Review: Only the power-hungry need apply - the Antec HCP 1200 has all the power you need, and a LOT more.
In the varying products that make up Antec’s PSU range, the High Current Pro series sits at the high end. With an 80 plus gold rating and large capacities, the HCP is designed for those with heavy power needs such as those seen when running multiple graphics cards. We have been testing the 1200W model in the Atomic labs, although we have also played with the lesser 750W and 850W members of the lineup.
One of the major selling points of the HCP design is the number of 12V rails inside the unit. There are eight such rails inside the HCP-1200, and Antec claims that they all operate at 99% efficiency. It uses a modular design, with a captive 24-pin ATX connector and two eight pin CPU plugs. This captive bundle is rounded out with two PCI-E power cables (each supporting dual six or eight pin connections) and two SATA power cables. The rest are removable, although unless you add a third graphics card or many more hard drives they will likely go unused.
We have been using the HCP 1200 on our testbench for a month and had no problems with anything we threw at it. Our multimeter tests show that the Voltages are quite solid, and the PSU has generally been a joy to use. As always it is important to keep in mind your planned usage when choosing a PSU. While the HCP is great for multiple GPU systems and similarly high drain environments, it is overkill for a simple gaming rig – there’s a reason Antec has several different lines of PSUs.
This becomes apparent when you look at pricing. At $315 the HCP-1200 is targeted well above what mere mortals will pay for power. A 900W high current gamer comes in at half that pricetag, and will deliver ample performance for a normal SLI system. But if you are building a monster system, then this is a pretty great PSU to use. For the rest of us, it is both more than we need and the price premium would probably be better spent getting a less godly PSU and putting the savings into speedy componentry.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012