INTRODUCTION

   With more and more people getting on the "mining" wagon (regardless of coin type) the importance of using a quality power supply unit gets highlighted even more frequently especially during the summer period. Luckily although most people i know use powerful mining rigs paired with 1KW+ PSU's and several enthusiast-level (power hungry) graphics cards there are currently some who opt for multiple mid-end graphics cards (very low power draw via custom firmware) which can get sufficient juice by much less powerful models. Antec recently released their mid-end EarthWatts Gold Pro line of power supply units and today we'll be checking out the 750W output variant (EA750G PRO).

   Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative 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 wide range of cases, such as its advanced Performance One Series, economical New Solution Series and VERIS family of media components designed for the home theater PC market. Antec’s products also include front line power supplies, such as its premium Signature Series, powerful TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, one of the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are designed for the gaming demographic, like the premier gamer enclosure: the Nine Hundred. Antec also offers a line of computer accessories comprising 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 the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and Taiwan. The company’s products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world.

   The EarthWatts Gold Pro line of 80 Plus Gold certified power supply units by Antec includes models with 550/650/750W power outputs. Aside the 80 Plus Gold Certification (up to 92% electrical efficiency) the EA750G PRO features a semi-modular design, single powerful 62A +12v rail capable of delivering 99% of the units total power (this unit has a peak output of around 860W), PhaseWave design (full bridge LLC with DC-DC topology), 120mm fluid dynamic bearing whisper-quiet fan, heavy-duty Japanese capacitors (rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius), flat modular cables (increased airflow and easier routing) and a full suite of industrial grade electrical protections including OVP (over-voltage), OCP (over-current), UVP (under-voltage), SCP (short-circuit), OPP (over-power), NLO (no-load operation), BOP (brown-out), OTP (over-temperature) and SIP (surge and inrush). Finally Antec covers the entire EarthWatts Gold Pro family of power supply units with a 7 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The 120mm intake fan is showcased at the front of the box along with the company logo and the main product features.

Printed on the left side are the complete product features in 4 languages.

The unit’s electrical table and available connectors are listed on the right side of the box.

Taking a look at the rear we also find the same features list printed in 4 languages right over two graphs showcasing the 80 Plus Gold efficiency certification and the noise levels of the unit.

Antec has placed the PSU inside an air bubble wrap which provides adequate protection.

Inside the box you will find the EA750G PRO power supply unit, power cord, modular cables, 4 mounting screws, warranty paper and the user manual.

THE EA750G PRO EXTERIOR

Just like most manufacturers today Antec has also chosen to equip the EA750G PRO with flat modular cables which are easier to route behind the mainboard tray.

Measuring 150mm in length, 140mm in width and 86mm in height the EA750G PRO is among the smaller ATX sized models in the market today.

Antec has used a temperature controlled 120mm fluid-dynamic bearing intake fan.

The model name and brand established date is placed on two large stickers located on both sides of the enclosure.

Both the electrical table and product serial number are placed on the belly of the enclosure.

At the rear of the enclosure we find the usual honeycomb perforation along with the on/off power switch and the power port.

Moving at the front we just see 4 modular connectors (tagged and different in shape) and the connectors hardwired to the unit.

THE EA750G PRO INTERIOR

The 120mm FDB fan is manufactured by Hong Hua and can spin between 840-2200RPM to produce 73.9CFM of airflow with just 32.4dBa of noise.

Although at first i didn't know which manufacturer was behind the EA750G PRO after a few "hints" (like the layout, topology and fan used) it was clear that this is a Seasonic unit.

Primary capacitor is manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con (400v 390uF) is rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by United Chemi-Con (2200uF 16v) and Nichicon (3300uF 16v) and are also certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

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 test rig. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 7 years we’ve 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

CONCLUSION

   When Antec announced to us that they were preparing quite a few new power supply units I have to admit that we were all expecting fully-modular models (future proof may not mean much since I doubt that we’ll see new power adapters any time soon but it’s always nice to have a PSU with that feature just in case) so when the EA750G PRO arrived here a while back we were somewhat surprised. Still even though the EA750G PRO is not a fully-modular unit that’s just about all that we didn’t “like” since performance and build quality are both in very good levels. The fan does get somewhat loud at almost 100% load but if you “need” 750W worth of power then you should really look at a higher wattage unit to begin with. Size may also play a significant role in some PC cases and since the EA750G PRO is just 150mm that too may come in handy.

   As mentioned earlier although we were expecting fully-modular models by Antec the fact that their newest EarthWatts line (there’s also a more advanced on the way) is not also means they should be quite affordable. Well with a current price of USD96.18 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 103.45Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the EA750G PRO is just that. Needless to say that there’s quite a bit of competition at around the same price point but we simply can’t find anything wrong with the EA750G PRO by Antec (quite the opposite) which is why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Rock Solid Rail Stability
- Size
- Flat Modular Cables
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- Electrical Protections
- Peak Output (860W)
- 7 Year Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Semi Modular