Antec earthwatts gold pro 650w review in Spanish (full analysis)

Antec is a household name in the industry for its Hardware products and accessories. In order not to lose ground in the face of stiff competition, they have completely renewed the Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro range of power supplies, which we will take a look at in this review.

It is an affordable 80 Plus Gold model with semi-modular cabling. For its manufacture they have had the legendary Seasonic. We will have to see if it lives up to expectations, will you join us? Let's start!

We thank Antec for trusting us with this source for analysis.

Antec EAG Pro technical specifications

External analysis

The front of the box, in addition to the 80 Plus Gold certification, indicates that we are facing a source with semi-modular wiring and Japanese capacitors.

The back summarizes all the benefits that Antec presents on this source. They claim to include a high quality 120mm thermally controlled fan with a very relaxed profile to maintain quiet operation.

The fan speed graph in the lower right indicates that this is indeed the case. With an advertised starting speed of 500 RPM, the fan is sure to be completely inaudible.

The guarantee is 7 years, a very generous period considering that this source costs less than 90 euros. Without a doubt, a great endorsement to the user.

Antec's CircuitShield system promises a host of protections: over current (OCP) on the 3.3 and 5V rails, over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), short circuit (SCP), over power (OPP), overheat (OTP), power grid fluctuations and current peaks (SIP) and no-load operation (NLO). A full range, in the absence of 12V OCP.

The packaging protection is very good. We find inside with the warranty card, the user manual, the power cable, the modular wiring bag and the screws (the latter not present in the photo).

This is advertised as a compact ATX font. Although for a 650W model the dimensions are normal, the 750W shares the same chassis size , so we can say that it is quite small.

The external appearance follows a refined line typical of Antec, with its usual brand identity.

The semi-modular organization is comfortable. All cables are flat except for ATX, which is meshed. The problem is in the Molex connectors. As we saw in the Bitfenix Formula, these are at the end of the SATA strip, so they are nothing more than a hindrance considering that in many cases they will not be used.

The wiring provided is as expected. We have 4 PCIe 6 + 2-pin connectors, ensuring SLI possibilities in this version of 650W, 6 SATA and only 3 Molex.

In this diagram that we have prepared you can see the distribution of the wiring. It might seem strange that one of the PCIe cables is not modular, but it is understandable considering that this source is intended for high-performance PCs with powerful graphics cards. At least one strip will surely be used. Let's see if we are surprised by the interior of this Antec…

Internal analisis

Indeed, we find a source based on the Focus Gold platform, manufactured by Seasonic, with a DC-DC and LLC design.The DC-DC circuit is based on the 5V and 3.3V rails being generated from the 12V, independently by means of voltage regulator plates or VRMs. Where is the importance? In that it is a much more sophisticated design than that of "group regulation", used in other sources (even € 75, unfortunately…) that has many more problems in keeping the voltages within acceptable limits. Both topologies They are excellent and the best we can find in a fountain below 200 euros.

The primary filtering area, which is responsible for “cleaning” the alternating current and preventing electromagnetic interference, is well dimensioned. There are 4 Y capacitors, 2 X capacitors and 2 coils to perform this task.As expected, we are completely protected against sudden power surges thanks to a varistor or MOV, and against current spikes, with an NTC thermistor and a relay.

The primary condenser is a 330uF capacity KMR series Nippon Chemi-Con (Japanese) with a thermal resistance of 105ºC. The capacity seems to us somewhat low but, according to the information of the Cybenetics certifier ("hold-up time" data) it is not a problem.

For the secondary side, we have a Japanese capacitor mix, also from Nippon Chemi-Con. The electrolytic capacitors belong to the KZE, KY and W series, a customized range from Seasonic. There is also a good amount of solid capacitors, of very high durability.

The welding quality leaves us no complaints. On the PCB we can see the integrated circuit that takes care of the protections, a high quality Weltrend WT7527V.

So far, we have come across the same verdict: quality, quality, quality. However, we cannot say the same for the fan. The Hong Hua HA1225H12S-Z has sleeve or "bushing bearing" bearings. It is a low cost model, and if it were not for the 7 year warranty, we would not be convinced of its durability. We will talk about noise in the performance tests section.

Test bench and performance tests

We have carried out tests to regulate the voltages, consumption and speed of the fan. To do this, we have used the following equipment, which charges the source to approximately half its capacity:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel Core i5-4690K
Base plate:	Asus Maximus VII HERO.
Memory:	8GB DDR4
Heatsink	Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO SSD. Seagate Barracuda HDD
Graphic card	Sapphire R9 380X
Power supply	Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650W

The measurement of voltages is real, since it is not extracted from Software but from a UNI-T UT210E multimeter. For consumption we have a Brennenstuhl meter and a laser tachometer for fan speed.

Test scenarios

The tests are divided into several scenarios, in order from lowest to highest consumption.

	CPU load	GPU charging	Actual consumption (approx)
Scenario 1	None (at rest)	70W
Scenario 2	Prime95	None	120W
Scenario 3	None	FurMark	285W
Scenario 4	Prime95	FurMark	340W

Voltage regulation

Consumption

Fan speed

We have not encountered any performance issues. All rails have been kept stable, consumption is tight, and the fan profile is super relaxed.

As the ambient temperature or period of operation increases, it barely rises to 500rpm. This allows us to make the fan completely inaudible. We have not been able to notice clicking or noise in the fan motor, which allows us to give our approval as a silent product at low loads. ?

It should be noted, as we did in our review of the Bitfenix Formula, that every time we turn the equipment on or off, a loud “click” is heard from the source. It is the relay doing its job so there is no cause for concern.

Final words and conclusion about Antec Earthwatts Pro

With this power supply, Antec seeks success by bringing high-level internal design to a lower price range. For this they have trusted Seasonic and the implementation of its internal design Focus Gold, with which they more than fulfill their objective, leaving an excellent option for any high-performance team.

The semi-modular cabling leaves a good impression, it is comfortable, but the organization of the Molex connectors is annoying. Many will not use one, so the optimal would be that they were on the same cable strip and not together with the SATA.

Unfortunately, we liked the inclusion of a very low-cost fan. We believe that Antec should have sacrificed another internal component to incorporate a better quality one, but at least the 7-year guarantee reassures us regarding its durability.

Regarding loudness, there are no complaints about the results at low loads, since regardless of the quality of the fan, the speed of rotation is so low that we cannot hear anything. At maximum loads, however, it could be heard in the most consuming equipment, although we have not experienced it.

We highly recommend reading our updated guide on the best sources on the market.

Regarding availability, we have not yet found this font in any Spanish store. However, the prices in Europe look very good, so we can surely find the 550W model at 75 euros, and the 650W model at 85 euros in our country. It would be a very aggressive price for such a high quality font. Hopefully so.

In short, if you care about the quality of your Hardware and you are considering buying this EAG Pro, it is a wonderful choice. Now, let us summarize the main advantages and disadvantages of this Antec:

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
- EXCELLENT MANUFACTURE BY SEASONIC	- LOW COST FAN
- SEMI-MODULAR WIRING
- GOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM
- SILENT OPERATION
- 7 YEARS WARRANTY

The Professional Review team awards this Antec the gold medal and recommended product.

Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650W

Internal quality - 90%

Loudness - 87%

Wiring management - 80%

Efficiency - 92%

Protection systems - 90%

Price - 90%

88%

An excellent product at a competitive price.