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  • cjs150 - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    "Antec has patented the use of PWM fans in PC power supplies"

    And some patent office granted it? Has the world gone mad...patents should only be granted for matters which are innovative and non-obvious. Use of PWM fans in power supplies is completely obvious.

    On that basis, I am not buying an Antec power supply. Fortunately there are plenty of other equally good makes
  • Metaluna - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    *Hopefully* it's a misprint and they just patented some specific PWM control circuit or something, but I'm not optimistic.

    Oh well, I'm off to patent the idea of replacing the processor in a computer with a faster one.
  • Rick83 - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Didn't someone else patent 140mm fans in PSU's, which is why people marketed their 140mm fans as 139mm?
    Funny nobody patented the fact of putting a fan on a PSU in the first place...
  • piroroadkill - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    I have a weird feeling it was Zalman, but I'm not 100% on that.
  • slacr - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    It's HEC, http://www.hec-group.com.tw/power_supply/ who also owns Cougar.
  • Mumrik - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    "Antec Antec" in the headline and then "Anctec" in the first line....
  • Mumrik - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    "Anctec" is only on the frontpage....
  • Martin Kaffei - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Fixed! Thanks a lot.
  • marvdmartian - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    before I will trust an Antec PSU in a system again.

    In 10+ years of building systems, I have had two times where I had a power supply failure, that took out other components at the same time. Believe it or not, it wasn't back in the Powmax days, either.

    Both times, Antec PSU's fried, and took out my motherboard with them. Shoot, if I had wanted that kind of performance, I would have kept the Powmax PSU in the case!

    Trust is earned, Antec......and you have not done so. Think I'll stick with Corsair, for now.
  • piroroadkill - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Some Corsairs are made by Channel Well, the exact OEM that made plenty of Antecs several years back. Though, really, the problem was the Fuhjyyu capacitors. They were absolute garbage and used in a lot of Channel Well designs, including lots of Antecs.

    When you see the inside of a Channel Well, it's usually obvious, because they use this green crinkly tape around the transformer.

    I go to the desired source and buy Seasonic power supplies. Although I do have a Corsair HX520 which is Seasonic built.

    I just bought myself a Seasonic X-660. It was costly, but I don't want to fuck about when it comes to power supplies... and it does have a Sanyo Denki fan ;)
  • piroroadkill - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    That said, just to say, this Antec is made by Delta, and some of their new high end designs such as Antec Signature in their new PSU size (120mm rear fan) are also made by Delta, and are some of the highest rated power supplies going.

    Really, there are so many OEMs in this game under the same brand, you have to learn what you're looking at.

    The best site for this, bar none, is jonnyguru.com
  • Rick83 - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Sadly you can't even judge a PSU by its OEM.
    The same OEMs may build to vastly different standards - so even some chinese OEM that's been building firebombs for decades may get a contract to build a high-end PSU, and there's no real reason they wouldn't be able to do it, if they have the work force and know-how - both of which aren't that special in the PSU sector.

    In the end, don't buy by names or OEMs or brands or whatever - but look at as many reviews as possible, to verify that in every test the protection circuitry performed and noise was low, as well as the efficiency being the one that's indicated by the 80+ label.
    Even then there's a certain risk you end up with a monday's PSU, but odds are mostly in your favor..
  • buzznut - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I completely agree with this post. It is just like asking, "Which brand video card do I buy?" The best one available in your price range, do your homework.
    Each PSU should be taken on its own merits. I always thought Kingwin power supplies look flashy but I would have bet they aren't that great. Then I find out some of the high end ones they've released in the last year are outstanding, from Superflower. I'm speaking in particular about the Gold Series.
  • piroroadkill - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Platinum, too. Super Flower has a platinum platform.
    As always, I recommend jonnyguru.com
  • radium69 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I got the platinum one, its awesome by any standards!
  • Stuka87 - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Antec does not build most of their supplies. They are build by OEM's. My Antec is made by Sea Sonic for instance (great supply).

    Corsair does not build any of their supplies at all. And they actually use the same manufacturer that Antec uses for some of their supplies.

    Sorry you had a supply fail, it can happen with any brand. But saying you hate Antec yet love Corsair is kind of hypocritical. Kind of like saying you hate the Pontiac Vibe yet love the Toyota Matrix, when in fact they are the same car made in the same factory (well, back when they are being made anyway).
  • zero2dash - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    before I buy another CX series Corsair.

    I bought 1 for a customer build, a CX500. It has coil whine.
    Yes I know coil whine is harmless but that's beside the point. It shouldn't make any noise other than the fan inside of it when it ramps up at a higher load/temp.

    Just because I've had a bad experience with a CX doesn't mean I'm not going to continue buying Corsair. I've got an HX850 and a TX650 right now happily chugging along. In the past I had an HX520 and a VX550. The VX550 eventually got killed after about 2 years of use (from Folding@home I suspect), but it was replaced under warranty. I'll still buy Corsairs in the future.

