Page 1:
Antec, Inc. considers itself a brand of high-performance computer component supplier for the gaming, upgrading, and the Do-It-Yourself enthusiast markets. They are over 20 years old and most of us know them as a purveyor of quality PC cases. But the Antec product line is not limited to enclosures. They also market cooling accessories, media components, and (as you might guess from this article's title) power supplies such as the True Power Quattro (TPQ) series – their top of the line power supply series. Today we have one of those TPQ supplies in the form of a True Power Quattro 850 watt unit.
Designed with high performance (read as power hungry gamer focused) machines in mind, Antec boasts that the TPQ 850 supplies have +/- 3% voltage regulation on main rails, comply with the ATX12V v2.2 standard, can put out 850 watts continuously, and can do it with 80%+ efficiency over all loads. Them’s tough words – maybe we should run a few tests to see if those words are worth a hoot.
Jeb, grab yer shooter, let's see if this power supply can dance!
Contents and Features
Out of the box the TPQ 850 comes with a full color multi-language manual that includes a link to Antec's “AQ5” five year warranty, the unit itself (always a plus), a specification panel on the unit (as well as on the outer packaging), mounting screws, over sized main power cord, and, as this is a modular unit, modular cable harnesses. This meets our basic requirements. There are no case badges, fancy stickers, adapters, extenders, or additional bling. None of that seems necessary, though we would have liked to have seen a few zip ties or some type cable management help included. We got nothing, nada, zip (erm….or “not zip”).
The first thing that might strike a person as different with the TPQ 850 is the paint job. Our unit came with a matte black finish adorned with gloss yellow racing stripes and the number “850” on it. The paint scheme is reminiscent of 1960's Grand Prix racing. It's a good look for a performance part. Design wise, the TPQ 850 follows the single 80mm exhaust fan design typical of the ATX standard. The fan is thermally controlled (Antec calls it “Special Quiet Computing”) to keep the unit hush except under heavy loads. According to Antec, they can get away with this single small fan design in an 850 watt PSU because the efficient design of the TPQ 850 generates less heat.
The specification panel on this unit tells us that the TPQ 850 sports four 12V rails, each rated for 18 amps. Of course, you can't put 18 amps on all four rails at once, but the 768 watt limit Antec has put on the combined 12V rails would be equivalent to 16 amps across the board. Not too shabby and far more than just about anyone would need. The overall power distribution is typical of high power PSUs and focuses on 12V hungry systems with a hefty video card setup inside. The 3.3V and 5V rails on this unit are pretty buff though. Combined wattage on the two rails is 180 watts – not over the top, but the higher end of what we often see on these large PSUs. As one might guess, the total output wattage is limited to 850 watts over all rails, but Antec notes something many PSU makers do not; this wattage limit is good at 50°C. Typically it's assumed that wattage limits are rated at 25°C, and that does matter. At higher temperatures, a PSU produces less maximum power. So, if Antec says this TPQ unit can put out 850 watts at 50°C, our test (typically run <30°C ambient) should be no problem for it. We shall see!
Cables, Connections, Dimensions
As we said above, the TPQ 850 is a modular PSU. That's not to say that all the harnesses are modular. It's typical for at least some harnesses to be directly soldered in a PSU as you always need certain connectors (like the 24 pin mainboard). Connectors/harnesses that you may or may not need are modular, letting you decide if you need them. This helps in cable management and general cooling. Adding to this cable management advantage is the sleeving Antec went with on all harness, including between connectors and on each modular harness.
| Harness | Direct Soldered Connectors and Lengths |
| 1 | ATX 24/20 Pin mainboard connector. 20" long. |
| 2 | PCI-E 8/6-pin connector. 20" long. |
| 3 | PCI-E 8/6-pin connector. 20" long. |
| 4 | EPS/12V 8 pin CPU power cable. 20" long. |
| 5 | 12V/P4 cable with 4 pin connector at 20” long. |
| Harness | Modular Harness Connectors and Lengths |
| 1 | Peripheral power cable SATA connectors at 22”, 28", and 34". |
| 2 | Peripheral power cable SATA connectors at 22”, 28", and 34". |
| 3 | Peripheral power cable SATA connectors at 22” and 28" only |
| 4 | Peripheral power cable 4-pin molex type connector at 21", 27”, and 33" with a floppy connector at 37”. |
| 5 | Peripheral power cable 4-pin molex type connector at 21", 27”, and 33" with a floppy connector at 37”. |
| 6 | Peripheral power cable 4-pin molex type connector at 21", 27”, and 33" only. |
| 7 | PCI-E cable with 6-pin connector at 21". |
| 8 | PCI-E cable with 6-pin connector at 21". |
The height and width dimensions of the Antec TPQ 850 are 5.9 inches wide by 3.4 inches tall. This meets the ATX 12V standard that Antec claims to meet with the TPQ 850. The length of the PSU is 7.1 inches however, and that is well outside the ATX 12V spec of 5.75 inches. In defense of Antec, they print the PSU's dimensions right on the box and are far from alone in this form factor faux pas. Nearly every manufacturer we have seen with PSUs over 5.75 inches deep imply that they still meet the ATX12V standard form factor when they obviously don't. Bottom line is, measure your case before purchase or you may find (to your delight or dismay) that your new PSU requires you also buy a new, larger case. (Did we mention Antec sells cases?)