Antec CP-850

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Verdict:
A solid design and quiet to boot, the few who can use it will appreciate it.

By Justin Robinson
Aug 28, 2009 | 16 Comments
Tags: Antec | CP-850 | psu | review

The first non-spec PSU design we’ve seen.

Ever since the original ATX design standards were released back in 1995, power supplies have gone through a series of modifications to finally arrive at something what you'd be familiar with, usually a 12cm or 14cm fan beneath the PSU. That one fan has to push a lot of air through a cramped space, and with wattages topping out at over a thousand it doesn't make sense to keep it squished - which is where Antec has leapt in. The company's created a new standard called CPX that uses the same connectors and mounting location as ATX, but expands the casing in all directions to allow room for a 120mm fan at the end.

Now while this is only currently compatible with three Antec cases (the P183, P193 and Twelve Hundred), it also means that the PSU is very quiet - idling at 47dBA and 51.2dBA load. If the noise were the only thing it did well then it'd be a good enough reason to introduce a new standard but it also aids in cooling too, giving a direct path for heat to escape both the power supply and case.

Rated at 850W, there are four 12V rails that combine to give a maximum output of 768W. The remaining 5V and 3.3V lines are rated at the usual 30A and 24A respectively, so unless you're running a few hundred mice you'll be covered. We loaded up our test rig with an i965 at 3.6GHz with 1.375 Vcore and two 4890s, then ran OCCT and 3DMark Vantage at 1920x1200 concurrently.

Idle 12V rails sat at 12.101V, hitting a slightly higher 12.274V under full load. The 5V rail sat at 5.099V idle, again raising to 5.106V loaded. Both these results are well within spec for a power supply and should be more than enough to power a serious gaming rig - but the compatibility hurts.

Product Info

Specs:

CPX form factor; 24-pin, 4-pin ATX, 8-pin ATX, 9x molex, 9x SATA, 2x 8-pin PCIe, 2x 6-pin PCIe.

Supplier:

Altech

Price when reviewed:

AUD$235

price check*

$175.00	850W Antec CP-850 Power Supply for Antec 1200, P183, P193 cases only Maco Technology (NSW)

$176.00	AT-CP-850 SPECIAL SIZE! 850W "Antec" ATX Power Supply, (FOR TWELVE-HUNDRED,... HB Outlet (NSW)

$178.00	[CP-850] SPECIAL SIZE! 850W "Antec" ATX Power Supply, (FOR TWELVE-HUNDRED, ... A&T Computer (NSW)

$179.00	Antec CP-850 CPX 850W Power Supply [Avail: In Stock] PC Case Gear (VIC)

$180.00	CP-850 850W ATX Power Supply : (Special Size for Antec 1200, P183, P193 cas... [Avail: Low] IJK Enfield (NSW)

$182.60	Antec Antec CP-850 850w Power Supply specially designed for Antec 1200, P18... ITSdirect (QLD)

See more results for Antec CP-850 on staticice.com.au

*Products and prices sourced from staticICE and are in no way associated with Atomic MPC

This article appeared in the August, 2009 issue of Atomic.

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16 Comments

Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.

