Power Supply Roundup: 730W to 900W
by Christoph Katzer on November 22, 2007 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Antec TruePower Quattro - 850W
The Quattro 850 has a very difference appearance than other offerings. Antec painted yellow racing stripes on the black housing, which gives it a unique appearance. Whether that's good or bad is up to personal opinion; regardless, you won't see these stripes when the power supply is mounted in most cases. The cooling is provided by an 80mm fan located at the front of the power supply. The packaging is well built, providing protection during transportation. We found all the standard accessories in the box.
The label shows four 12V rails rated at 18A each. The lower voltage 3.3V and 5V rails have the standard 25A and 30A rating, respectively, which is more than enough in today's systems. The total maximum load for the 12V rails is described as 768W, which is good for demanding systems. Antec lists 100-240VAC input voltage on the label, but as with other units we tested the Antec with 90VAC as well and didn't encounter any problems.
Cables and Connectors
All cables are sleeved with a black mesh; this looks pretty but naturally increases the price. For an 850W power supply the TruePower Quattro has one of the highest amounts of cable harnesses. There are nine Molex and eight SATA connectors, which could power up quite a lot of hard drives. Of course, looking at the back of the power supply we see only three jacks for peripherals; the user can only attach three of the harnesses, but at least they can choose which cables they need.
Two massive heatsinks occupy most of the internal space; these are not only wide but also thick. This arrangement keeps the inside cool and we measured only up to 68°C with 50°C ambient temperature outside of the power supply. Heat is transferred quickly out of the power supply and the heatsinks leave plenty of space for air to cool the components on the PCB.
Antec uses quality components, with a Nippon Chemi-Con capacitor rated at 470µF, 450V, and 105°C taking center stage. The secondary side has several Teapo caps installed, which is a common choice. Overall, the topology makes a very good impression.
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Christoph Katzer - Friday, November 23, 2007 - link
The arrangement will be changed next time ;)What about the amount of PSUs? Too many?
strikeback03 - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - link
I like the voltage vs. load charts used previously better than the bar charts. Obviously impractical with a 10 PSU roundup, but I hope they come back for smaller articles.Would it at least be possible to keep a consistent order to the PSUs, instead of sorting by output voltage? On the 3.3V charts on page 4 for example, it's confusing to have the Hiper 730 at the bottom of the 20% chart then the top of the 50% chart.
Dayneaw - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
The first graph on page six seems to be missing the results of the silverstone.rickon66 - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
I love it when folks complain without even reading the review."Maybe you just forgot to upload the final page?"
Maybe you just forgot to read the review!!
Anyway-Good job on the review.
Talcite - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
Good job guys, the o-scope readings/explanations are particularly nice =D.SOLIDNecro - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
No "Final thoughts" or "Conclusions"???A summary report is one of the most important, if not most important part of any article, to leave it completely up to the reader to draw conclusions based on charts requires to much time and expertise for your average reader!
Also your "Editors" choice awards are invaluable, you guys are the "Pro's" and should be able to guide the reader to what you would purchase for your own rig, and why it stood out from the rest of the pack
Maybe you just forgot to upload the final page?
JEDIYoda - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
So whats so hard about making your own conclusion and thinking a little bit?Editor`s awards are bogus!
Grow up dude!
JEDIYoda - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
Editor choice rewards awards are bogus!You can read and comprehend - can`t you?
Make up your own mind!
Christoph Katzer - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
Just check the new arrangement. I wrote the comparison first and if somebody is interested to know more about a product he/she can check details after. The conclusion is on page 8.ChronoReverse - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
I find it rather confusing that way. I also thought that there was no conclusion until I read the comments.That said, I do usually read the conclusion first. Perhaps it should go back to the end and then a short abstract placed in the front?