Antec High Current Pro 1000W Platinum PSU Review

A look inside the HCP-1000

Now that’s a rare sight; Antec went with a dual
ball bearing fan from Delta, a renowned manufacturer which we do not see often,
most likely because their products are relatively more expensive than their
equivalents from other suppliers.

Ironically, the OEM behind the HCP-1000 is
Delta Electronics as well. Even though Delta is one of the largest OEM, we do
not often see their platforms inside retail products as they are expensive and
cannot easily compete against other offerings. However, you do get what you pay
for and that shows every single time we get the chance to look at their work.
Although the design of the HCP-1000 is complex and the layout is very crowded,
the quality of the assembly and the cleanliness of the soldering should be the
reference for every designer and manufacturer.

The filtering stage starts at the back of the
A/C receptacle, with two Y capacitors and one X capacitor soldered directly on
the terminals. This continues onto the main PCB with another four Y capacitors,
one X capacitor, two chokes and a MOV.

Two 470uF/450V capacitors from Nippon Chemi-Con
can be seen at the primary side of the assembly, next to a large PFC choke. The
APFC transistors and diode are installed on their own dedicated heatsink near
the edge of the unit, while the primary side transistors are on another
heatsink, closer to the huge transformer. The transformer itself is a little
special, as it does voltage regulation on its own through transistors embedded
inside the body.

The secondary side is so tightly packed with
components, it is not even funny. The transistors forming the secondary side
LLC type converter are on a heatsink next to the large transformer, after which
heatsink a myriad of capacitors are forming a voltage regulation and filtering array.

All of the voltage regulation and the DC to DC
circuits have been moved onto the two vertical PCBs which are sandwiched
together over the main board. Instead of cables, Delta installed two thick
metallic bars to connect the main PCB with the vertical boards, which are
definitely better and more stable when having to deal with great currents.