Antec TruePower New TP-650 650 Watt SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Power Supply
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JUdloNORL._SL160_.jpg
- power supply
- antec
- power supply unit
- high performance
- high end
The TP-650 delivers 650 watts of continuous power and achieves the extremely rare 80 PLUS Bronze level of certification, giving you quality power that is not only reliable and quiet, but incredibly energy-efficient. With Advanced Hybrid Cable Management to enhance airflow and reduce clutter, Antec’s TP-650 is truly an advanced PSU solution for both elite system builders and quality-minded enthusiasts alike. The TP-650 is also NVIDIA SLI-Ready certified and backed by Antec’s quality 5-year warranty!
Antec Power Supply
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650 Watt SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS BRONZE Power Supply
List Price: $ 139.95
Price:
Better than most premium brands,
It’s not much of a secret that Antec uses Seasonic to build a number of their power supplies, and Seasonic supplies are well liked. However, not all Seasonic sourced supplies are exactly the same. As a savvy OEM builder, Seasonic has some basic common platforms that it uses (saves them design cost), but extra features are added on top of the platform to make the final product. This Antec uses the premium design base platform from Seasonic and then adds a little extra:
Antec knew years ago that proper power supplies have voltage regulation on all of it’s voltage rails (3.3v, 5v, 12v) – they were one of the pioneers of multi-line regulation for PC power supplies. They called this “TruePower” in their marketing. Without independent regulation, sudden load on one rail (i.e. 5v) will affect the voltage on all the others – independent regulation is the only sensible way to design power supplies, yet many manufacturers back then took the cheap (crappy) option to save a few bucks. Some don’t bother regulating the 3.3v and 5v rails at all!
I did some lengthy research and uncovered that the primary differentiator between this Antec supply and the other Seasonics (Corsair etc) is that the Antec version has 4 independently regulated 12v rails (the 3.3v and 5v rails are separately regulated in all versions using the same base Seasonic design). The Corsair (and most, if not all, other Seasonics) have a single shared 12v rail. There might be 4 wires, going in, but inside the PS they’re all connected to a common point.
(Obviously) The Antec version is the more expensive and superior design, having 4 separate 12v outputs. Chances are, you’ll hook 2 of the 12V lines to the graphics card and the rest go elsewhere in the system. Separate 12v regulation will ensure a stable voltage across your entire system when one component suddenly surges. If you value system stability, more independent rails is simply better, period.
There are external tear-down reviews for this Antec that you can search for that are interesting (Amazon won’t let me link directly to them). There was one thing a tear-down reviewer got wrong though, on soldering they criticised having the component leads sticking out of the solder more than minimally necessary. Actually, doing this leads to greater reliability – ask any electrical engineer.
The power characteristics of this supply are truly excellent: compare how much power you can draw on a single voltage rail vs. other supplies, even those rated at a higher wattage. You’ll find the Antec is rated for a much higher amp draw. This is because the inferior design of the others forces them to de-rate the power draw.
In summary, you can pay more for another power supply and get an inferior product. This supply perfectly balances having extremely advanced (expensive to build) design while still being afforable. (There were great rebates that got the price to $90 back in ’10.)
Update: Over a year later (Sept ’11), things are going well with the original supply and everything is rock solid. I’m building a 2nd PC with the same supply, although the price seems to have gone up a little, it’s the best choice out there still.
Update2: now ’12 and all’s good – completely reliable. Upgraded to 6 core cpu a while ago. As another poster said, Antec chose a poor supplier a few years back (Delco) and the terrible reliability trashed their image to the point that many still stay away. Now they’ve been using Seasonic for several years, they’re back up with the best of the best again. The price is way higher now, but it’s still the best design.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Great Clean and Steady Power/ Not the Old Model Truepower 750,
I build a fair amount of computers and this is a power supply I often rely on to compete a rig. In my experiences, they are consistently grand performers and deliver steady clean power. Many of the other reviews here praise the unit, so I won’t continue to do so (though its quality certainly deserves more than I’ve mentioned). Instead, the reason for my review is to tell you a bit of information that is not as easily un-covered.
Essentially there is a big difference between the Antec NEW Truepower (This reviewed unit/ model 23754 TP-750) and the Antec Truepower 750. In my opinion Amazon really needs to update this item description and add the “NEW” which is currently missing. The reason this is important is that the older model, the one lacking the “NEW” label is manufactured by Delco and the quality is average. This one, however, is manufactured by Seasonic- often renown as the best PSU manufacturer in the world. The quality of this unit is much higher than that of its predecessor. In fact, if you read about this power supply on other sites that offer PC components you’ll often read a review that says “unit failed after 1 year” or something similar, then you look at the post date and realize that this NEW Antec model was not even available at the time of the reviewers purchase. The name is so confusing that people often review the wrong unit and assign the wrong attributes of the old model to this newer version. Antec should have done themselves, and all of us, a favor and named this something completely different. I mean how hard is it to name a powersupply? The “Antec Megapower” moniker would have avoided the whole problem and provided an apt description of the unit.
I hope this insight helped your decision. If you have a question feel free to ask in the comment section and I’ll try to get back to you quickly. Thanks
Was this review helpful to you?
|One of the best PSU’s on the market.,
I built my computer in July of last year(July, 2009). My system specs are:
Raidmax Smilodon case
Antec TruePower New TP-750 Blue PSU
MSI 790FX-GD70 motherboard
4GB(2x2GB) Mushkin Enhanced DDR3 1600 RAM(part number 996601)
HIS Radeon HD 4890 1GB video card
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB hard drive
Lite-On DVD Burner
This system runs with no hiccups whatsoever. Voltages are all within spec. The fan is very quiet. One of the things I love about Antec power supplies is that Antec rates all of their power supplies in terms of continuous power, not peak power. So when I’m putting together a build and I’m calculating how much power I need for that system to run, or more if I want room for upgrades later on, I know if I go with Antec, it can provide that much power all day long, 24/7, without the computer freezing up or random reboots.
Something I’ve noticed is that some reviewers have made a deduction on the rating because this power supply is not fully modular. I don’t believe this is necessary because this power supply is not advertised as being fully modular, therefore, should not be expected to be. This power supply is semi-modular, or as Antec calls it “Advanced Hybrid Cable Management”. The cable management of this power supply is described right on the product page and even shown in the pictures on the product page. So if someone needs and/or wants a fully modular power supply, they should buy a fully modular power supply. Not buy a power supply that wasn’t fully modular, and then make deductions on a review because it wasn’t something they wanted. The cable management of this power supply is perfectly fine for my setup. I don’t have any complaints about it.
750 watts of continuous power. I love it. 🙂
Was this review helpful to you?
|