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Today we take a look at the Antec HCP-750. Let's start with the delivery contents. Apart from the PSU itself the package includes a power cable, four screws to mount the device in the PC case, a short user guide, and the modular connectors in a separate bag. The HCP is protected from dust and dirt by a bag during shipping. The product features include 80 Plus Gold Certification, the 16-AWG connection cables (large wire cross-section), the 135mm PWM fan, and the gilded connectors. In addition Antec ofers a 5-year warranty, which is a common feature for a product like this.
The HCP-750 has four +12V outputs, each of which can be loaded with 40A according to the manufacturer. Almost the full power is provided here because of the DC-to-DC VRM. The +5V and +3.3V combined output is 150W. +5VSB can handle 3A (or 15W), and the label shows the various safety certifications. Antec products can be bought all over the world, so there are many country-specific requirements.
Antec uses a DC fan from ADDA with the model number ADN512UB-A9B. This one is controlled via PWM, so the duty cycle will be modulated. As a Sanyo Denki employee reported at Computex 2011, PWM is much better for the fan than voltage control. However, it should be mentioned that Antec has patented the use of PWM fans in PC power supplies, which complicates their use for other manufacturers. The fan needs 0.44A from the +12V output, and the nine fan blades pictured above are pretty well made.
Corsair seems to have completed their case lineup with their latest addition, the Carbide 500R. Though currently made available in black, this enthusiast-geared enclosure was originally advertised in its attractive pearl white coloring, and that's the model we have on hand today. Does this powered up Carbide 400R have what it takes to make it as a compelling alternative to not just its cheaper sibling, but also to Corsair's Graphite 600T and 650D as well as the other enclosures around the $139 price point ?
While the MSRPs of the 500R, 600T, and 650D show stratification (and a visit to NewEgg confirms this), things get a little muddy when you start bargain hunting. While you can get the 500R for $139 ($125 after rebate as of the time of this writing), the cheapest I could find the 600T for was about the same price and usually around $160, hanging out in the same neighborhood as the Obsidian. That clusters these three enclosures against each other and while it's not as goofy as the sub-$100 graphics card market, it does make you wonder a little bit about why Corsair shot so high with the 500R.
That said, there are definitely differences. The Graphite 600T is a fine case but an odd bird in Corsair's lineup with no siblings, while the 650D is essentially the love child of the 600T and Obsidian 700D/800D enclosures. And while the 600T on up are all designed largely with acoustics in mind (and all use negative air pressure designs), the Carbide enclosures are a bit more open, with more fans, more fan mounts, and positive air pressure. Theoretically, acoustics suffer while thermal performance should improve. It's a trade-off end users often have to make in the sub-$200 case market.
The fan controls are going to be familiar to people who've seen the Obsidian 650D, but the internals are all Carbide series, with a tremendous amount of cooling expansion available. End users willing to put in the time to fine tune the cooling are probably going to be well rewarded, but the configuration Corsair ships the 500R with isn't half bad either.
Let’s take a closer look at the third incarnation of the world’s famous air-cooler from the Japanese Scythe Company.
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The new Kindle Fire may have gotten most of the attention when Amazon refreshed its Kindle lineup this year, but Amazon is still very much in the e-reader market. The fourth-generation Kindle, the Kindle Touch, and the Kindle Touch 3G all promise to deliver the traditional Kindle experience in a lighter and less expensive package - continue reading for our thoughts on the new $79 Kindle.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/4988/amazon-fourthgeneration-kindle-review">Read more...</a><br />
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The EW2420 from BenQ is designed for use as a multi-purpose display. While it has the standard DVI and HDMI port you would expect on a current monitor, it also has an additional HDMI port for another video source like a video game system or Blu-ray player, as well as speakers for the audio from these sources. Of course, if the panel doesn’t perform well then it doesn’t matter how many inputs it has, but the BenQ looks promising with both a VA panel and an LED backlight.
<p><span style="font-size: small;">Today we take a look at a SilverStone PSU called Strider Plus. Along with the power supply, the package contents include a 10Amp power cord, screws for installing the PSU, several types of cable ties, and a very detailed manual. The latter contains exemplary illustrations and a description of the installation process, but the German translation of the text could be better. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the PSU uses a single<span lang="en"> +12V rail. In addition, the power supply is able to work 24 hours a day at 40°C ambient temperature. The 80 Plus Bronze certificate is another feature. The14cm case length is also very compact.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">The maximum load for +3.3V and +5V is 20A/24A, which is quite a bit for a "modern " PSU. Together, these outputs provide 120W. Information for the +12V rail is not available, but we'll focus on the maximum value based on the 34A rating, which would be 408W. The UL number E190414 shows that FSP is the OEM for this power supply.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">This Yate-Loon fan with the model number D12BH-12 (M-GP1) and 120mm diameter uses ball bearings and seven fan blades. The maximum speed is 2300rpm at +12V. The subjective loudness of the fan (and the electronics of course) will be investigated on the following pages.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/4908/silverstone-strider-plus-500w-modular-power">Read more...</a><br />
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We will talk about cooling efficiency and acoustic performance of the newest flagship VGA cooler from Deepcool Company.
The more enclosures we get in, the more amazed I am at just how competitive the market is for $99 cases. That market is made only more competitive by younger, hungrier companies like BitFenix and Fractal Design, along with new entries from Corsair and NZXT. In another welcome change of pace, these enclosures tend to be slicker, more streamlined, and less gaudy than the gaming cases of yore while providing oftentimes excellent thermal and acoustic performance. With those things in mind, today we look at our first of hopefully many cases from Fractal Design: the Arc Midi.
I don't mind saying one of the names that keeps getting brought up in our comments is Fractal Design, and even our own Brian Klug has messaged me on Facebook "politely suggesting" I get some of their hardware in. Thankfully the wait is now over, and Fractal Design has decided the best foot to put forward in starting reviews with AnandTech is the Arc Midi. Having played with it, I can see why.
Not mentioned but also included is a separate fan controller supporting up to three fans that fits into one of the expansion slots. I was a little bit on the fence about testing with the controller, but it was included with the case and ultimately there's no real reason not to.
It looks like Thermalright decided to leave all of their competitors without any revenues, because their new HR-02 Macho cooler offers unprecedented combination of cooling efficiency and price, which is unreachable for all other manufacturers of processor coolers.
While we've had a chance to check out a few cases in the $200+ club and the majority of the enclosures we've tested have floated around the $99 price range, we haven't really put the screws (so to speak) to a truly budget case. That changes today, when we tackle the least expensive case we've yet tested: the BitFenix Merc Alpha. At just $39 it would be reasonable not to expect much, but as you'll see this case can hang with enclosures at twice the cost or better.
BitFenix has generously provided us considerable lead time to check out the Merc Alpha ahead of other sites, and the time was well spent. The Merc Alpha is one of a pair of twin models under the "Merc" brand; the Merc Beta has the same shell and costs the same amount, but loses the top vents. Given our generally positive experience with the Shinobi (another budget contender), I was looking forward to sitting down with the Merc Alpha and I wasn't disappointed by it.
As you can see the bones with the BitFenix Merc Alpha are pretty bare, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how much functionality BitFenix was able to pack into it. The Merc Alpha has plenty of room for adding fans and improving cooling much like its older sibling, the Shinobi, and indeed the internal design of the Merc feels in many ways like a Shinobi that's lost some weight and some zazz.