Antec HCP-850 PSU product reviews

I dont get much chance to really see what serious PSUs can do because my budget is never really up to spending the big dollars on wattage so when I was offered a chance to test this it was something I wasnt going to turn down. The average price I could find this listed at was around the $280 area which makes it a little more expensive than an average entry-level gamer unit but not too far out of the range of a serious PC builder. Knowing that my present power supply wasnt up to taking on the extra loads I wanted to give it in terms of bigger hard drives and a very powerful new videocard needed to start looking at video editing, something that would push 850 watts was like winning second division lotto or something. When it arrived, christmas had come early.
One of the biggest concerns any PC builder should have is the quality of the parts. Cheap units are cheap because the manufacturers use low grade parts not because they are super fairy godparents or anything. Antec sure doesnt fit into that box. The parts are of a very high standard and if you are brave enough to open the power box up and do a bit of wandering on google you will quickly see that the parts are of a very high standard. I will be honest and say that a lot of the stuff I read went a bit over my head but by comparing it against other sources I was really very happy to see huge amounts of positive comments about the same components in other systems. Also seeing that the unit has an "80 Plus Gold" certification was very reassuring even before I found out what a big deal that really is.
Weighing in at about 2.6kg this is only a rough estimate since the weight will change depending on what and how many cables you plug in. Still it is a fairly solid unit and solid without being too bulky. You may need to look carefully at what case you plan to put it in because this is not a small unit by any stretch. It measures 86mm high by 150mm wide and about 180mm deep. It will fit into almost any standard PSU bracket but it may stick into the case a little further than you expect. Because my PSU mount is at the top of my case I have to move my DVD burner down 3 bays to make room for the cables to sit cleanly. On that front the cables have a braided sheath wrap that helps stop cables crimping or twisting causing breakages or hotspots from forming. You still need to be careful but you dont need to be paranoid.
The modular cables are very clever because you can fit any plug into any socket that is as big or bigger than it. That means that if you want 6 SATA cables you can have 6 SATA cables but you do that by losing 3 of the red 12V sockets. Dont worry though because the only place the black 5v SATA plugs can fit into the red sockets will not touch the 12v rails, so you won't have to worry about your drives suddenly burning out on you. AT least not from this source at least. You get a good assortment of cables and plugs to work with. Some are hardwired to the power supply because they are essential. The rest come in a modular format that allow you to swap them in and out as needed meaning a cleaner case with few if any extra cables tied up in a corner trying not to get in the way of any fans. Your full set is one ATX 20+4 Pin and two EPS/ATX 12V 4+4 pin plugs for the motherboard. Six PCI-E 6+2 pin plugs for slot-in card devices. A really handy NINE SATA power plugs in the form of 3 cables with 3 plugs each, and 6 MOLEX plugs as well. Plus for those who understand that 3.5 inch drives still have a place in geek systems, you have a floppy drive power plug included as well.
This box is rated to give 850 watts of steady power with a 5 year warranty backing it, that means you have a lot of power in your hands to keep a serious machine running probably longer than you will have it. With the double-bearing fan keeping it very quiet it wont add to the noise scape of your machine in any noticable way. The heat disipation was really good, with it simmering along at a very comfortable level even when under a reasonable strain. I kept adding hard drives until I was pushing it along at 845 watts steady draw for well over 3 hours and it was still touchable. Yes it got hot enough to be uncomfortable but it didnt get close to being dangerous. All the cutoff ands safety features built in would keep it from reaching that level and cut the flow well before it got to that level of heat of power drain.
Pros:
    •  Very stable power flow
    •  80 Plus Gold rating means top quality engineering
    •  The impressive airflow kept it cool even when surrounding temperature was really unpleasant
    •  The red multi-format sockets allow for excellent range of selectable cable configurations, especially surplus SATA!
Cons:
    •  Modular PCB standoffs were soldered on and that worried me a bit in case of rough handling by someone who isn't experienced
    •  Documentation on black -vs- red connectors was a little vague. Careful inspection of the plugs gave clues, but better HARDCOPY documentation would be ideal
A very nice piece of kit that will serve you well. Keep the vents free of dust build up and you should be able to move it into a new system as you upgrade or sell it on at a good price if you find yourself looking for a 1000 watt unit (also available in this series from Antec) when you get a second high-end video card and a couple of 3tb hard drives.