Antec NeoPower Blue 650W
Feb 8th, 2008 | By Archive
Antec NeoPower Blue 650W
Date
: 02/8/08 – 02:19:31 AM
Author
:
Category
: Power Supplies
Page 1 : Introduction
Manufacturer:
Antec
Few manufacturers have achieved the kind of success Antec has become accustomed. Antec which rooted from humble beginnings back in 1986 has now grown to cater to all areas of the computer industry including enclosures, power supplies and cooling products.
Antec's NeoPower series of power supplies offers a balanced mix of high performance, silence and elegance. Featuring three 12V rails, modular cables, and high efficiency the NeoPower series is an ideal solution for silent systems and high end systems alike.
Page 2 : Features and Specifications
Here is what Antec has to say about the NeoPower 650W Blue:
Features
- NVIDIA SLI-ready certified
- AQ5 – 5 year warranty
- High Efficiency, Super Quiet Operation
- Highly efficient (up to 85%) with one super-silent 120mm fan keeps NeoPower cool and blue internal LED illumination
- Advanced Cable Management System
- Universal Input with Active PFC
- Dedicated Power Circuitry
- Supports ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V systems
- Low-speed 120mm blue LED fan delivers whisper-quiet cooling and ensures quiet operation by varying fan speed in response to load and conditions
- Three +12V output circuits provide maximum stable power for the CPU independently of the other peripherals
- Accurate power rating allows NeoPower to deliver its full rated power, 24 hours a day rated at 50ºC
- One 8 pin and one 6 pin PCI Express graphics card power connectors
- Four SATA connectors for your Serial ATA drives
- Industrial grade protection circuitry prevents damage resulting from short circuits (SCP),
under voltage protection (UVP), power overloads (OPP), and excessive voltages (OVP)
- Approvals: UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick.
- MTBF: 80,000 hours
The NeoPower 650W Blue comes equipped with two 6+2 pin PCI- Express connectors, two 6 pin PCI- Express connectors, four SATA connectors, and 6 standard molex connectors, plenty for most systems!
In terms of output, the True Power 650W Blue is fairly solid, 19A per 12V rail, three rails and a maximum combined output of 624W is plenty for multiple video card setups and multicore processors.
The NeoPower line, built by Seasonic has already worked up quite a reputation for being solid performers, so without further delay, lets take a closer look!
Page 3 : Package
Appropriately, the NeoPower Blue is packaged within a blue themed box.
On each side panel, Antec thoroughly lists key features.
Features and specifications are continued on the rear panel covering all the key specifics.
Opening up the package, Antec includes a fairly typical assortment of accessories including cables, power chord, screws, and documentation.
And finally, the NeoPower 650W Blue!
One thing I always look forward to seeing is a clean sleeving job, and that is exactly what Antec has done here with the NeoPower 650W Blue, the unit is fully sleeved in black, and finished with black heatshrink!
The modular connectors are to the front of the unit.
While most of the unit is modular, the motherboard connectors along with a 6+2 pin PCI Express connector, and the 8 pin 12V connector are attached directly to the power supply.
There are two SATA connectors per modular connection.
The floppy power cable is attached via an adaptor, which connects to a standard 4 pin molex connector, which is great because its not often we find the need to use a floppy connector, and the less wires the better!
Next, lets take a look at the insides.
The unit inside is a fairly typical looking Seasonic unit; clean like always and well chosen components. On the primary side Antec has chosen to use a Nippon Chemi Con capacitor which is always great to see. On the secondary side is a mixture of OST capacitors and another Nippon Chemi Con capacitor.
Cooling the unit is a single top mounted 120mm ADDA fan, of course, with blue LEDs!
Page 4 : Testing
While our load tester consisted of a large array of wire wound resistors is in the process of taking shape, in order to simulate system load, we will be using peltiers. The reason for this is because when using an actual computer system there is no way we could accurately measure how much load we are putting on the power supply without some very expensive equipment.
Prior to any official tests, the units will run with no load for two weeks or approximately 336 hours at an operation temperature of 21°C (room temperature will vary throughout this period) as a burn-in period. We will be running two sets of tests, a cold and a hot test, but both under loaded conditions. This is to reflect different conditions the power supply could potentially encounter within an enclosed system. Cold tests will run with an exhaust temperature of 21°C and hot tests will be run with an exhaust temperature of 45°C. All temperature and voltage readings will be recorded with two separate digital multimeters.
Page 5 : Conclusion
Here at Overclockers Online, we have taken a look at numerous power supplies, many of which capable of powering some of the most can power some of the most high end systems, and then some, and of course, costing quite a pretty penny too. Every so often, we come across power supply that is more likely to be found in the typical enthusiasts' computer system, and this is one of them. While we of course love playing with bleeding edge hardware, power supplies like the NeoPower 650W Blue are far more relevant to most enthusiasts offering solid performance at an incredibly generous cost.
There was a time not to long ago that we scoffed at the idea of spending $100 dollars on a high power supply, when we ridiculed the prospect of cheap performance power supplies. However today, power supplies positioned at lower price points manage to offer superb performance while sacrificing neither aesthetics nor features, and this of course, is a trend we are quite happy to see. That being said, there is also no shortage of affordable power supplies in today's market, in fact if anything, there is enough selection to send most of the computer savvy population running in a different direction, so what does the NeoPower 650W blue have that separates it from the competition?
Well for firstly, it costs just a tiny bit more than one bill, and that itself says a lot. Secondly, the NeoPower 650W Blue is a rock solid performer; the numbers we have seen today are that of much pricier units, and not to mention its nearly silent operation. Lastly, we have perks which really make this unit special: fully sleeved wire, a beautiful paint job, and a hint of flash, a blue LED fan. The NeoPower 650W Blue is truly a fantastic unit and we truly look forward to seeing more manufacturers following with super- affordable high end units in the new year!
Advantages
- Good performance
- Excellent value
- Modular
- Sleeved wires
- Silent operation
Disadvantages
- Finish could use a bit of work
Overclockers Online would like to thank Antec for making this review possible.