Antec hcg850 extreme review in Spanish (full analysis)

We continue to analyze the latest Antec releases on power supplies. This time it's up to the HCG850 Extreme, little sister of the 1000W model that we already analyzed a few months ago. Without waiting for great news in between, we do hope to find a better value for money in this product. Ready to see it? Let's go there!

We thank Antec for the trust placed in transferring this product for analysis.

Antec HCG850 Extreme Technical Specifications

External analysis

We start with the front of the box, whose presentation begins to inspire that we are dealing with a "premium" product.

The back highlights the main characteristics of the fountain, the following being the most relevant:

• Efficiency certification 80 Plus Gold, which as we see on the box guarantees more than 92% efficiency at 230V (in almost all the world except the US, which uses 115V). Continuous power guaranteed in environments up to 50ºC. This means that the source is designed to deliver the 850W it promises in such high ambient temperatures, 24/7, and without any limitation. 10 year guarantee that will give us great peace of mind during the useful life of the PSU.

In addition to this, the brand indicates the use of a 135mm fan with FDB bearings and an internal design with LLC and DC-DC (which we will talk about later), a complete protection set, semi-passive ventilation mode, 100 % of capacitors, etc. They also stick out their chest indicating that the modular panel is " ready for future connector changes ."

Opening the box provides excellent source protection. We have the Antec user manual, power cord, screws, cable ties and a few custom Velcro straps. The source wiring is neatly stored in a textile bag.

The ATX, CPU and PCIe cabling is meshed and has capacitors at its ends which, in this case, are less annoying than normal. It should be noted that in this source all the PCIe connectors use individual cables, which means that they can be squeezed to the maximum as they lack limitations in maximum power graphics.

The included cables are 1 ATX, 2 CPUs of 4 + 4 pins each, 6 PCIe of 6 + 2 pins, 10 SATA, 6 Molex and 1 FDD to Molex adapter.

The external design of this power supply is quite aggressive, and uses a “golden” color scheme that we love, but obviously the final decision will have to be made by the user.

On the front, the inclusion of a button to select if we want to use the hybrid mode stands out. In the ON position, the fan is only activated when the source is at a certain temperature. When OFF, it always stays on.

And here we have the modular connector plate, with the curious Antec design with three 16-pin sockets where you can connect a hypothetical new connector.

Internal analisis

Opening a power supply carries physical risks and voids the warranty. Don't open it if you don't know what you're doing.

We repeat regarding the HCG1000 Extreme. As usual in the new high-end offerings of the brand, they have trusted Seasonic to manufacture this PSU. The internal platform is the Focus + with certain modifications, rather close to the Prime. Uses LLC on the primary side and DC-DC on the secondary side for maximum efficiency and better voltage control.

The primary filter is made up of 4 Y capacitors and two X capacitors, in addition to a pair of coils. We can observe a varistor or MOV that helps to mitigate fluctuations in the electrical network.

We also have an NTC thermistor supported by a relay, which efficiently reduces the current spikes that occur when turning on the PSU, increasing its useful life. Here we can also see how German Infineon MOSFETs of maximum quality and durability are used, something that Antec has us used to.

The primary capacitor is from Nichicon (Japanese), it is 400V at 680uF (very good capacity), and prepared for temperatures up to 105ºC, so its durability will also be maximum.

We continue on the secondary side with Japanese Nippon Chemi-Con and Nichicon capacitors.

A quick look at DC-DC modules. We can also appreciate a very good welding quality. In addition to electrolytic capacitors, there are several Nichicon solid capacitors which have increased durability.

The fan is a 135mm Hong Hua HA13525H12F-Z, which makes use of dynamic fluid bearings. A model with lower maximum speeds compared to the HCG1000 Extreme has been used, so it will be somewhat quieter. Still, this is a fan for which there have been quite a few " clicking " complaints from certain very demanding users of silence. We will confirm immediately if this model has given us that feeling.

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 been helped by the following team:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	AMD Ryzen 7 1700 (OC)
Base plate:	MSI X370 Xpower Gaming Titanium.
Memory:	16GB DDR4
Heatsink	Corsair H100i Platinum RGB
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO SSD. Seagate Barracuda HDD
Graphic card	Gigabyte R9 390
Reference Power Supply	Antec HCG850 Extreme

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.

Unfortunately we do not have data from the Cybenetics certifier to support us to make the review of this PSU. When we can, we use the data from this alternative agency to 80 Plus, which has much more detailed and exhaustive tests.

In order to maintain the reliability of the tests, especially the consumer one (the most sensitive), and taking into account the changing nature of the loads on a device, the sources shown here have been tested the same day and in the same situations, so we always retest the source that we use as a reference, so that the results are comparable within the same review. Between different reviews there may be variations due to this.

In addition, we try to put more and more stress on power supplies, so from one review to another the components used and the overclock applied may vary. In fact, we have just changed the GPU to an even higher consumption R9 390, and added liquid cooling to be able to overclock our CPU.

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Voltages and consumption

Fortunately, all values ​​are as expected given the characteristics of the font. Once we saw the interior, we no longer had any doubt that it would be so, since our reference source also uses the Focus + platform and has produced equivalent results in consumption.

Fan speed

The initial rpm of this power supply outside of its semi-passive mode is around 515rpm. As we said, the fan is somewhat louder in nature than normal. It is the same experience that we lived with its 1000W sister, and it is that in the vast majority of computers this fan will not be heard, but certain very demanding users will not be happy with it.

This is because the fan makes a subtle clicking noise, which is somewhat more audible than normal. Therefore, the most reasonable option is to use this source with the semi-passive mode activated, since at high loads the PC fans will most likely make more noise than the PSU itself.

Final words and conclusion

Antec continues to forge a good catalog of power supplies, with the collaboration of Seasonic, who already manufactures two more ranges for the brand. As expected, the internal quality is superb and one of the strengths of this PSU.

In general, we repeat experience with the HCG1000 Extreme, as the differences between the two versions are minimal, beyond the guaranteed power and wiring. Externally, of the two models we liked the distribution of the wiring, but not so much the fan used. The 135mm Hong Hua is louder than its 120mm models, so discerning users might not like it. Still, hybrid mode allows it to stay off at low loads.

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

The price of this Antec is usually between 120 and 130 euros. We believe that it is a very fair price for the offered features, and therefore it is well placed in the market. Still, the HCG850 Gold "no Extreme" of the brand itself will in many cases be a more interesting option due to its lower price and higher availability.

Advantage

• Very high internal quality with 80 Plus Gold efficiency. 100% modular wiring with individual PCIe connectors. Fair price for an 850W model with these characteristics. 10 years of guarantee that give great peace of mind.

Disadvantages

• In some ways like the fan, which is a bit louder than we expected, the normal HCG850 beats the HCG850 Extreme. Considering its lower price, it will be a more interesting option in many cases. As with its sisters, semi-passive mode could be better implemented.

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

Antec HCG850 Extreme

INTERNAL QUALITY - 96%

SOUND - 83%

WIRING MANAGEMENT - 90%

PROTECTION SYSTEMS - 85%

PRICE - 87%

88%