Antec High Current Gamer M 620W Review

The High Current Gamer PSU series is now modular, but is the HCG-620M Bronze certified PSU still a good buy? We put it through its paces to find out.

Product on Review: HCG-620M
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Antec
Street Price: £70 (At time of review)

For the last 25 years Antec have had a passion for producing some of the best line of PSUs on the market. It was earlier this month that Antec announced the High Current Gamer modular series. Originally launched in 2010 the High Current Gamer (HCG) Series has been a popular choice for those not wanting to sacrifice performance whilst on a tighter budget.

Antec listened to criticism and are now giving enthusiasts and gamers the ability to choose what cables they plug into the PSU with this new modular version of the HCG. With an already good reputation and further enhancements the HCG-M looks good on the surface but how will it fare as we take a closer examination? Let’s find out!

Antec’s HCG M power supplies are the perfect combination of power and efficiency. The HCG M features special heavy-duty High Current connectors and cabling that supply extreme levels of power, and superb efficiency thanks to 80 PLUS® Bronze certification and Active PFC. Highest-quality connectors, Japanese-brand capacitors, and a quiet 135 mm double ball bearing fan complete the package. The HCG-620M features High Current Cable Management and 10-pin modular connectors. If loads of power, High Current engineering and extreme efficiency are what you’re after, the HCG M is the PSU for you.

Technical Specifications

• 620 watts of Continuous Power
• 80 PLUS® Bronze certified – up to 87% efficient
• High Current Hybrid Cable Management – special 10-pin and 5-pin modular
connectors for High Current rail
• Quiet 135 mm Double Ball Bearing cooling fan
• Stealth Wires All wires darkened for minimal visibility in chassis
• All Japanese brand capacitors for reliability
• Thermal Manager, an advanced low voltage fan control for optimal heat &
noise management
• Up to 90% power available on +12V rail
• ATX12V version 2.32 and EPS12V version 2.92 compliant
• Heavy-duty protection circuitry on all rails prevents damage from a variety of
dangers:
– Over Current Protection (OCP)
– Over Voltage Protection (OVP)
– Under Voltage Protection (UVP)
– Short Circuit Protection (SCP)
– Over Power Protection (OPP)
– Surge & Inrush Protection (SIP)
• AQ3 – Antec Quality 3 year limited warranty on parts and labor
• MTBF: 100,000 hrs

Packaging & Bundle

HCG-620M is presented in a colourful, eye-catching box. Antec are keen to reinforce their passion for continuous power . There is a symbol on the box to indicate this as well as the ATX 12v v2.32 specification, 135mm double ball bearing fan and cable management. Although some are advocates of highly efficient PSUs the gamer isn’t as conscious of this so as a result this lower priced series comes with the 80 plus bronze certification.

Packaging that catches the eye

Inside the HCG-620M box the PSU is covered in a fabric sleeve and the unit has been given added protective cardboard to ensure a safe transfer.

Inside the HCG-620M packaging

Removing all of the items from the box we have a small bundle that includes the following:

• PSU
• Power cable
• Modular cables
• Installation screws
• Instructions manual

HCG-620M bundle

On the next page we will take a look at what cables are included with HCG-620M.

Included cables – Modular

Included with HCG-620M are a number of modular cables. Being modular these can be attached/detached from the PSU at will.

The included modular cables

The braiding or netting on these cables is quite thin and the yellow insulation around the actual cables underneath can be seen through the gaps.

The braiding on modular cables

On the next page we will take a closer look at the actual PSU – considering its external features.

Closer Look (External)

HCG-620M has a smooth black exterior with Antec branding being predominately on show. Again Antec are keen to demonstrate their backing for “continuous” power. The label printed on the side of the PSU is exactly the same orientation on either side – so if you do choose to have the PSU mounted inside your case with the fan facing downwards then the typography is going to be upside down.

HCG-620M in all its glory

Antec have chosen to go with a double ball bearing 135mm fan inside HCG-620M. From the outside the Antec logo can be found at the centre of the fan grill. More on the fan specifications when we open the unit up in the next section.

