Antec HCG-620 PSU product reviews

Being, as I am, somewhat less than a high-end gamer, I wasn't too sure if I was going to be able to put this PSU under a serious enough workload to fairly test it's limits. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to tear down the test machine recently, and while I was sourcing a bunch of new parts, I was able to get a friend to bring over his spare gaming rig and 'sit in' while he pushed this thing a fair bit. Using all sorts of fancy test software - which I admit to being utterly baffled by - he told me afterwards that this PSU is "...pretty solid." Which is very high praise from him indeed. Apparently, the load it could handle as a constant voltage, as opposued to a peak load, was actually higher than the PSU is rated to. With all his hard-drives, dual SLI-linked videocards, and a bunch of USB devices plugged directly into the board, he was able to pull a steady 430W off the PSU without trouble, with a peak surge of 631W when he really cranked everything up. Frankly, I'm stunned he could manage it... my machine barely pulls 160W during normal use, and around 310W when I am going hard-out... but then, I don't have two huge turbo-cooled videocards that could drive the USS Enterprise!

One thing every consumer needs to be aware of these days is how the gear is labelled, and what it promises vs what it provides. Antec have a long and solid track record, and their gear proves their ethics are sound. The units are numbered according to the type - HGC (High Current Gamer), and the "Continuous Power" capabilities - 620 (620 watts). While this may seem obvious, the truth is that many less scrupulous PSU manufacturers promote their PSU's based on peak delivery - the maximum it can supply for brief periods of high activity, under ideal conditions. Antec have made sure that you, as a consumer, know that what you are getting will deliver the power you want CONSTANTLY, not in brief surges that risk burning it out if you try to keep it chugging at that pace. For that alone they deserve their reputation as top-quality suppliers of top-quality gear.

Now, this unit covers all the bases for most high-end systems these days. With the large, super-quiet cooling fan, high-quality Japanese-manufactured capacitors, the full suite of industry-recognised power-protection coverage you could wish for, a 3yr (limited) Warranty and enough plugs and cables to power anything you could possibly want - including dual PCI-E video cards - the only thing you could possibly want for is more power... and yes, the family of HCG PSU's goes higher - up to 900W for the ultra-dedicated games god.

One of the biggest factors that impressed me about this unit was the "80+ Bronze Certification" - this is a very prestigious certification that indicates this unit is at LEAST 80% efficient at maximum loading. "Ummm, what?" OK... the more efficient the unit is, the less power it needs to pull IN, to give you the power you want OUT... the wasted power is turned into heat... so the more efficient it is, the less heat this unit generates and the less power it has to pull, and thus the less money it costs to run. Under full load, this unit is at least 82% efficient making for a lot more gaming for a lot less money on your power bill.

Overall, this is some serious kit, and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to trial it, even if it is totally overkill for what we will be putting it through. In a way, it's reassuring to know that a unit like this is pretty much future-proof, as we could go a lot higher in our hardware specs knowing this baby will power anything we could ever need it for. Thanks to Antec for sending us this unit, and we'll be sure to update this review as and when hardware changes are significant, or something noteworthy happens.