax PSU fail on me. It somehow managed to get so much voltage to my Athlon XP that it blew up and made a tiny crater in the base of my Volcano 7+ CU.
Failing PSUs won't always take out other hardware, but they certainly can.

Jetster · Oct 16, 2015

Ive seen a PSU go out and take out an entire house

MIRTAZAPINE · Oct 16, 2015

xvi said:
Had an Enermax PSU fail on me. It somehow managed to get so much voltage to my Athlon XP that it blew up and made a tiny crater in the base of my Volcano 7+ CU.
Failing PSUs won't always take out other hardware, but they certainly can.

When you say it blow up and from a crater on volcano, I was imagining it is like some natural volcanic explosion

.

R-T-B · Oct 16, 2015

Jetster said:
Ive seen a PSU go out and take out an entire house

I'm guessing the fire it created burned the house down?

I mean it's pretty much that or it was a home for ant sized people.

SaltyFish · Oct 18, 2015

jboydgolfer said:
I know it isnt always that a dying psu can take out other components, but imo,its better to expect the worst and hope for the best and not the other way around

xvi said:
Failing PSUs won't always take out other hardware, but they certainly can.

Pretty much that. PSUs are the last part you'd want to cheap out on for that very reason.

Interestingly, Newegg seems to have similar sales on other Corsair AXi PSUs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139132
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139130

Is there a bad batch going around or something?

MIRTAZAPINE · Oct 18, 2015

SaltyFish said:
Pretty much that. PSUs are the last part you'd want to cheap out on for that very reason.

Interestingly, Newegg seems to have similar sales on other Corsair AXi PSUs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139132
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139130

Is there a bad batch going around or something?

I think it could be a bad batch that maybe is recalled repaired and sold again. To clear the remaining inventory that they have. It is a great price if the warranty is still the same. From my power supply experience it is best only to buy brand which you can be cheaply rma for like there is a centre close to you , otherwise it would be expensive like me doing an oversea rma like me.

RyanK · Oct 19, 2015

Depends on how the PSU failed. If a large enough voltage spike gets loose than yes, it can go "pop" and take something with it. I would rather have a Superflower unit over any Corsair unit as I'm not a huge fan of Channel Well tech. I think corsair is the most overrated brand on the market

johnspack · Oct 19, 2015

Should be okay, I picked up a refurb 750txm, then sold it to my buddy, then passed him my old 480... seems to be running fine. If it can run that, I think it's healthy. It also came in a new box, plain brown, but with all new cables ect.
They are good deals for a cheap build.

cdawall · Oct 20, 2015

RyanK said:
Depends on how the PSU failed. If a large enough voltage spike gets loose than yes, it can go "pop" and take something with it. I would rather have a Superflower unit over any Corsair unit as I'm not a huge fan of Channel Well tech. I think corsair is the most overrated brand on the market

Ha I am not the only one who thinks it. I have no major issue with CWT, I have an old thermaltake 850w unit that is a CWT OEM and has been running solid for 6 years now with some pretty hot hardware.

RealNeil · Oct 20, 2015

I recently bought an 850AX Gold, and an RM1000 Gold. Both, refurbished and both got here in good working order.

Also: Years ago, I owned an Antec PSU that failed catastrophically and got my Mainboard, CPU, HDD, and one of my two GPUs.
Antec refused to help me with the situation even though they were being publically flogged for using bad Caps in their PSUs. (at the time, bad caps were all over the place)

This is why I never buy anything with the Antec name on it.

Devon68 · Oct 20, 2015

Refurbished does not have to mean it was broken. Maybe only the packaging was damaged in shipping and someone brought it back and demanded a new unit so they had to sell it as a refurbished unit.

terroralpha · May 10, 2016

blunt14468 said:
my unit arrived today. Looks like a brand new unit. Came with all of the cables and even a velvet bag . will test tomorrow if its all good it was money well spent. Unit does come with a 3 year warranty as well

how is your unit coming along? everything turned out OK? i ended up getting the AX1200i as well for another build when price fell to $110, plus $25 for 3 year extended warranty (4 in total). it's kicking ass and taking names.

RyanK said:
I would rather have a Superflower unit over any Corsair unit as I'm not a huge fan of Channel Well tech. I think corsair is the most overrated brand on the market

cdawall said:
Ha I am not the only one who thinks it. I have no major issue with CWT, I have an old thermaltake 850w unit that is a CWT OEM and has been running solid for 6 years now with some pretty hot hardware.

this PSU is NOT made by CWT. it's actually made by Flextronics. they make PSUs for top of the line servers, medical equipment, etc, and a whole lot of other things. TVs, laptops, electric motorcycles, and they even manufactured iphones at one point. they are the world's second largest ODM, behind Foxconn.

