ANTEC Power Supplies: Your opinion?

[AlgaeEater]

Just ate through another Antec SP-500 which just died on me tonight.

I've been a supporter of Antec for years with their stuff, but their PSU's really are getting me good. This is my 2nd one that has died in 2 years (Basically 2 died in 2 years) and it's getting on my nerves, especially with the price I pay on these things.

So for those of you who own/have owned them, what are your opinions?

I just bought a Enermax 535W to replace it, since my first Enermax (which I ironically replaced with an Antec) was sold off with my first gaming rig. I never had a problem with the Enermax PSU, while the Antecs died on me.

My 1st Antec was rock solid until it one day just stopped working.

My 2nd Antec was flaky, dropping output all over the place, underpowering my Gaming rig at times, and then just suddenly one day died. (Tonight to be exact)

This isn't a rant of any kind, just wondering since other boards which talk about power supplies have also reported Antec problems.

 

[InlineFour]

My Antec 380W TruePower is still running strong. I haven't received any problems with it yet.

 

[AlgaeEater]

That's good to hear.

I notice it was a 380W TP. Maybe it's just the SP line? Hmm...

(SP 400 and SP 500 died on me)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Their TruePower2 line is pretty decent. TruePowers were good back then too. Antec has done a fantastic job in voltage regulation. I see many idle/load tests wher ethe voltage only fluctuates 1%. Seasonic tests out at 2%, and I see Fortron/Sparkle testing around 3 - 4%. I don't even get why people recommend Fortrons when they're not even outstanding for voltage regulation.

Moreoever, Antec is probably the quietest next to Seasonic. Then comes OCZ. Fortron is damn loud. Once again, it boggles my mind why everyone recommends Fortron.

 

[OmniShinzui]

My SmartPower 2.0 500watt has been working as good as I thought it would be. It really works well with my Antec P180 Case because I never hear the thing, and the cables are just long enough to reach all my connectors.

Now, i've only used it since March 27th, so its only been 3 months.

 

[imported_ceefka]

I have the Neo HE 430 in an Antec P150 since 2006-01. This is a very quiet PSU. The modular cabling makes it very attractive too. PSU-manufactureres should make all PSU's with modular cabling. I'd buy an Antec again for my next rig.

There's never a hint that this PSU comes under pressure. I run an X2 3800+ on nF4 Ultra board, 3 HDDs, modest VGA feeding 2 screens in 1280 * 1024, 2 GB RAM + DVD RW. With the multitrack audio loads I can create the CPU will be maxed out before the PSU.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Their TruePower2 line is pretty decent. TruePowers were good back then too. Antec has done a fantastic job in voltage regulation. I see many idle/load tests wher ethe voltage only fluctuates 1%. Seasonic tests out at 2%, and I see Fortron/Sparkle testing around 3 - 4%. I don't even get why people recommend Fortrons when they're not even outstanding for voltage regulation.

Moreoever, Antec is probably the quietest next to Seasonic. Then comes OCZ. Fortron is damn loud. Once again, it boggles my mind why everyone recommends Fortron.

People recommend Fortron because Fortron just are head and shoulders above anything Antec puts out!

Antec has had in the past and still do somewhat today quality control issues!!
You hardly ever and I have never on these forums seen a post concerning a Fortron being DOA or going bad!!

The newer Antec models appear to have better quality than in the past!!

 

[mechBgon]

My work fleet has about 200,000 machine-hours (conservatively) on about 35 Antec units. One was one of the old TP430s that had bad caps (failed after ~3 years) and another was an SL350 (SmartPower350) that decided it was nevar going to wake up again. So that's about one failure per 100,000 machine-hours (on a fleet of 35 or so).

Make of that what you will; it's a significant number of units over a significant timespan, at any rate. I'm not sure what to vote in the poll for that, so I'll refrain.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Search member AntecCSR's posts over in the Cases & Cooling Forum. Read those threads
in total. I posted several links in those threads, most are worth a look...Nuff said by me here.



...Galvanized

 

[skooma]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Search member AntecCSR's posts over in the Cases & Cooling Forum. Read those threads
in total. I posted several links in those threads, most are worth a look...Nuff said by me here.



...Galvanized

:Q

Wow, you still waiting on your coffee to kick in or something?

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Their TruePower2 line is pretty decent. TruePowers were good back then too. Antec has done a fantastic job in voltage regulation. I see many idle/load tests wher ethe voltage only fluctuates 1%. Seasonic tests out at 2%, and I see Fortron/Sparkle testing around 3 - 4%. I don't even get why people recommend Fortrons when they're not even outstanding for voltage regulation.

Moreoever, Antec is probably the quietest next to Seasonic. Then comes OCZ. Fortron is damn loud. Once again, it boggles my mind why everyone recommends Fortron.

People recommend Fortron because Fortron just are head and shoulders above anything Antec puts out!

Antec has had in the past and still do somewhat today quality control issues!!
You hardly ever and I have never on these forums seen a post concerning a Fortron being DOA or going bad!!

The newer Antec models appear to have better quality than in the past!!

Hopefully the "AX" (Saga) line doesn't hurt their reputation. The SAGA product line is mediocre at best, with mediocre voltage regulation, mediocre efficiency, etc. Yet people are recommending them left and right because they bare the "FSP" brand.

