With Antec’s new Signature Series recently hitting the shelves we take a look at the 650W version and see how it fares.

With Antec’s new Signature Series recently hitting the shelves we take a look at the 650W version and see how it fares.



Antec was founded in 1986 and is a company easily recognised as one of the leading brands for PC cases, power supply units and accessories. Antec remains one of the most successful case brands on the market and have in recent times began taking the PSU market by storm with their reliability and excellent performance.

Today we have the Antec Signature 650W power supply unit (PSU). The signature series is a new high-end, high-quality power supply range that feature dual layered, pulse width modulation-controlled fan, DC-to-DC conversion voltage regulator modules, modular cabling and has 80 plus certification.

Packaging

The Signature 650W comes in a stylish box, the packaging has indeed been carefully planned out and it is very nice to see that such a product is presented so neatly and with such care. The packaging here is an extension of the product inside, it oozes quality and commitment. It clearly distinguishes between other units on the market; most are just seated in a plain box with a graphic on the front. It’s nice to see Antec going that little bit extra to excite the customer before unveiling the glory inside.

I know for certain that the PSU will remain undamaged during transport because of the quality and strength of the packaging.

Inside the box is a user manual, detachable cables, and a signed off test report to ensure confidence and strengthen the customer confidence in the brand.

Features

Website: www.antec.com
Price: £129

Features

NVIDIA™ SLI™-ready certified
DC to DC Voltage Regulator Modules ensure supreme system stability
80 PLUS® Bronze Certified – 82% or more efficiency at 20%, 50%, and 100% load
80mm cooling fan uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) for whisper-quiet operation
Advanced hybrid cable management improves airflow and reduces clutter
Dual density PC board layout provides better airflow, reduces electrical noise, and allows heavier components
Highest quality Japanese fan and capacitors ensure long-term reliability
Industrial grade protection circuitry prevents damage resulting from short circuits (SCP), over voltages (OVP), over power (OPP), over temperature (OTP), and over current (OCP)
Universal Input and Active PFC allow the Signature 650 to operate efficiently on any power grid in the world
Safety: UL/CUL, TUV, CE, CB, CCC, FCC Class B, C-Tick
AQ5 – Antec Quality five-year parts and labor warranty
Unit dimensions: 3.4″ (H) x 5.9″ (W) x 7.1″ (D)
Package dimensions:
• 11.8″ (H) x 8.8″ (W) x 6.4″ (D)
• 29.98cm(H) x 22.35cm(W) x 16.26cm(D)
Weight:
• 5.82 lbs / 2.64 kg

One of the first things you will notice about the Signature 650W PSU is that it only has a single Nidec 80mm PWM fan. The idea behind this is to allow better tuning of fan speed whilst maintaining ultra low noise levels.

The voltage readings are on the side of the PSU, and report that the total current for the 12V rail will provide 53A. This of course depends on the differing factors such as load, and other rails in use at any given time and how much watts are being drawn for certain devices. The 12V has 3 separate rails which can combine to give the overall 43A. These rails have a limiter on them to keep the current surpassing the maximum value.



The 3.3V and 5V rails have the ability to deliver 24A for a combining power of up to 140W. For a total output of 634W for all rails.

The unit hosts two jacks for general peripherals and another jack for PCI-e devices (graphics). There are plenty of cables provided in the box so attach and it’s especially nice to see that the cables stretch out over a long distance to ensure even the furthest device has power.


The test system comprised of the following components:

Q6600 (overclocked to 3.5GHz)
Abit AB9 Pro
Powercolor HD 4870 512MB
2x1GB OCZ Platinum PC2-6400 DDR2
Antec 1200
Noctua NH-C12P
1x160GB Samsung Spinpoint HDD
7x case fans (6x 120mm 1x200mm)

The testing of the Signature PSU involved the investigation of the voltage stability using a Digital Multimetre. The voltages were observed whilst the system was completely idle and during a stress test with 3DMark06. This was done several times and the results were averaged out.




As you can see from the above graph. There was little to none discrepancy. The rails remained absolutely solid. You can be sure that this unit is extremely reliable and offers just what it says on the label.

As an additional test to discover the efficency of the unit I compared the Signature 650W against two other counter-parts. The Antec True Power Trio 550W and the OCZ Stealth XStream 600W. For this test I observed the idle and again 3DMark06 was run to obtain a full load on the system.

Verdict and Conclusion

One thing is for certain, the output of power from all voltages within this unit is excellent. You will struggle to see the Signature 650W dip beyond the rated value – even when fully loaded at 100%.

Not only this but the unit itself kept to the stated efficiency rating also. It is quite clear in my mind that this unit oozes quality. We have a premium PSU here.

Make no mistake if you want to endorse such quality inside your case and ensure that all of the valuable components you have in there are given the power they need then the Signature is a good choice. Afterall the power supply unit is the backbone of the system and It is vital that you invest in a unit that comes with such confidence.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Antec for providing this item.