DiStOrTeD Aug 28, 2009 1:35 PM	This the unfortuante thing with tech. Whilst a company might come up with the best thing since sliced bread, an inferior design might and I think its safe to say will in this case, dominate the market because of compaibility.
nesquick Aug 28, 2009 2:19 PM	why would you waste money on this stupid design when you can buy a Corsair HX750 that is nearly the same maximum wattage on the 12v rail, is actually compatible with 99% of cases and is in my mind a superior PSU. Also why the high score? surely design factor would equate into how high the score things get? ie: since this only fits in 3 cases it should be getting in the 50's since its not a bad PSU but its a crazy design.
thesorehead Aug 28, 2009 2:20 PM	True. But you have to start somewhere. People who see the advantages of this - and like me leave the PSU with the case - may show that the industry is ready for a new standard.
zerassar Aug 28, 2009 3:29 PM	nesquick has anyone ever explained to you what constructive criticism is? If you had read the article properly you would have realised it is anything but a stupid design. Better heat removal for less noise.... how is that stupid? Agreed it isnt the most compatible.... But it is not Antec's fault that the rest of the market uses a less efficient design. Standards change given the ravaging affect of time. Lets see if this catches on.
Tezlin Aug 28, 2009 5:27 PM	@zerassar, until your Antec case carks it and you go to replace it only to find it's gone obsolete and you're stuck with a non-standard PSU. Brr.
Bundywow Aug 28, 2009 6:20 PM	Well Nes, A product should be rated for it's intended purpose. Their goal was to make a quiet more heat efficient PSU and they succeeded, it has good specs. As long as the labeling is clear enough that someone doesn't accidentally buy one thinking it will fit in ATX standard there is no flaw in the product.
nesquick Aug 28, 2009 7:17 PM	But I would be willing to bet money on a HX750 being: 1.more efficient (I know it is anyway) 2.better quality internal parts 3.run cooler due to a 140mm fan compared to what sounds like a very noisey 120mm fan, 47DBA is not exactly silent Zerrasar what is there to be constructive about? its like Holden bringing out left hand drive cars in Australia, there is a standard for a reason.
Mr.Slipper Aug 29, 2009 1:44 PM	Yeah! The audacity of Antec to bring out a new non-standard design. I think they should be given a honey enema and tied to a fire ants nest. While we're at it, lets all get Intel for releasing core i7. Those damn cpus won't fit in my p45 board.
jcakurs Aug 30, 2009 7:14 AM	@nesquick There is plenty to be constructive about - bringing out a design that improves on an existing standard being the primary one. You're right, bringing out a LH drive Holden would be pointless if there was no benefit. There are standards for a reason without a doubt, but that doesn't mean the standards can't be improved.
fabricator Aug 30, 2009 7:40 PM	@Tezlin I don't know what you are doing if you kill a metal box. It's just not worth using an axe for case modding.
brumby92 Aug 30, 2009 9:13 PM	@nesquick. Your also forgetting the price. I would say that both are similar in terms of quality, but the HX750 is around $50 more.. And this is Atomic! modding a case to fit this PSU doesn't sound hard at all. And lets not forget that the cases compatible are very popular cases.
nesquick Aug 30, 2009 10:55 PM	I have said all there is to be said, if you guys want to discuss this further and tell me why I am crazy for not supporting it there's always the opportunity to make a new thread regarding its colossal size, its incompatibility with over 99% of cases on the market and why its apparently better then one of/if not the best PSUs on the market at the moment.
DiStOrTeD Aug 31, 2009 12:31 PM	Nesquick, It doesnt matter if you have a 10km fan if you've got shit all space to drag the air through, which is indeed the purpose of the size. Undoubtly you lvoe your PSU but saying " i know its more efficent" with no actual evidence is just asking for trouble.
zerassar Aug 31, 2009 1:34 PM	Great analogy nesquick. Guess there are better avenues to instigate change. Like perhaps the actual committee that determines the standards. So prototypes should then remain in the lab...
thesorehead Aug 31, 2009 3:15 PM	I'm firmly with the "let's see how/if this catches on" crowd. It looks to me like we could use a new standard, if only because the old one was designed at a time when it was expected that the PSU's fan would provide airflow for the entire case and we've clearly moved on! Maybe it won't be this one, but big ups to Antec for giving it a shot! Weren't we all supposed to be using BTX or something by now?
Freyr Sep 1, 2009 10:53 PM	I made a account just to posted this comment with some info for nesquick. Going by spcr which just put up a review of this power supply a few days ago, it is the best psu they have ever tested by a very nice margin. In their Anechoic Chamber and the psu is hooked up to a custom computer case that gets extremely hot(barely any air movement minus the psu) and the psu still stayed at 14 dBA@1m up to 300W. At 850W it gets up to 45 dBA@1m which is a up there noise wise but the inside of the psu said really cool with the exhaust only being 12°C then the intake, which normal psu in this range would get 20°C+ very easy. Considering the three cases the psu would go in this is beyond worst case for intake temps, so they did a open air test to see what would be closer to putting the psu into the p183. At 700W load it only got up to 24dBA@1m. This is super quite, and going by the intake/exhaust number they estimated that if could go up to 400W and not break 14dBA@1m. The fan ramps up a bit fast towards the highend in spcr hotbox, but in any case that can take the psu, you should not be able to hear the fan over anything else in the case. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page1.html

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