A Look Inside & Component Analysis

Before reading this page, we strongly suggest a look at this article, which will help you understand the internal components of a PSU much better. Our main tool for the disassembly of the PSU is a Thermaltronics TMT-9000S soldering and rework station. It is of extreme quality and is equipped with a matching de-soldering gun. With such equipment in hand, breaking apart every PSU is like a walk in the park!


Channel Well Technology (CWT) created this platform under Corsair's strict supervision. On the primary side are a half-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter for increased efficiency, while the secondary side has FETs regulate the +12V rail and two DC-DC converters generate the minor rails. All controllers that handle the PSU's operation are analogue, but there is an MCU that is responsible for the PSU's connectivity to the system, which allows for fan control and the activation or deactivation of the Over Current Protection (OCP) feature. With OCP engaged, the PSU has five +12V rails, while without OCP, there is only one +12V rail. As per usual for a CWT platform, there are no heatsinks on the secondary side, and the +12V FETs are kept cool by bus-bars and the PCB onto which they are installed. Such a configuration might look weird in a semi-passive unit, but the design is heat-proof or Corsair wouldn't be providing it with a ten-year warranty.


The AC receptacle only hosts two Y caps. The rest of the transient filter is on the main PCB and consists of two Y and two X caps, an MOV, and two chokes.


There is an NTC thermistor for protection against large inrush currents, but it doesn't have a bypass relay, which is a shame. CTW probably uses another way to bypass the thermistor once the PSU is operating. We will try to confirm whether such is the case or not with the help of our IR camera.


We first applied a load to the NTC thermistor by performing several cold starts, one after another, before dialing in a steady load and monitoring the thermistor's temperature. Temperatures increased, which means the thermistor isn't bypassed. This is bad because a cold start will result in a lot of inrush current since the thermistor's resistance will be pretty low and because a lot of energy is wasted on the thermistor. Both could be avoided if a bypass relay were used.


The single GBJ25L06 boost diode is on a dedicated heatsink. Capable of handling up to 25A current, it is easily strong enough to cover the RM650i's needs.


The APFC converter uses a single Vishay Siliconix SIHG30N60E (650V, 18A @ 100°C, 0.125Ω @ 25°C) FET and a Vishay 8S2TH061 (600V, 8A @ 120°C) boost diode. The bulk cap is by Rubycon (400V, 680uF, 105°C, MXH series, 2000h @ 105°C), and its capacity is pretty high, which will have the PSU's hold-up time easily exceed the minimum the ATX specification asks for.


The APFC controller is on a vertical PCB. It is an Infineon ICE3PCS01G and is supported by a CM03X Green PFC controller. The latter ensures that power consumption in standby is well below 0.5 W. The same board also houses the LLC resonant controller, an Infineon ICE2HS01G.


Two Toshiba TK18A60V FETs are used as primary switchers. They are arranged in a half-bridge topology. An LLC resonant provides an efficiency boost.


All filtering capacitors, both electrolytic and polymer, are by Chemi-Con. The electrolytic caps are rated at 105°C, and their model number is either KZE or KY.


In the secondary side is a small daughter-board with four Sinopower SM4021NAKP (40V, 100A @ 100°C, 2.7mΩ) FETs that regulate the +12V rail.


The DC-DC converters are on a large board in the secondary side. In total, two UBIQ QM3006D and four QM3004D FETs are used. The common PWM controller is an ANPEC APW7159.


The protection ICs are a Weltrend WT7502 on the main PCB and a WT7518 on the modular board. The latter IC obviously provides the OCP protection one can disable through the Corsair Link software.


The brains of the PSU's digital interface is a PIC32MX MCU. Although this is an analog platform, the digital interface allows for the PSU's status to be monitored and the fan to be controlled. Use the Corsair Link application to monitor and log the fan's speed and the voltage and the current values of the +12V, 5V, and 3.3V rails. You can also check on the unit's efficiency in real time since the interface provides information on input and output power, and you have the option to enable or disable OCP on the +12V rails. OCP is by default enabled.


On the modular PCB's primary side are many Chemi-Con polymer caps for some extra ripple filtering on the rails. On the obverse side of same board are several cables that transfer power from the regulators to the sockets. We noticed some sloppy soldering joints on this side.


Soldering quality is pretty good. We also found several interesting ICs.


The same fan is used in all HXi and RMi models. Its model number is NR135P (12 V, 0.22 A), and the fan's maximum speed is close to 1600 RPM. Its very relaxed fan profile and long lasting passive operation keep it quiet.