Posted in PSU , Cases/Cooling/PSUs , Antec , TruePower , Quattro , 1200W
Antec TruePower Quattro 1200W
Although many users are currently looking for smaller power supplies below 500W, there still is a demand for stronger ones, particularly if you are a gamer with Triple-SLI or Quad-Crossfire systems. Those planning on running NVIDIA's next generation "Fermi" will want a fairly beefy PSU, and the same goes for Folding@Home farms where you'd want a lot of stable power. For the upper end PSUs there are a wide range of models, which doesn’t make the purchase decision easy. In addition, these power supplies are usually expensive so you'll want to get the best features and a reliable power supply that can operate even under maximum load and summer temperatures.
We received a TruePower Quattro 1200W from Antec and as usually we're looking to see if it provides a good overall package. We'll check out the safety features, voltage stability, and the available connectors. Efficiency is also an important issue and affects the energy consumption as well as the internal temperature. We also got a special OC version from Antec. It has two big regulators for the internal fan and +12V voltages. You can easily adjust the rail when the voltage drops down too much. In all other areas the OC version has the same features as the standard model.
The TruePower Quattro 1200W is a PSU that polarizes because of its 80mm fan. Usually a bigger fan also has a bigger cooling area, but lot of it depends on the fan-quality and cooling topology. With a 120-140mm fan mounted on the bottom, you have a curve in the airflow, but with 80mm the airflow is more direct. So temperatures should not be a problem. But will the fan be silent enough for most discerning buyers? Let’s find out!
Package Contents
The product is well packed and includes four screws, the modular connector cables, a short information sheet as well as a power cord.
Six well dimensioned +12V rails with 38A each can deliver the full power of the PSU. Again, we can see a manufacturer using a DC-DC converter. +5V has 30A and +3.3V offers 25A. Together they can handle 170W. The massive standby rail is rated at 6A.
I think the problem lies in testing power supplies, which doesn't give any long-term indication of performance.
Every review I read of it was glowing and recommended it. Every review I read stated that it was worth spending the money on such a "high quality" power supply. I'm not saying that the reviews were wrong, I'm saying that somewhere along the line, Antec started skimping on its products and produced a really polished turd (either that or I got extraordinarily unlucky and got one f***ed up power supply).
I'm not normally one to stray from a brand after one misfortune, but this instance was a particularly big foul-up. Until power supplies are actually tested for long-term durability, I won't be giving any more of my money to Antec.
What model was it? If it was REALLY one of their halo products, I am not sure how you came to the conclusion that it was built cheaply.
Of course you have some people who think the PSU is such a simple design and that there is no excuse for a well built PSU to fail. People like that just make me roll my eyes...and usually ignore them from then on.
I understand and expect power supplies to fail from time to time... but not after essentially 2 months of light use in a well-ventilated case after spending money on a premium model.
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