Corsair came out with quite a more unique-looking and designed power supply. Although it might seem a simple solution, we take a quick look at what it actually has to offer in this RM1000X Shift PSU review. With a choice for one of the best PSUs around it brings plenty of power to the table and a claimed boost to cable management for when you’re building out your next gaming PC. So let’s see what it has to offer.
- Wattage: 1000W
- Form Factor : ATX
- Rating: 80 Plus Gold, Cybenetics Gold
- Design: Fully modular, side connectors
An innovative yet simple change, the RM1000X Shift makes building, upgrading, and managing those pesky cables. With a great load of power and strong efficiency, it provides a great choice for your next build, as long as you’re willing to pay the premium for it.
- Looking for a long-lasting power supply for many years
- Need 1000W for your build including the top-end hardware
- Want quiet and efficient performance
- If your recommended power is below 1KW
- Looking for a better efficiency
- After a more cost-effective model
RM1000X Shift design
Of course, the first thing you notice on this power supply is the shifted power connector locations. Instead of sitting on the opposite end of your AC cable, the connectors are now on the side of your side panel. No more reaching into the base of your PC case and fumbling around to try and unplug or plug in that cable you forgot. This PSU makes it a lot simpler where you can now see the cables and access them more easily.
Overall the RM1000X Shift is an excellent choice of power supply for your current or any future builds. With such a high wattage it will power even the top end of hardware. But it also does so with great efficiency and without much noise on top.
But this is very much case-dependent, if you already had easy access it might not be too big of a difference. But it does affect most standard choice cases and makes life just that bit simpler. As long as the case is compatible, the sizing and connections are different than the standard as we’ll see below.
Compact SFX desktop computer power supply unit on a desk with blurred electronics in the background.
Modular power supply unit with labeled connectors for sata/pata, motherboard, and PCIe 5.0/cpu.
A close-up of the back panel of the Corsair RM1000X Shift power supply.
Thge top of a Corsair RM1000X Shift power supply unit placed on a surface, with the background of PC components shelves subtly shifted to a blur.
Corsair RM1000X Shift, source: BGFG
Being a 1000W PSU there is plenty of power behind it but also a lot of cables included. There is a total of seven PCIe connectors for all your GPU or add-in card needs. Plus it includes the 16-pin connector as a native PCIe 5 PSU, making it a lot easier to use on your next best GPU particularly Nvidia ones that opt for the new standard.
One drawback of the original cables included with the power supply is the short distance between the peripheral connectors. So if you’re looking to connect up further away components it might be a bit more difficult. But being a fully modular PSU makes it a lot simpler to swap out for custom cables, but do make sure they are compatible with the pin out of the power supply.
RM1000X Shift size
The RM1000X Shift is a standard ATX PSU but with a bit of extra length added on. As it extends to 180mm, less of a cube than most lower power supplies but should still mostly fit any standard cases. Especially considering there are no power cables at the front to interfere with anything in front of it.
But there is also a consideration for the PC case compatibility. With the connectors next to the side panel, now you have to make sure you have enough room for your connectors. For a good clearance amount, it is suggested you have a case 210mm (8.3″) wide in total. So those cases that we struggle to close with our rat’s nest cables won’t quite make the cut. Or it might be easier with the modularity and ease of access to the power supply.
Rear view of a desktop pc showing the Corsair RM1000X Shift power supply, cooling fan, and various input/output ports.
The rear panel of a desktop computer with various ports and a Corsair RM1000X Shift power supply cable connected.
Corsair RM1000X Shift, source: BGFG
Sound and efficiency
Corsair has put the power supply through its paces. The RM1000X Shift is both rated by 80 Plus and Cybenetics to a Gold standard, whilst the latter also gives it an A sound rating. The Cybenetics results also provide insight into how the PSU works. It runs at a temperature range of 30-32°C (86-89.6°F) and keeps incredibly quietly doing so.
As the testing shows, at 115V the average efficiency was 88.494% with the average 5VSB efficiency at 76.997%. Whilst the fan keeping the temps down only produces an average noise output of 23.62dB(A). Whilst at 230V the average efficiency is up at 90.176% as the 5VSB is up at 78.295% and doing so with slightly less noise at 23.59dB(A).
What GPUs do we recommend for the Corsair PSU?
As a 1000W PSU, there are no modern GPUs the RM1000X Shift can’t handle. Even the top-end Nvidia or AMD GPUs don’t need anything more. That means you can easily pair it up with the best RTX 4090, RTX 4080 Super, or RX 7900 XTX quite easily.
It’s especially useful for the top choice Nvidia graphics cards considering the 12VHPWR connector that comes with the unit. That means it’s a lot cleaner without the use of any adapters that might not look too nice out front or cause any issues that the cable was known for before.
Warranty and support
The great thing about the Corsair RM1000X Shift is that it comes with a ten-year warranty. It gives you great peace of mind that you can get it fixed so many years down the line. Considering it is a 1000W PSU it means it’s a future-proof choice for any of your future builds, saving you a decision and purchase down the line. It also comes with a great protection system for good transient response and properly set overcurrent and overpower protection. That means you shouldn’t be getting any problems with your power but even then you can get support if you do have any issues.
Overall the RM1000X Shift is an excellent choice of power supply for your current or any future builds.
Conclusion
Overall the RM1000X Shift is an excellent choice of power supply for your current or any future builds. With such a high wattage it will power even the top end of hardware. But it also does so with great efficiency and without much noise on top. Its main difference and innovation is the side connectors making it a strong choice for building and managing your cabling. As long as you are willing to pay the extra $30 or so for the privilege.
Is the Corsair RM1000X Shift worth it?
When you need all the power for a good safety margin, along with some strong efficiency, and minimal noise then the RM1000X is a worthy purchase. As long as you take advantage of the side connectors as well, since the markup over the standard choice can be pretty hefty. It brings with it a great design and build quality that does cost a bit more than most but should last you plenty of builds and years.
