INTRODUCTION

   While i am writing these lines the temperature here vary from 30-35 degrees Celsius (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit) and so because things will most definitely get worse as we get deeper in the summer period we can't stress enough the importance of having a good power supply unit as part of your system. Now as some of you know during this year’s Computex most PSU manufacturers (if not all) introduced all their latest models with features aimed mostly towards enthusiasts and gamers. Naturally Antec was also present to introduce the latest modular additions in their High Current Gamer PSU line and since we've already checked out the very good HCG-750M a couple of weeks ago today we decided to take a step further and test its larger brother the HCG-850W 850W PSU.

   Antec, Inc., is the leading global brand of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in these industries and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of efficient, quiet, and reliable products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators. Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in Germany, China and Taiwan. The company’s products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world. Please visit www.antec.com for more information.

   If we were to place the specifications table of the HCG-750M right next to the one of the HCG-850M we'd see that they are almost identical and so once again we see the 80 Plus Bronze efficiency certification (up to 88% efficient), two +12V high load rails (840W output), Japanese heavy-duty capacitors, several industrial grade protections (OCP,OVP,UVP,SCP,OPP,OTP,SIP), 135mm LED cooling fan and a full 5 year warranty to back it up. So the only difference these two models have is their continuous power output (even their size/weight/topology is identical) which is not really something to be taken lightly since 100W more can be more than just enough to make a serious difference in a power-hungry system. Naturally since both the HCG-750M and the HCG-850M are almost identical we are somewhat curious to see if their performance numbers are also identical and so without further ado let's check it out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both the HCG-750M and the HCG-850M share the same box so again we see the typical black/yellow Antec color them with a large product image, model name, Antec logo, NVIDIA SLI Certification sticker and the 80 Plus Bronze Certified sticker at the front of the box.

Printed on the right side of the box are all the available modular connectors.

The electrical specifications table can be seen over at the left side of the box.

At the bottom we see 3 images pointing to three of the unit’s main features.

Moving at the rear we find the specifications list printed in 6 different languages.

Antec has packed the HCG-850M inside a second cardboard box.

Same as before the bundle is not very rich and so aside the main unit placed inside a cloth cover you will also receive the modular cables, AC power cord, installation screws, warranty paper and a product overview paper.

THE HCG-850M EXTERIOR

The HCG-850M is your typical ATX sized PSU and features a nice black matte color just like its less powerful brother.

Again Antec has used a 135mm LED fan to keep the temperatures inside the unit at a minimum.

A small Antec logo is placed on both sides of the chassis right next to a large sticker with the Antec logo (again), the model name and the power output.

The electrical specifications table is placed on a large sticker at the top.

Cable sleeving is once again perfect and extends all the way to the interior of the unit while all of the modular connectors are different in size and tagged. Again we see an on/off switch for the LEDs of the 135mm fan.

At the rear we find the typical honeycomb perforation, the on/off switch and the AC power port.

THE HCG-850M INTERIOR

The same fan used in the HCG-750M is also used here and so again this particular model can reach speeds of up to 2500RPM and produce airflow of up to 82CFM with just 36dBA of noise.

The interior layout is very clean and is divided in 3 sections by 3 heatsinks (it's also identical with that of the HCG-750M).

Primary capacitors used are made by the Japanese Nippon Chemi-Con and are rated for use up to 105°C.

United Chemi-Con is the manufacturer of the secondary capacitors rated also at 105°C.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

     Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be far less.

TEST RESULTS

RAIL STABILITY

Rail stability seems to be tighter than that of the HCG-750M but that was expected since we didn't overload the HCG-850M.

POWER CONSUMPTION

819W consumption is roughly 98% of the total output which is not bad at all still i wish we could at least hit 850-860W.

NOISE LEVELS (SPL)

The 135mm LED fan by ADDA proved less noisy than the one of the HCG-850M (no doubt due to the different load of both units).

CONCLUSION

   It was expected for Antec to release a model around the same power output as the old HCG-900W but what i didn't really expect was for that model to be almost identical to the HCG-750M which we reviewed roughly two weeks ago. Of course the 80 Plus Bronze efficiency certification along with the two high power +12V rails, the high quality components and the plethora of industrial grade protections featured in the HCG-750M are already quite impressive so even something simple as having 100W more is not a laughing matter since it can be the difference between a stable and an unstable rig not to mention that 100W can be used to power more power hungry graphics cards. That being said i would like to see something more with the HCG-850M perhaps a different chassis design, anything to show that this is the highest power model in the new line.

   No matter how much we tried and although the HCG-850M 850W PSU has been released for two weeks now we were unable to locate it inside the USA for purchase however inside the EU it currently retails for 143Euros (Purchase Directly from Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which again lands it inside a long list of similar output units. Still as we've stated numerous times in the past Antec is one of the very few PSU manufacturers (3 in total) from which we have never encountered a faulty unit to date and that coupled with their 5 years warranty is reason for us to put their solutions above many others. Moving back to the HCG-850M the extra 100W can go a long way in powering an demanding gaming rig but it's not really enough for us to award the HCG-850M with something more than the HCG-750M and so once again we are happy to award an Antec solution with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Performance (Rail Stability)
- Almost Inaudible
- LED On/Off Switch
- 80 Plus Bronze Certified
- Future Proof

CONS

- Price (For Some)