Seasonic made a point with the TX-1600, that it can create high-performance PSUs without using complex, digital circuits. Analog circuits still have life in them, but we are not sure for how long, considering the crazy requirements of the ATX 3.0 spec for every PSU featuring 12VHPWR connectors.
Having proper protection features and being able to deliver twice the maximum power, for short periods, is challenging, especially for high power units like the TX-1600. This is why Seasonic had to derate it for ATX 3.0 compatibility and states that this unit meets Intel's newest design guideline up to 1000W only. Despite that, the TX-1600 comes with a pair of 12VHPWR connectors, which can handle up to 600W each. Testing aside, it will be interesting to see if the TX-1600 can handle the upcoming GPUs and why not, a pair of them.
The primary opponents of the Seasonic TX-1600 are the Asus Rog Thor with similar capacity, which stays behind in overall performance, registering a win only in noise output. At the same time, the Corsair AX1600i remains the performance king several years after its release. Seasonic's engineers did a fantastic job on this platform, but we expect them to continue working on it to make it fully ATX 3.0 ready. Moreover, it is high time for Seasonic to enter the totem-pole PFC train and introduce a digital platform able to take the lead from the AX1600i.
The TX-1600 achieves top performance while keeping noise output low, utilizing a conventional platform proven to be super reliable. We get it. Why mess with something new when you can achieve such results with the technology you know best? But as we see it, digital circuits are the future for PSUs.
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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.
