Corsair has been busy at this year’s Computex. The company has shown a bunch of new cases, but what caught my eye is the company’s transparent PSU prototype. This thing looks slick as heck and is the coolest piece of hardware I’ve seen at this year’s Computex.
A See-Through PSU Sounds Dumb But Actually Looks Incredibly Cool
The PSU in question is part of Corsair’s new HXi SHIFT power supply lineup, but it won’t be released alongside other models. This particular model is still in the prototype stage, which is understandable because, just look at it—its sides are transparent!
The HX1000i SHIFT prototype is the first transparent PSU ever, at least to my knowledge. While the top and bottom are made of metal, the side walls are made of acrylic, allowing you to see the innards in all their glory. Note how the company used white capacitors and the PCB to align with the see-through aesthetic.
Design-wise, this is, hands down, the prettiest PC power supply I’ve ever seen. It’s not that it’s only pretty from the side facing outwards when mounted inside a case, it’s stunning from every angle.
The white PCB perfectly matches the rest of the case. Combined with black components, the PSU has a nice dose of contrast, making it attractive no matter from which side you’re looking at it.
Too bad this design makes little sense since we’re living in a world dominated by PC enclosures with opaque PSU shrouds.
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I Love Its Transparent Design, But This Prototype Makes Little Sense
When combined with a PC case designed to make the PSU visible for everyone to admire, the HX1000i SHIFT transparent prototype is a sight to behold.
Mounted inside an upcoming Corsair Frame 4000D modular enclosure, it’s a perfect conversation piece, especially if you keep your PC on your desk. I really like how the RGB lighting reflects off the PSU’s acrylic sides, creating the illusion that the PSU itself features RGB lighting (something Corsair is definitely working on behind the scenes).
But the issue is that the vast majority of PC cases come with opaque PSU shrouds, preventing you from admiring your top-of-the-line see-through power supply. At best, you’ve got enclosures with PSU shroud cutouts that reveal most of the power supply. But in that case, no RGB would reflect off the acrylic sides, making this see-through power supply almost as plain as any other PSU around and defeating the purpose of its transparent walls.
That said, I’m guessing Corsair designed the see-through HXi SHIFT with the intent of pairing it with the Frame 4000D case. It’s just a crying shame you’re limited to said case—which is also only a prototype at the moment—if you pull the trigger on the HX1000i SHIFT transparent PSU once it comes out.
If this power supply caught your eye like it did mine, I have some bad news. Considering that the PSU is still in the prototype stage, we don’t know when it will be available for purchase.
The catch is that acrylic is a terrific insulator, and it easily accumulates and holds static charge. In other words, designing a transparent PSU has certainly involved lots of challenges, one of which is getting the thing certified in the first place.
However, considering that Corsair was bold enough to show the PSU in the first place, at Computex no less, I’m positive it’s only a matter of time before we see it on shelves.
The Rest of the HXi SHIFT Lineup Packs Some Cool Features
The Corsair HX1000i SHIFT see-through prototype is just one member of the new HXi SHIFT family, which includes three models in total: the HX1000i SHIFT, HX1200i SHIFT, and HX1500i SHIFT. Truth be told, I really like what Corsair is doing with its new PSU lineup.
Every HXi SHIFT model packs a 12V-2×6 connector found on most NVIDIA RTX 40 and RTX 50, and some AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPUs. The 1500W model comes with two 12V-2×6 connectors, perfect for professionals with multiple GPUs used for rendering or AI-related workloads.
Having dual 12V-2×6 connectors is also a sound future-proofing feature that can be useful for high-end PC gamers. The NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU is rated for 575W of power, and the maximum power a single 12V-2×6 connector can deliver is 600W. I wouldn’t be surprised if the RTX 6090, or whatever it ends up being called, comes with two 12V-2×6 power connectors and a 600W+ TDP.
Another unique feature of the Corsair HXi SHIFT PSU lineup is the embedded iCUE LINK System Hub. The presence of the iCUE LINK System Hub allows you to easily connect all your Corsair fans, RGB strips, and other iCUE LINK-compatible components directly to the PSU instead of having to deal with fan hubs and adapters.
This being Corsair’s flagship PSU lineup also means every model is embellished with the Cybenetics Platinum certification, and includes high-end Japanese caps.
Personally, I’ve got to say that I really like what I’m seeing here. Although the transparent PSU only makes sense if you pair it with the Corsair Frame 4000D modular case (once they both launch, of course), the rest of the lineup consists of impressive power supplies.
While Corsair didn’t go overboard with power, the presence of two 12V-2×6 connectors means the 1500W model will be a perfect pairing for professionals and gamers who plan to get NVIDIA’s next-gen flagship gaming GPU.
