Corsair just made power supplies interesting, which I didn't realize was possible
A few weeks ago, images of an odd-looking PSU from Corsair leaked out. What made it so odd? Well, the connectors were on the "wrong" side. Could such an aberration be real? Yep: today Corsair officially announced the new RMx Shift ATX 3.0 line of PSUs, making it the "world’s first power supply with side-positioned connectors," and honestly, I'm surprised no one has come up with this sooner.
A standard power supply usually has its connectors on the rear of the unit. The Shift PSUs have theirs on the side, which should make it easy for you to access the power cables while promoting better cable management, which isn't a strong suit for some PC builders (me included).
This also makes swapping out components like fans and coolers less of a nightmare since you longer have to stick your hand into the cramped interior of a case and hope that you pulled the right power cable.
The RMx Shift series has four models with wattages ranging from 750W to 1200W, which means you should have no problem feeding one of those power-hungry RTX 40-series graphics cards all the juice it needs.
The RMx Shift may not be an ideal fit for every PC case design out there, but it seems like an ideal cable placement for most mid-tower designs. As our own Jacob Ridley points out, you'd need enough room in your PC case to route the cables from the side, or else you'd risk putting too much pressure on the cables, giving you an unreliable connection or straining a connector.
Corsair says it has tested the RMx Shift in "all current Corsair cases to guarantee compatibility." It should fit third-party cases as long as they're at least 210mm wide, providing enough side clearance to run the cables.
The RMx Shift series PSUs are available now through Corsair's website. Pricing is as follows:
- RM750x Shift - $149.99, €159.99
- RM850x Shift - $159.99, €174.99
- RM1000x Shift - $209.99, €219.99
- RM1200x Shift - $269.99, €259.99