HCG-620M features a 135mm cooling fan

On the alternate side to the fan grill is the specifications label. This details max wattage and total ampage for each rail. The +12v uses a single 48A rail which should provide enough juice for the most demanding of needs. The specifications label also has label of authenticity and standards.

The specifications label

Next is the modular panel. HCG-620M has a variety of slots for attaching modular cables. The red slots indicate PCI-E (and HDD) whilst the black are for HDD only.

Hardwired into the unit are just two cables – the 24-pin ATX and dual CPU/EPS power 4-pin. Having just these cables means that the choice is down to the user as to what cables they use – meaning the inside of the system will remain tidy and free from cluttered cabling.

The modular panel on the PSU

The hardwired cables found on the PSU

Closer Look (Internal)

Opening a PSU voids the warranty and the user should do so at their own risk. Upon opening the HCG-620M we are met with a rather tight looking PCB and set of components. Due to the overall size of the PCB this means that Antec can use a smaller PSU shell. For the size, there is still a keenness to keep things tidy.

An overview of the internal layout of HCG-620M

All capacitors within as Japanese and by Nippon Chemi-Con as well as Rubycon. These are rated at 105°C which is good to see.

Japanese Solid CAPs used throughout

For this unit Antec have used a 135mm double ball bearing fan by ADDA. The model of this fan is ADN512MB-A90 and with the rating 12V, 0.27A. Antec have part glued – part screwed a transparent cover over half of the fan to shield anything touching the fan blades.

ADDA 135mm cooling fan used inside

On the next page we will put the HCG-620M through its paces in a real-world test.

Testing Methodologies & Results

Our testing methodology for testing Power Supply Units is limited to the multi-meter to show each rails performance due to us not having access to an ATE load tester. We are making plans to invest in equipment as we were directed by Cooler Master when Simon visited their test labs in June 2010.

Although this does constrain us slightly we can still monitor fluctuations on the rails and give the unit a good assessment when we feature it in one of our builds. The way the testing will run is simple, voltages will be observed at idle wattage and then a single GPU will be installed within the system and a combination of OCCT and MSI Kombustor will be executed to provide simulation with just 1 GPU. This will be run for 10 minutes. Usually we would add another GPU to the mix in order to generate over 750W but since our unit is 620W only a single GPU will be used. The CPU will also be overclocked to maximise power consumption and strain. This should give us a good indication of how the Antec HCG-620M will perform under gaming stresses and beyond.

System Components
CPU Intel Core i7 2500K (with OC 4.5GHz)
Motherboard ASUS P8P67
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 480
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz CL9
HDD 2 x Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU Antec HCG-620M (620W)

As I mentioned there is no ATE load tester available so generating as much power as possible is key to observing the fluctuations on the rails.

For voltage tolerance levels, ATX specify that a 5% variable fluctuation is acceptable. (Form Factors – ATX Specification PDF – Page 10). So what this means is:

3.3V Rail – 3.135V – 3.465V acceptable
5V Rail – 4.75V – 5.25V acceptable
12V Rail – 11.4V – 12.6V acceptable

Idle test – The system settles in windows without any applications or stressing. 1 GPU (216W)
Single GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (420W)

Fan noise

At almost 70% load the HCG-620M does show signs of being audible but isn’t disruptive.

Conclusion

Antec’s HCG-620M is based around the prolific Seasonic M12II and as a result has strong foundations. For such a burly PSU the PCB and indeed outer shell is relatively small but performance in the real-world demonstrated that the HCG-620M can hold to its own.

We like the fact that Antec have only hardwired essential cables into the unit as this means the user can choose exactly what cables are needed within their computer chassis. This avoids cluttering the inside with unnecessary, unused cabling.

Priced at £70 the HCG-620 is reasonably priced. In this price range there are other bronze certified PSUs but with lower overall wattage.

The only slight improvement that Antec could do on their part is by making the cable braiding thicker thus preventing the yellow cables showing through. Cable management is a top priority for most enthusiasts and these cables are easy to deal with but it makes sense to have their physical appearance a solid colour in order to continue that tidiness inside.

Pros
+ Aesthetically pleasing to the eye
+ Only essential cables hardwired
+ Good voltage variance
+ Japanese Solid CAPs used throughout
+ 5 Years warranty

Cons
– Braiding needs to be thicker