    My work rig has an Antec Neo Eco 620. No problems.
    Last customer build I put together I was trying to stay on the cheap and I went with the Rosewill Green series S2 620 after seeing the great review on Hardware Secrets. I've had no complaints of problems from my customer yet on that one (and I was leery of that one, being a Rosewill product....even though I knew internally it was an ATNG).

    Those points aside - you roll the dice with any psu. I've seen people on various sites/forums with dead Corsair's, Antec's, Enermax's, Silverstone's, etc [enter psu manufacturer here].
  • geniekid - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    As noted by other posters, Antec and Corsair aren't OEMs. Tom's has a great article listing all power supply sellers and the OEMs behind each line as well as how to figure out which power supply you actually have.

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-o...

    I'll also take this opportunity to give Seasonic a thumbs up, based solely on personal experience.
  • Mr.T - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Oh wow, that Tom's article is really cool; It's nice to who the manufacturer actually is up the production chain.

    So it seems my PC Power&Cooling PSU was manufactured by Seasonic. Quite happy with that. I'll echo the Seasonic love then, as it's been running strong for 4 years now and it's not going anywhere either (thankfully, 750W is still plenty enough).
  • Martin Kaffei - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Well, this article uses old information. I already did something like that in 2008 on ComputerBase (in German).

    Moreover you should know that some brands have a number, even if they are no real manufacturer (In Win e.g.). Today the UL number is unhelpfully. It's better to take a look at my articles. Usually I write something about the real ODM. Just like in this review.
  • buzznut - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Wow, sorry to hear that but it kinda sounds like luck of the draw to me. I've used Antec products for quite a while and they've always been high quality.
    My Antec 650W Blue PSU has been doing well for 3 years and I expect it to continue for at least another 3, probably more.

    I've always used WD hard drives, until I had a 500GB green drive fail on me. Now I am skeptical to give them another chance, much like you. I suppose I would give them another shot. On the other hand, the first Foxconn mobo I bought was a piece of crap and I won't bother with that brand anymore.

    Trust is something I've always had in Antec products. However PSU dealers like Antec are dependent on the quality of the OEM manufacturer. So, yeah I agree that some of the better Antec and Corsair units have been Seasonic in origin.
  • SixOfSeven - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    The original Seasonic X-series (X-650, etc.) used PWM fans. I believe the new ones (X-660, etc.) use non-PWM fans. Was the entire rationale for the "new" X-series products just to avoid paying royalties on yet another patent that should never have been issued?
  • Martin Kaffei - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    The new X-Series versions have an improved technology (better MOSFETs, some layout changes, larger heatsinks) too. So I wouldn't say they made new products just because they didn't want to pay for PWM.

    The Seasonic X-Series is great, since they use Sanyo Denki fans and a semi-passive cooling. Even if there is no more PWM the fan (and fan regulation) is still satisfying.

    Btw. Corsair AX (X-750 design) has no PWM. There is definitely a patent for PWM fans in power supplies. Seasonic paid, Corsair not.
  • ishbuggy - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Nice article, but could you put captions on your photos? They are nice but not always clear what they are highlighting. Sorry for being nitpicky :P
  • Death666Angel - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Hey!
    Thanks for the review of this item (though I'm not in the market for that much power, prefer the 500-600W range which is sufficient for my single CPU/GPU configurations).
    I am going to be buying a new PSU around Christmas and my two current favorites are the Seasonic X-560 or the new be quiet! Straight Power E9 CM. Are you going to be able to review the be quiet? It has a larger fan, is cheaper. The Seasonic has the advantage of being proven and semi-passive. I'd be interested to know how they fair against each other. :-)
  • buzznut - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Couldn't find a review on the unit you're looking for but it sounds promising, hre's a review on its smaller 400 W sibling:
    http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReview...
  • Death666Angel - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Thanks for that, but the review is of the E8, which is the predecessor to the E9 which has just been released. The E8 is just bronze/silver, whereas the E9 is all the way gold as far as I can tell. :-)
  • sierraindigo - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Two references to HCG-750, which is (probably?) a different product.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Oops... my bad in editing. High Current Gamer is definitely a different product, though I'm not sure if a 750W model exists. Anyway, I've replaced the references with the HCP. Thanks!
  • buzznut - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Yeah. high current gamer also by Antec. An easy enough mistake.
  • versesuvius - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    I hereby declare all the patents granted by American patent offices null and void.
  • Beenthere - Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - link

    Because many companies use multiple PSU manufacturers, i.e. Antec, Corsair and others, I always recommend that consumers read objective PSU tests that show power output @ 50C, noise, ripple, etc. and that examine the internal components for quality. This Antec unit doesn't use the quality Japanese caps that better PSUs tend to use and this could be it's downfall for a couple dollars or less in production cost.
  • shriganesh - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    This article is rather bad in explaining the internals of an PSU. It assumes that every reader is an electrical/power electronics engineer! The technical stuff should be explained more and not simply analyzed without explaining to the (average) reader!
  • danjw - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Why not have other PSUs listed in charts, like most reviews? That way we do not need to dig into old reviews to do direct comparisons to comparable products.

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