Introduction

We would like to thank Antec for supplying the review sample.

The glory times for our former PSU load tester, Faganas, came to an end. From now on our new set up consisting of nine electronic loads and a dedicated transient load tester will take the reins. However Faganas will still have some action since with its help we will conduct the Turn On Transient Load tests at +12V.

Enough with the talk about the changes to our testing setup, let’s take a look at today’s PSU sample. Antec was kind enough to provide us with its flagship PSU, the mighty HCP-1200, a gold efficiency PSU with monstrous capacity that can handle up to four high-end VGAs along with other power hungry components almost effortlessly. Antec HCP-1200 along with Corsair AX1200 are considered the kings of the Mega PSU category, with the first slightly outperforming Corsair’s flagship. Behind HCP-1200 we find the biggest and one of the most respected PSU OEMs, Delta, which is responsible for many successful Antec PSUs (e.g. the legendary Signature series) so we expect very much from HCP-1200.

Specifications

Don't be afraid of the 80 mm fan's high RPMs, as Antec states that it is very quiet even at high loads. Regarding the protections all currently available are present, even OTP, giving you a piece of mind along with the five year warranty. Its price has dropped significantly since the last time we checked. At the moment the HCP-1200 is available for $254.99 on Newegg. Not too long ago its price was close to $300.


Not five or six but eight +12V rails are available! We think that Antec exaggerated with the number of +12V rails but since the OCP is high enough (surely higher than 30A) then you won't have any problems with powerful VGAs that draw much juice. The 5VSB rail is strong enough but we would like it to have 1-2 Amps more. In the end we don't have a plain PSU here but one that belongs to the high end category so we expect the best available performance everywhere. Finally the max combined power of all +12V rails is very close to the max total power, something natural since HCP-1200 uses DC-DC converters for the minor rails generation.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The PSU is equipped with eight PCIe connectors, while its direct competitor (Corsair AX1200) has only six. Also with two EPS, twelve SATA and nine peripheral connectors it will power everything you throw at it.
The main ATX cable and the EPS12V ones are very long at 650mm so there won't be any problems even with very large cases. All other cables are fairly long and the distance among the connectors is the recommended by ATX spec. Finally the ATX and EPS connectors use thicker 16 AWG wires while all other connectors use 18 AWG.


Power distribution is flawless since the EPS connectors have their own rails and the PCIe connectors in pairs use dedicated rails. The modular SATA/Peripheral connectors are fed through 12V4 while the hardwired ones use the same rail with the main ATX connector, a wise choice since the latter doesn't draw much juice from +12V in order to need a 30 Amp rail by its own.