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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engman - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link
Can you explain beter the Voltage Ripple and Noise graphs?I really cant get it! Where is the graph scale?
engman - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link
I was trying to find a good PSU and found this review.When you say: "The actual Power Supply Design Guide specifies that each +12V rail should not have any ripple over 120mV and the +3.3V and +5V rails should not have any ripple over ~50mV."
Means that each power rail should not go outside this interval:
11.88V < 12V < 12.12V 120mV
3.25V < 3.30V < 3.35V 50mV
4.95V < 5V < 5.05V 50mV
Correct?
How can 12.17V fall inside the specified range? "The 12V rails of the OCZ ModXStream tended to be high, but this is still acceptable as they fall inside the specified range."
4.75V is inside the specs? and 5.13?
"The 5V rails also remain within specs, but the last two units (OCZ and Amacrox) are very close to the lower boundary at 100% load."
So what are the exac boundaries, or the voltage interval for each power rail?
thanks
yelnatsch517 - Thursday, December 6, 2007 - link
I noticed the Cooler Master reviewed was the M850 ESBA modular version of the RS 850 EMBA. Seeing as how it is impossible to find that model in the US, I am wondering if the model reviewed was either a EU version or a new model Cooler Master is planning on introducing in the near future and also whether the internals of the US EMBA 850watt version are the same.jonnyGURU - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
The Cooler Masters are identical. Cooler Master refrains from selling the modular version in the U.S. due to Ultra's patent on the modular interface and threats to sue. You CAN buy the Cooler Master modular here in the U.S. if you get it bundled with a case. I've seen it pre-installed in some Stacker units over at Newegg.stolennomenclature - Tuesday, December 4, 2007 - link
I know im getting old and the old brain isnt what it used to be, but did'nt i read somewhere about dwindling oil reserves, skyrocketing oil prices, depletion of the ozone layer, and the need to reduce energy counsumption and be the green movement? I even thought I saw a trend with cpu makers trying to lower energy counsmption of their cpu's.You would'nt think any of this stuff was real when you see the trend towards bigger fuel guzzling SUV's and now a article like this - why on earth do we need kilowatt power supplies for a PC!
If I was in government id have these things banned or else slap an enormous tax on them.
People need to wake up and smell the roses. Its obscene that a PC should need a power supply over 300 watts. Even thats extravagant.
jonnyGURU - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
A PSU only puts out what's asked of it. So if you're PC only uses 300W, the PSU only puts out 300W. Really the only drawback here is that larger units typically cost more to buy, and neither you nor I are in the position to tell someone how to spend their money. ;)ShadowStryder - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
Persoanally I like the new review layout.Toadster - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
850W of goodness for under $190http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...=N82E168...
recently was on sale for $119 A/R
HexiumVII - Friday, November 23, 2007 - link
Who manufactures the Antec 750?Christoph Katzer - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
The 850? Enhance.