Antec High Current Platinum HCP-850 850W Power Supply Review

Antec HCP-850 Platinum PSU Review Introduction

Antec has been an old and well-known player in the power supply market. The company currently offers a very wide range of products, trying to satisfy all users and budgets. We have tested a few of their products in the past, such as the gamer-oriented HCG-520M and the highly efficient EA-650 Platinum. For those not easily satisfied, Antec decided to combine the modular design and aggressive appearance of their HCG series with the extremely high efficiency of their EA series; thus, the High Current Pro series was born, a line of products offering, for a hefty price tag, the highest possible performance and the largest possible number of features, to those users who are not satisfied with anything but the very best.

Today we will be having a close look at the 850W version of the High Current Pro series, the HCP-850. The HCP-850 is a modular power supply with a very long list of features and a seven year long warranty. As all of the High Current Pro products, the HCP-850 also comes with an 80Plus Platinum certification, the highest currently available on a retail product (note: recently, a higher level has been specified for the 220/230V AC markets, the 80Plus Titanium; however no retail product can be found carrying it at this point of time). The downside is that the HCP-850 currently retails for $198.48 + shipping, making it one of the most expensive 850W units available and nearly twice as expensive as mainstream 800-900W products, even those coming from another high-performance series of Antec. Does the HCP-850 really worth the hefty price tag? We will find out in this review.

Manufacturers features

• 850W Continuous Power – Guaranteed 850W of Continuous Power from Antec
• 80 PLUS PLATINUM certified – Up to 94% efficient, to reduce your electricity bill
• Save Energy and Money – Reduce your electricity bill by up to 25%
• AQ7 – Antec Quality 7 year warranty and lifetime global 24/7 support
• 16-pin Socket – Industry-leading 16-pin sockets double the modular connectivity by supporting 2 different 8-pin cables per socket and allow for future connector changes
• 28(20+8)-pin MBU socket – World’s first socket for possible future MBU connectors
• 135 mm DBB Silence – Whisper-quiet high-quality double ball bearing fan with long lifetime
• Thermal Manager – An advanced low voltage fan control for optimal heat & noise management
• High Current Rails – 4 High Current +12V rails with high load capabilities ensure maximum CPU & GPU compatibility
• 100% +12V – Output for maximum CPU & GPU support
• Multi PCI-E – 6 PCI-E connectors for multiple GPU support
• OC Link – Allows 2 HCP Platinums to work in tandem to power the most demanding systems
• CircuitShield – Full suite of industrial grade protections: Over Current Protection (OCP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Under Voltage Protection (UVP), Short Circuit Protection (SCP), Over Power Protection (OPP), Over Temperature Protection (OTP), Surge & Inrush Protection (SIP), No Load Operation (NLO) & Brown-Out Protection (BOP)
• All Japanese Heavy-Duty Caps – All high-performance Japanese capacitors ensure tightest DC stability and regulation
• PhaseWave Design – A server-class full-bridge LLC design with a synchronous rectification based on a DC-DC topology
• Stealth Wires – All wires darkened for minimal visibility in chassis