INTRODUCTION

   The benefits of having a good power supply unit in your system have been mentioned by us more times than i can possibly count but even so it seems that many people place this specific hardware component last in their lists. The most recent example of this was roughly 2 weeks ago when we happened to come across a post in a from someone who had ordered the brand new GeForce RTX 2080 by NVIDIA for his new system but because he was running low on funds he decided to go with a low-cost 650W PSU from a virtually unknown manufacturer (at least for starters). This of course is not the only time we've seen something like that and i personally have changed the minds of many friends and even relatives who thought about doing the same (but with different graphics cards). Antec has a very long history with power supply units and although last year they weren't exactly active in this specific segment of the market recently they released the brand new High Current Gamer series (if the name sounds familiar it's because they had another line in the past with the same name) and today we'll be taking a look at the HCG 850W Gold model.

   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.

   As the name clearly suggests the HCG 850W Gold (also available in 650/750W) features an 80 Plus Gold efficiency certification (up to 92% electrical efficiency) and can deliver up to 850W of continuous power (958W peak). The HCG 850W Gold also features a fully modular design (future-proof), powerful 70A single +12V rail which can deliver up to 99% of the units total power output, minor rails with a total output of 118.6W, 100% Japanese capacitors, PhaseWave design (full bridge LLC with DC-DC topology), ATX v2.4 support, Zero RPM fan mode for complete silence and the CircuitShield 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), OTP (over-temperature) and SIP (surge and inrush). Finally in order to show just how much faith they have in their latest models Antec covers the entire HCG Gold line with a 10 year limited warranty.