INTRODUCTION

   Many people that i know often wonder the reason as to why most manufacturers are producing fully modular power supply units lately when its granted that people will be using the 20/24pin power cable either way. Well since this is considered one of the main/top features of such PSU models usually the reason stands out in both the manufacturers websites and the packages so we all know that they main reason they choose to do so is as a "failsafe" (future proof) just in case the power standard changes in the near future from the current 24pin one to something newer and better so instead of getting a new PSU and thus spending twice as much in the long run consumers will just be required to get a new power cable. A few months back with us we had the latest EDGE 550W fully modular PSU by Antec and since we were very satisfied with its performance we just had to take a look at the top of the line 750W model.

   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’s offering of enclosures includes a large range of cases, such as its technically advanced Performance One Series, cost-effective New Solution Series and server grade cases designed for the needs of all workstation and server markets. Antec’s products also include front line power supplies such as its TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are geared toward the gaming demographic, like the Nine Hundred, the premier gamer enclosure. Antec also offers a computing accessories line comprised of many original products, including its patented LED Fans and Notebook Cooling solutions. 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.

   Antec released the EDGE line of power supply units roughly 6 months ago and all of them including the 750W variant which we'll be testing today are 80 Plus Gold Certified and feature a fully modular design, 16pin power connectors (future-proof design), 135mm fluid-dynamic bearing fans, thermal managers, two high-current +12v rails, Japanese made capacitors, flat "stealth" black modular cables and an assortment of industrial grade protections (Antec calls this feature the CircuitShield) such as over current protection (OCP), over voltage protection (OVP), no load operation (NLO), short circuit protection (SCP), over power protection (OPP), over temperature protection (OTP) and surge & Inrush Protection (SIP). However unlike the 550W variant which had two +12v rails which could use up to 98.2% of its total power output with up to 30A each the two +12V rails of the 750W variant can use up to 99.2% with up to 40A each. Of course the entire EDGE line is covered by Antec’s 5 year warranty and since we all did like the 550W model it's time for us to see how the 750W variant does.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Exactly like its 550W brother the box of the 750W has a partial picture of the product at the front alongside its main features, the 80 Plus Gold and Intel Haswell certifications, power output and the company logo.

Printed on the left side of the box is the features list in two languages while on the right side we find the electrical table and available power connectors.

Some pictures are used to showcase the main product features at the top of the box while at the bottom we see again the features list in two languages right next to a product image.

The features list is also placed at the rear of the box in 6 more languages.

Packaging once again may not be excellent but we’ve never had any problems in this area.

Again along with the EDGE PSU you will get all of the modular cables inside a storage pouch, the power cord, 4 mounting screws, 4 anti-noise de-couplers (two black and two red), warranty information paper and the product overview paper.

THE EDGE 750W EXTERIOR

The EDGE 750W measures 86mm in height, 170mm in depth and 150mm in width and is fully modular.

Just like with the 550W model the 750W model features a large 135mm LED fluid-dynamic bearing fan with 11 clear blades.

As you can see both sides of the housing are perforated and have the Antec plate logo at their center (we used to see that logo at the rear of other models).

The sticker with the electrical table is again placed at the bottom of the PSU.

All the modular connectors are different in size and tagged and as you can see on the right Antec has placed the on/off switch for the LEDs of the fan.

Once again the rear features the regular honeycomb perforation, an on/off power switch and the EDGE logo.

The anti-noise de-couplers look nice as they did with the 550W model.

THE EDGE 750W INTERIOR

Although the 135mm fluid dynamic-bearing LED fan shares the same part number as the one used In the 550W model (and is also manufactured by Ong Hua) this is an 2300RPM version and not an 2000RPM one.

Although not clear at first this board seems to be made by Seasonic.

For primary capacitor we see one made by Rubycon rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

The secondary side of the power supply features capacitors made by United Chemi-Con (again rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius).

Again I would had preferred an RGB LED fan more but as you can all see white is not bad either.

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 considerably less.

TEST RESULTS

RAIL STABILITY

Rail stability is pretty much excellent and slightly better compared to the 550W variant.

POWER CONSUMPTION

Instant power consumption hit 784W without any issues.

NOISE LEVELS (SPL)

44.4dBA at maximum load and then some is not bad at all.

CONCLUSION

   Since the 550W variant of the EDGE power supply line left us with very good impressions we didn't really expect anything less from the 750W variant so when our tests returned rock solid rails and low noise levels we didn't really feel surprised at all. As a matter of fact i can't remember the last time we received a power supply unit from Antec that didn't live up to our expectations and that's a very good thing (i still think an RGB LED fan would be a better choice however). Of course the fact that Seasonic is behind the EDGE series is also a plus not only because we all know how much they focus in the quality aspect of their solutions but also because their solutions have always been at the top of every performance chart in the world. The fully modular design is a very interesting feature which we've been seeing more and more lately by most manufacturers and although i have no idea whether or not we'll see a new power connector anytime soon still it's better to be ready just in case.

   Antec may offer the same quality and performance as Seasonic but they do so in a better priced package so as we speak the EDGE 750W (EDG750) retails for just USD118.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 133Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). So although the competition is quite fierce in that segment of the market still you will have a hard time finding an 80 Plus Gold Certified PSU with such performance levels as the EDGE 750W by Antec, at least now. Performance and quality however are not the only two things you're getting with the EDGE 750W model since its low noise levels and 5 years warranty are certainly enough to sweeten an already sweet deal. Bottom line the EDGE 750W power supply unit by Antec may not be the best 750W model out in the market currently but it comes really close and is priced well which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Rock Solid Rail Stability
- Fully Modular (Future Proof)
- LED On/Off Switch
- Low Noise Levels
- 5 Years Warranty
- 80Plus Gold Certified
- CircuitShield Electrical Protection Suite (OCP/OVP/NLO/SCP/OPP/OTP/SIP)
- 2 Sets Of Anti-Noise De-Couplers

CONS

- None