Corsair recalls SF series PSUs

Corsair has announced there are problems with its SF series of Platinum-certified SFX power supplies and has issued a recall notice on them. 

Originally posted on the Corsair forums and first spotted by Tom's Hardware, the issue was noticed due to a higher than normal RMA rates that tipped Corsair off to wondering what was going on. 

It turns out the power supplies can suffer from premature failure linked to environments with "high temperatures and high humidity". The issue affects units in lot codes 194448xx to 201148xx, manufactured between October 2019 and March 2020, so we're talking very recent purchases here. 

Corsair is quick to point out that the issue doesn't and won't necessarily affect every unit manufactured during that time but, crucially, it doesn't want to take any risks. It's an issue that can happen the first time you power it on or it can develop over time, all depending on the environmental conditions surrounding the PSU. Fortunately, while no one wants a dead PSU, the fault only occurs on the primary side of the PSU and is "entirely isolated from the DC side of the PSU's transformer" which means it won't damage any components or hardware connected to the PSU.

Still, it's a bit of an unfortunate problem. The SFX power supplies have a good reputation for high quality so such issues shouldn't really emerge. Corsair tends to have a good reputation for support too and that seems to be being demonstrated here. The firm has been quick to respond and has explained fairly clearly what's going on. Crucially, it's also offering advance replacement of units in a bid to minimise any loss of service for customers, and all postage costs are entirely at Corsair's expense. 

A voluntary product replacement program, if you're affected by this recall, you can submit a ticket here with the subject title 'SF Series voluntary product replacement' or similar to explain all.

Not sure if you're affected? The lot codes are located on the PSU's packaging or the serial number sticker on the side of the power supply. Obviously, it's up to you whether you want to ignore it but there's really not much to be gained by doing so given Corsair is providing replacements in advance.