RealNeil · May 10, 2016

My two refurbished Corsairs are working great. No problems to report.

System Name	Auriga
Processor	Ryzen 7950X3D w/ aquacomputer cuplex kryos NEXT with VISION - acrylic/nickel
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
Cooling	Alphacool Res/D5 Combo •• Corsair XR7 480mm + Black Ice Nemesis 360GTS radiators •• 7xNF-A12 chromax
Memory	2x 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB @ 6200MHz, 30-40-40-28, 1.35V (F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5NR)
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X w/ Bykski waterblock
Storage	2TB WD Black SN850X ••• 2TB Corsair M510 ••• 40TB QNAP NAS via SFP+ NIC
Display(s)	Alienware AW3423DWF (3440x1440, 10-bit @ 139Hz)
Case	Thermaltake Core P8
Power Supply	Corsair AX1600i
Mouse	Razer Viper V2 Pro (FPS games) + Logitech MX Master 2S (everything else)
Keyboard	Keycult No2 rev 1 w/Amber Alps and TX stabilizers on a steel plate. DCS 9009 WYSE keycaps
Software	W10 X64 Pro
Benchmark Scores	https://valid.x86.fr/c3rxw7

System Name	Juliette // HTPC
Processor	Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory	Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s)	ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case	Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply	Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse	Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard	Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software	Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Auriga
Processor	Ryzen 7950X3D w/ aquacomputer cuplex kryos NEXT with VISION - acrylic/nickel
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi
Cooling	Alphacool Res/D5 Combo •• Corsair XR7 480mm + Black Ice Nemesis 360GTS radiators •• 7xNF-A12 chromax
Memory	2x 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB @ 6200MHz, 30-40-40-28, 1.35V (F5-6000J3040G32GX2-TZ5NR)
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X w/ Bykski waterblock
Storage	2TB WD Black SN850X ••• 2TB Corsair M510 ••• 40TB QNAP NAS via SFP+ NIC
Display(s)	Alienware AW3423DWF (3440x1440, 10-bit @ 139Hz)
Case	Thermaltake Core P8
Power Supply	Corsair AX1600i
Mouse	Razer Viper V2 Pro (FPS games) + Logitech MX Master 2S (everything else)
Keyboard	Keycult No2 rev 1 w/Amber Alps and TX stabilizers on a steel plate. DCS 9009 WYSE keycaps
Software	W10 X64 Pro
Benchmark Scores	https://valid.x86.fr/c3rxw7

System Name	Juliette // HTPC
Processor	Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory	Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s)	ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s)	ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case	Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply	Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse	Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard	Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software	Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro

System Name	WS#1337
Processor	Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard	ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling	Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory	4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s)	Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage	ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s)	Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case	ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s)	ALC1220
Power Supply	SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse	Logitech G603
Keyboard	Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD	Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software	Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Should I take a gamble on a Corsair refurbished unit?

terroralpha

Jetster

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MIRTAZAPINE

blunt14468

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where the hell are my stars

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System Name	Fat NCASE
Processor	Ryzen R9 3900X
Motherboard	ASUS TUF GAMING B550M ZAKU (WIFI) Edition
Cooling	Scythe Fuma with 3 SCYTHE Wondersnail 2400RPM + Arctic MX2
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 128GB @3200Mhz Cl16 (32GB X 4)
Video Card(s)	Palit RTX 3060 StormX ITX 12GB
Storage	MX500 4TB SATA + Toshiba MG08 16TB HDD
Display(s)	LG 27UL500 4K monitor
Case	Jonsbo W2 black
Audio Device(s)	Onboard realtek 1200 & Soundblaster G3 usb
Power Supply	ASUS ROG STRIX 850W Gundam Edition
Mouse	Elecom wireless mouse :)
Keyboard	RK100 Royal Kludge
Software	Windows 10 HOME
Benchmark Scores	Don't know any benchmark. It runs good enough for me.

System Name	Current Rig
Processor	i7-2700k
Motherboard	Asus P8Z68-V Pro Gen3
Cooling	Noctua NH-D14
Memory	16 GB Gskill
Video Card(s)	Twin 780 Classifieds

System Name	Americas cure is the death of Social Justice & Political Correctness
Processor	i7-11700K
Motherboard	Asrock Z590 Extreme wifi 6E
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A
Memory	32GB Corsair RGB fancy boi 5000
Video Card(s)	RTX 3090 Reference
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 1Tb + Samsung 970 Evo 500Gb
Display(s)	Dell - 27" LED QHD G-SYNC x2
Case	Fractal Design Meshify-C
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus+ Gold 1000 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G502 spectrum
Keyboard	AZIO MGK-1 RGB (Kaith Blue)
Software	Win 10 Professional 64 bit
Benchmark Scores	the MLGeesiest

