Final Thoughts
When it comes to power supplies it’s all about performance and how the stable the rails are. As you can see from the test the CP-850 is definitely more stable than the Truepower 1000W. Reading other reviews of the CP-850 it looks like it outperforms many high-end power supplies out there, which is very impressive. It looks like this new CPX form factor and dual PCB layout really give you the performance you need. Also this being an Antec product you know it is quality-made and in having installing the power supply it was very study and seemed well put together.
The large 120mm fan is a PWM fan so when you are not doing anything intensive the fan is whisper quiet and even during load it was not that loud at all. The way the power supply is designed also allows for better cooling. Being half modular you have enough cables for a basic system, but if you need extra cables you can just go ahead and add them.
The thing that is going to hold this power supply back from getting in the hands of a lot of people is the form factor. Only Antec cases will accept the CP-Series power supplies so you are very limited. Although is I was building a system with an Antec case the CP-850 would be a no brainier because of its impressive performance. Maybe given the performance other companies will start making CPX form factor power supplies.
Right now you can get the CP-850 for just over $100 online, which for the performance is a great deal! Once again if you are building a system or currently have one of the supported cases the CP-850 is a no brainer! Overall ThinkComputers gives the Antec CP-850 850W Power Supply a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Great performance
– Partly modular
– New form factor allows for better cooling and dual PCB layout
– Price
Cons:
– The CPX form factor will only fit into 3 cases (currently)
