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Final Analysis
Thanks to an exclusive arrangement with Great Wall, Corsair easily dominates the SFX segment with its new SF Platinum PSUs. The previous SF Gold models, which remain in production, are still solid performers. However, the Platinum-rated ones raise the bar even higher, making it tough for the competition to keep up. To make matters worse for those other companies, Corsair already released the SF750, which is the first SFX-based PSU offering 750W of capacity.
The SF600 Platinum is the best SFX PSU we've tested, and we're really curious to see if the SF750 can achieve even higher overall performance. It might be capable of greater output, but surely compromises have to be made in order to offer that much capacity in a space-constrained form factor. After all, more power doesn't always mean better benchmark results. It could turn out that this SF600 Platinum fares better across our suite.
Compared to the SF600 Gold, Corsair's new SF600 Platinum offers higher performance, tighter load regulation (especially on the minor rails), quieter operation (even with increased loads on the minor rails), and it is equipped with individually sleeved cables. Moreover, the power supply's bundle includes an SFX-to-ATX adapter. All of that sounds cool, but does it justify a notably higher price? We think so. There are still some improvements we'd like to see in a future version of this platform, though:
- A selectable semi-passive fan mode
- More PCIe connectors (4x)
- Two EPS connectors would be ideal
- There is turn-off overshoot on the +12V rail that needs to be addressed
- Lower inrush current with 230V input
- Standardize the cable lengths
This PSU is strong enough to address the needs of mid-range gaming systems and it includes an SFX-to-ATX adapter, so we think Corsair should offer an extra set of longer cables or even sell two versions of the SF600 Platinum. One could come with short cables for small enclosures and no adapter, while the other might incorporate long cables and the bundled bracket. That way, enthusiasts interested in SFX PSUs for normal ATX chassis wouldn't run into compatibility issues with the short cables. As the SF600 Platinum ships now, we don't see the point in a bundled ATX adapter when the short modular cables can't reach very far.
In the end, Corsair's SF600 Platinum is a great product offering high performance in all of the tests we ran on it. If you need the best SFX power supply that money can buy, this is it. Alternatively, if you need even more capacity (and connectors), Corsair's SF750 might be a better option. We'll be reviewing that model soon.
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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.
