1000W-1200W Roundup: Five High-End PSUs
by Martin Kaffei on December 9, 2010 1:20 PM ESTAntec HCP-1200 (High Current Pro 1200W) Overview
Our HCP (High Current Pro) sample arrived without any packaging, as it was one of the first samples and the final package contents weren't yet finalized. The shipping product includes the standard mounting screws and manual, plus the modular cables. Unlike the other PSUs in this roundup, Antec is using an 80mm fan from Sanyo Denki for cooling, reminiscent of old PC Power and Cooling designs. The case is 18cm long, typical for high wattage PSUs.
| Cables and Connectors | ||
| Fixed/Modular | Main | 24-pin 65cm |
| ATX12V/EPS12V | 4+4-pin 65cm / 8-pin 65cm | |
| PCIe | 4x 6/8-pin 55cm + 4x 6/8-pin 15cm | |
| Peripheral | 3x SATA 55-85cm / 3x SATA 55-85cm / 3x SATA 55-85cm / 3x SATA 55-85cm | |
| 3x Molex 55-85cm/ 3x Molex 55-85cm / 3x Molex 55-85cm + Floppy 15cm | ||
Antec offers many SATA connectors but you can't conect all of them if you want to use all the Molex cables as well. The reason is there aren't enough sockets on the modular cabling system, so you're limited to choosing which cables you will use. Like Cooler Master Antec has eight PCIe connectors but they're longer and all have 6/8-pin heads. The two 8-pin connectors for CPUs are relatively common for 1200W PSUs, again just like the Cooler Master.
The 80mm fan is a ball bearing type with the product number 9AH0812P4G131 with a lifespan of 120,000hrs @ 40°C and up to 4500RPM. That sounds high, but as we will see later Antec manages to turn in some impressive results.
Antec has two PCBs with four (!) main caps from Rubycon. On the secondary side we can find more Rubycon caps and some all solid Nippon Chemi-Con caps as well. The transformer looks very small like the one from Cooler Master and there are very modern transistors with a low drain-source resistance. The protecion IC can be found on the second picture on the right sister PCB. The soldering quality is absolutely flawless.
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mattgmann - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
nice roundup though the outcome was predictable. I would have like to see some other heavy hitters other than antec included, i.e. mainly corsair, but also enermax, pc p&c, and maybe silverstone.I've been using mostly antec psus in my builds for a while. I like their low end series supplies, and the earthwatts series. I am running the SG850 in my personal rig. For my next personal workstation I plan to go bigger (dual socket). The antec hcp 1200 performs great by all accounts, but I have to say I would prefer a fully modular supply on a high end unit. The only thing I disliked about my SG850 was the cabling; it was also a pain to re-sleeve.
Antec_Jessie - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
Am I to understand that you want the fully modular cables for ease of sleeving?Thanks for the feedback!
mattgmann - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
It would be nice to have a psu I didn't feel like re-sleeving. The sleeving on my sg850 was pretty atrocious. The hcp 1200 is a bit better.I'd also like fully modular because it's easier for me to make custom length cables, and not have to deal with hiding extraneous hard wire cables. My sg850 has both 4 pin and 8 pin 12v eps cables. Who needs a 4 pin eps cable on a high end power supply? At least make it a single 4pinx2 connector.
The other advantage to fully modular cabling could be in balancing load across the rails as I need or want.
I'd be happy paying a premium for an hcp1200 with fully modular connectors.
sirmixmasta - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
The other comments are right, seems like a bunch of bigger names often synonymous with quality are missing from this review. You guys only review what the manufacturers send over for free now or what? I don't think I would buy any of these...racerx_is_alive - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
Thought it was kind of interesting that while the article mentioned the AeroCool's amazing carbon fiber exterior more than once, there were no pictures of that exterior in the whole article. Maybe that was to dissuade us from buying a terrible power supply based on looks? :)Also, in the Cooler Master review, it says that the fan has 7 blades, when in the picture it has 11 or something like that.
CTMorseJr - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
I took the plunge and bought 3x 27.5" 1920 * 1200 monitors for use in an NVIDIA 2D Surround View setup and it's rejuvenated my love for gaming. I have 2x GTX 470s in SLI and need to add a third to be able to play all the games I want to in full triple monitor 6180 x 1200 resolution (bezel adjusted).I need to upgrade my PC Power & Cooling 750W PS to accommodate the extra power for the third card and this review couldn’t have come at a better time for me.
I’m not a trust fund baby, just a lowly network administrator at an upstate NY community college who decided to invest a few extra $$hundred (okay, maybe a couple “few extra $$hundred) and try the world of Surround View gaming. I can’t recommend it highly enough if you’re a PC gamer.
cactusdog - Friday, December 10, 2010 - link
Did Antec pay for this review? Seems odd to include only bad PSUs for comparison. I.m guessing Antec chose the PSUs to test.Martin Kaffei - Friday, December 10, 2010 - link
Not true.In a payed review you would see a Gold Award. ;)
I'm sure there are more good PSUs and there will be more roundups in future. Maybe there is a PSU, which is better than Antec. Who knows. But I have to say, Delta is actually a very good manufacturer. So it is more the work of Delta I like, not the ideas from Antec. The cable management needs some improvements.
squidyj - Friday, December 10, 2010 - link
Kind of a dark horse pick I guess but I'd really just like to see some more 'ink' on Powercolor's 1000w design because well, I haven't heard a bad thing about it yet, and the price is right.ypsylon - Friday, December 10, 2010 - link
Any PSU review without obvious king of the market (Corsair) is completely pointless.Who, in the right frame of mind, will buy AeroCool, Cooler Master or OCZ when Corsair cost is exactly the same or much less (at least where I live), Corsair offers superior performance in every price range when compared to any competitor, absolutely astonishing customer care and equally superior quality. It is complete no-brainer!
In all honestly I would buy Tagan, Thermaltake or Enermax (even if I had some issues with them) over AC, CM or OCZ every single time.