The "FSP" and "FX" models are the ones everyone should be recommending. I've actually built an ungodly number of machines with FSP-350 and FSP-400 power supplies and over two years of building 10 machines a week have not had a single failure.

They were even used to replace all of the Antec's that were installed prior to my employment and had failed during my term.

 

[ribbon13]

Generally it varies from model line to line, but Antec and Enermax PSUs have always had that 'light' feeling when holding them. Can't say I've had much experience with them in recent years though. Much like those cheap translucent plastic lighters they sell at convenience stores. I remember them fine, but I bought a Colibri Trident a long time ago.

Fortron? I have the Fortron FC135-40 that powered my 8088 sitting on top of a Commodore 1541 floppy drive resting upon a nearby shelf. Needless to say, they have severe name history when it comes to PC PSUs. 'THE' everday PSU

there's actually been threads dedicated to not buying Antec PSUs.

 

[acegazda]

Look...this psu, for $70 shipped is probably the best value out there. I believe it has 18amps on both of its 12v rails and is SLI ready. 75% efficiancy too!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: acegazda
Look...this psu, for $70 shipped is probably the best value out there. I believe it has 18amps on both of its 12v rails and is SLI ready. 75% efficiancy too!

This thread is not about shopping for a SMPS.

Your linked unit is much better than average, is populated with Teapo caps, has a realisticly speced cooling fan and has 12V @ 28A combined.


...Galvanized

 

[acegazda]

I havn't personally owned an ANTEC but from reviews all over the AT forums and the net, the NEOhe series seems to have alot of problems. However, the smart power series seems to be rock solid.

 

[Henny]

I agree. Antec quality control seems lacking. I just bought a new Sonata II case with an SP PSU that was DOA. They promptly send me a new one that I hawked on Ebay.

I bought a Fortron. It measures dead on.

 

[skooma]

My only experience is with the TPII's, a handful installed from 12-18 months ago and no problems at all.

 

[Parasitic]

Have an old 300W Antec that arrived with a case. Used it to power an overclocked Celeron 700@ 1176 at 1.75v, Radeon 8500, 2 hard drives, and 2 optical drives. The system is COMPLETELY silent. The quietest system I've built.
That was maybe like 5 years ago...so long that I stopped counting, and still today the PSU is still ticking along fine. It's also not the expensive model, as it only has 1 fan.

Turbolink, however, is horrible. Got a 420W with a Chenbro case. 6 months later this was a power spike and the pins on the mobo connector were fried. The PSU still works but is undervolted on all rails.

 

[pkme2]

Quality cost a lot more than those cheaper <$50 PSUs. With an investment of over >$1000, I find it difficult not to get a better PSU. Fortron, Enermax or Seasonic.
Even at 10% of cost of a good rig, comes to $100, so why are we talking about cheaper PSUs? Since a lot of card manufacturers recommend minimum power requirements, so what's wrong in getting 500W+ PSUs.
For a few dollars more in terms of what one has invested in one's equipment, I would get the 'better stuff', so the argument of getting the bare minimum is ridiculous.

Those who recommend should have their rigs displayed and PSUs listed. I have two 500W+ Enermax PSUs and one 600W Seasonic. I put a lot of value in my rigs, so saving a few dollars when reliability is concerned is ludicrous.

I see a lot of threads on wholesale spending on frills but when it comes to PSUs, its economy time. That's bogus.
First, we all got to agree that PSUs shouldn't be set at minimums. A really good PSU starts at $100 and up to $200. Quality should cost a little more.
Second, every body goes to The PSU Inquisitor for the reviews and recommendations.
Third, accept the fact that these threads are getting monotonous.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
Their TruePower2 line is pretty decent. TruePowers were good back then too. Antec has done a fantastic job in voltage regulation. I see many idle/load tests wher ethe voltage only fluctuates 1%. Seasonic tests out at 2%, and I see Fortron/Sparkle testing around 3 - 4%. I don't even get why people recommend Fortrons when they're not even outstanding for voltage regulation.

Moreoever, Antec is probably the quietest next to Seasonic. Then comes OCZ. Fortron is damn loud. Once again, it boggles my mind why everyone recommends Fortron.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/PSU/NeoHE430/
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/other/display/psu-roundup_8.html

Regulation for +3.3V and +5V isn't that great, but +12V is +/- 1% over 100W (from +12V) all the way to the end with 30-40W combined from +3.3V and +5V, which is typical of a contemporary system.

This PSU is among the quietest ones ever tested in our labs at loads lower than 300-400W and is definitely quieter than any earlier produced power supply from FSP, except for fan-less ones, of course.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article280-page4.html

A little 12V offset, but barely any change.

In spite of the noise measurements, the Green PS actually sounded quite good.

- Silent PC Review

 

[yelo333]

I use them because they are decent PSU's bundled with decent cases. I would probably look at fortron before buying a non-bundled antec PSU.

 

[jackschmittusa]

I've used dozens of Antecs over the years in all kinds of configurations, and never had one fail.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: yelo333
I use them because they are decent PSU's bundled with decent cases. I would probably look at fortron before buying a non-bundled antec PSU.

Why not just get decent AOpen cases which are bundled with FSP power supplies....

....oh... and cost less than Antec to boot.

 

[Swanny]

I've seen two Antec power supplies die, both for no apparent reason. I will say their warranty service is good, though.

 

[thescreensavers]

MY SP-500 has been working strong ever scince Aug 17, 2005