System Name	Rainbow
Processor	Intel Core i7 8700k
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC
Cooling	Corsair H115i, 2x Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM
Memory	G. Skill TridentZ RGB 4x8GB (F4-3600C16Q-32GTZR)
Video Card(s)	ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity
Storage	2x Samsung 950 Pro 256GB \| 2xHGST Deskstar 4TB 7.2K
Display(s)	Samsung C27HG70
Case	Xigmatek Aquila
Power Supply	Seasonic 760W SS-760XP
Mouse	Razer Deathadder 2013
Keyboard	Corsair Vengeance K95
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	4 trillion points in GmailMark, over 144 FPS 2K Facebook Scrolling (Extreme Quality preset)

System Name	Pioneer
Processor	Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard	GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory	64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage	2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s)	55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case	Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s)	TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard	WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches + PBT DS keycaps
Software	Gentoo Linux x64

Processor	Intel Core 2 QX6850
Motherboard	ABIT AB9 Pro
Cooling	Zalman CNPS-9900 MAX-R
Memory	Patriot PDC24G6400LLK (4x 2 GB)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Light Turbo
Storage	Not Enough!
Display(s)	Samsung T240HD
Case	NZXT Zero
Audio Device(s)	Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Power Supply	Thortech Thunderbolt Plus TTBPK00G 1000W
Mouse	Elecom M-DUX70BK
Keyboard	CM Storm Trigger (Cherry MX Brown)
Software	NOT Windows 10

System Name	custom
Processor	i5 3570K @4.2ghz
Motherboard	ASROCK z77 extreme 4
Cooling	aircooled
Memory	16gb corsair vengeance ddr3 1600
Video Card(s)	MSI GTX 780 reference
Storage	2tb Seagate, 256gb sandisk SSD
Power Supply	850W Antec HCG-M

System Name	System2 Blacknet , System1 Blacknet2
Processor	System2 Threadripper 1920x, System1 2699 v3
Motherboard	System2 Asrock Fatality x399 Professional Gaming, System1 Asus X99-A
Cooling	System2 Noctua NH-U14 TR4-SP3 Dual 140mm fans, System1 AIO
Memory	System2 64GBS DDR4 3000, System1 32gbs DDR4 2400
Video Card(s)	System2 GTX 980Ti System1 GTX 970
Storage	System2 4x SSDs + NVme= 2.250TB 2xStorage Drives=8TB System1 3x SSDs=2TB
Display(s)	2x 24" 1080 displays
Case	System2 Some Nzxt case with soundproofing...
Audio Device(s)	Asus Xonar U7 MKII
Power Supply	System2 EVGA 750 Watt, System1 XFX XTR 750 Watt
Mouse	Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
Keyboard	Ducky
Software	Manjaro, Windows 10, Kubuntu 23.10
Benchmark Scores	It's linux baby!

System Name	All the cores
Processor	2990WX
Motherboard	Asrock X399M
Cooling	CPU-XSPC RayStorm Neo, 2x240mm+360mm, D5PWM+140mL, GPU-2x360mm, 2xbyski, D4+D5+100mL
Memory	4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s)	(2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage	2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s)	Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case	Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s)	Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse	Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard	Keychron K8
Software	W10P

System Name	Home Brewed
Processor	i9-7900X and i7-8700K
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme & ASUS Prime Z-370 A
Cooling	Corsair 280mm AIO & Thermaltake Water 3.0
Memory	64GB DDR4-3000 GSKill RipJaws-V & 32GB DDR4-3466 GEIL Potenza
Video Card(s)	2X-GTX-1080 SLI & 2 GTX-1070Ti 8GB G1 Gaming in SLI
Storage	Both have 2TB HDDs for storage, 480GB SSDs for OS, and 240GB SSDs for Steam Games
Display(s)	ACER 28" B286HK 4K & Samsung 32" 1080P
Case	NZXT Source 540 & Rosewill Rise Chassis
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000 & Corsair RM850
Mouse	Generic
Keyboard	Razer Blackwidow Tournament & Corsair K90
Software	Win-10 Professional
Benchmark Scores	yes

System Name	Ryzen 2023
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700
Motherboard	Asrock B650E Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15
Memory	G Skill Flare X5 2x16gb cl32@6000 MHz
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon RX 6950 XT Nitro + gaming Oc
Storage	WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB 64MB 7k SATA600 Blue WD10EZEX, WD Black SN850X 1Tb nvme
Display(s)	LG 27GP850P-B
Case	Corsair 5000D airflow tempered glass
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime GX-850W
Mouse	A4Tech V7M bloody
Keyboard	Genius KB-G255
Software	Windows 10 64bit