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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Marlin1975 - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
How about more reviews on items that most would use, not a very small subset.I have a 600wat power supply and only bought that due to sale/coupon over the 500watt. My HTPC has a 380 etc...
Test the PS's that are lowwer priced but still 80% rated and see if they really hold up for most builders.
Minion4Hire - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
It has been a while since they did a large mid-range PSU roundup, but different people are in the market for different products.The thing is that the vast majority of mid-range power supplies ARE perfectly adequate for the vast majority of users in that market segment. Some are better, some are worse, but everything will generally come out okay. But if you're going to drop +$200 on a power supply it BETTER damn well perform! Of course if someone is looking to spend $20 on a 500W PSU for a gaming rig then they'll get what they're paying for.
Taft12 - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
If modular is a requirement (and it should be for mid-range+) Seasonic M12II 520W or 620W is probably the best you can do in the $75-100 range.michaelheath - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
Minion, Taft, those are good responses but don't really address Martin's point: Why would I, a reasonable enthusiast who has a quad core CPU, a decent single GPU, a hard drive or two and a DVD burner, really care about what's going on in the 1000w+ PSU market? Other than pure curiosity? I need a 550w power supply at worst, and I too would like to see more reviews reflect the need of the majority of users. This article was interesting, but it's ultimately useless for ~95% of the readers viewing it.MeanBruce - Friday, December 10, 2010 - link
Useless is right!AnandTech for SSDs and Smartphones and Applegear.
JonnyGuru.com for Power Supplies.
Tom Logan at Overclock3D for cases, cooling, and motherboards.
Experience is Everything!
Experience is Everything!
poohbear - Sunday, December 12, 2010 - link
Totally agree. Xmas is coming n we're all shopping, n they do a 1000wt psu review? This review is for da .01% of users out there, by da reviewers own admission, why even bother?Martin Kaffei - Monday, December 13, 2010 - link
3x 550http://www.anandtech.com/show/3985/three-550w-psus...
1x 460
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3962/seasonic-x460fl...
1x 380
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3902/antec-earthwatt...
1x 300
coming soon
RagingForces - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
Thanks for the article. I am in the market for these type PSUs and am glad to see a roundup article. This is why I come to Anandtech :)Vicey - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
I'm surprised that the AX1200 by Corsair wasn't included as to be honest that is the only PSU in the 1200W range I'd consider buying.dajeepster - Thursday, December 9, 2010 - link
I'm surprised too... I have both the Corsair AX1200 and the OCZZ1000