Antec 850W HCP Platinum power supply review - Certification, Specs and Features

Certification

So Antec introduced the new and updated 850W series that now carries an 80+ Platinum efficiency certification, tested by the 80PLUS organization (the people that certify and test efficiency). But what does such a certification entail?

Well, we have standard, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum certifications. A PSU that is certified “80 PLUS Gold” or “80 PLUS Platinum” is more efficient than a normal unit. Below you'’ll find a table that shows what efficiency levels a PSU has to achieve at a given load to make the grade for a specific certification level.

The Antec HCP power supplies are certified by the 80PLUS organization to deliver an 92% energy efficiency at 50% load (which equals with a Platinum label) and also comply with the ErP (Energy Related product) directive to ensure less than 1W of power is used in passive standby and off modes.

Mind you that Antec claims the PSU is even more efficient, at a maximum rated 94%

Specs and Features

Antec's High Current Pro Platinum series is the pinnacle of power supplies. High Current Pro Platinum is fully modular with a 20+8-pin MBU socket for the needs of tomorrow's hardware. By using a PSU that is 80 PLUS PLATINUM & ErP Lot 6: 2013 certified, operating up to 94% efficient, you can reduce your PSU power consumption by up to 20~25% when compared to many older power supplies. The product is backed by a 7 year warranty.

Specifications:

• 850W Continuous Power
• 80 PLUS PLATINUM certified - Up to 94% efficient, to reduce your electricity bill
• Save Energy and Money - Reduce your electricity bill by up to 25%
• AQ7 - Antec Quality 7 year warranty and lifetime global 24/7 support
• 16-pin Socket - Industry-leading 16-pin sockets double the modular connectivity by
  supporting 2 different 8-pin cables per socket and allow for future connector changes
• 28(20+8)-pin MBU socket - World's first socket for possible future MBU connectors
• 135 mm DBB Silence - Whisper-quiet high-quality double ball bearing fan with long lifetime
• Thermal Manager - An advanced low voltage fan control for optimal heat & noise management
• High Current Rails - 4 High Current +12V rails with high load capabilities ensure maximum CPU & GPU compatibility
• 100% +12V - Output for maximum CPU & GPU support
• Multi PCI-E - 6 PCI-E connectors for multiple GPU support
• CircuitShield - Full suite of industrial grade protections: Over Current Protection (OCP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Under Voltage Protection (UVP), Short Circuit Protection (SCP), Over Power Protection (OPP), Over Temperature Protection (OTP), Surge & Inrush Protecion (SIP), No Load Operation (NLO) & Brown-Out Protection (BOP)
• All Japanese Heavy-Duty Caps - All high-performance Japanese capacitors ensure tightest DC stability and regulation
• ErP Lot 6: 2013 - Compliant to the toughest energy standard available
• PhaseWave Design - A server-class full-bridge LLC design with a synchronous rectification based on a DC-DC topology
• Stealth Wires - All wires darkened for minimal visibility in chassis

This power supply obviously is compatible with a wide range of CrossFireX and SLI setups as well as with all the upcoming high performance CPUs, including solutions built on top of the AMD Bulldozer and Intel Sandy Bridge-E and Ivy Bridge architectures.