Antec HCG 520W: A Good PSU for Bargain Hunters
by Martin Kaffei on May 31, 2011 6:55 PM ESTCables and Connectors
The cable sleeving for most strands is made from a very cheap material; however, even cheap sleeving is better than nothing. You can see the yellow cables up top that support the CPU and graphics cards. They are very long for a PSU in this price range, which is useful for cases with bottom-mounted PSUs. Even if this PSU has no modular cables, the extra length means you can better route the cables to keep your PC looking tidy. There are also fewer cables with the 520W PSU compared to the 750W version, so it should be easier to tuck any unneeded cables out of sight.
| Cables and Connectors | ||
| Fixed | Main | 24-pin 55cm |
| ATX12V/EPS12V | 4+4-pin 60cm | |
| PCIe | 2x 6/8-pin 50 +15 cm | |
| Peripheral | 3x SATA 55-85cm / 3x SATA 55-85cm | |
| 3x Molex 55-85cm / 3x Molex, 1x FDD 55-100cm | ||
Seasonic is the master of long cables and it seems to continue here since they are the ODM for this PSU. These aren't the longest cables we have ever seen but the length is nice for an affordable 520W PSU like this one. Keep in mind that the cost of a few extra cables and connectors can quickly add up, so every connector more than the competition brings added value. The HCG-520 provides six SATA and Molex connectors, along with one FDD plug. The only complaint we have is that both PCIe connectors share one cable with a common wire cross-section. We wouldn't recommend such a setup for the highest power GPUs, though of course both AMD and NVIDIA recommend more powerful PSUs for products like the HD 6970, HD 6990, GTX 580, and GTX 590.
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radium69 - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - link
Great review,Glad to see Antec doing well in the power supply business especially the "Gamer" series.
Also for $60 you can't really go wrong with it. And its efficiency on 230V is simply remarkable at lower loads.
Only problem is that we get ripped off here in the Netherlands...
The model currently costs at it cheapest! 72 euro = $103
I remember I bought my 750W OCZ GameXtream (HQ components, great power supply) for 90 euro. That was like 4 years ago...
European markets suck...
dingetje - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I am (a dutchie) in Taiwan and Antec hcg 520 costs here just over 2900 TWD which around 72 Euro (calculated with XE currenc converter).So this is the current streetprice here in Taipei. (I could probably haggle a few euro's off but no more than 5, and probably only even half of that.)
Weird how those prices are the same.
By the way, I have always wondered why hardware prices in the USA are so much lower compared to Taiwan streetprices, considering most of the stuff is fabricated here in China and Taiwan.
weird...
groeten uit Taiwan :)
Nataku - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
I didn't think you could get anything Antec in Taiwan? either that or the store I went to 3 years ago just decided to give me the finger lolI'm not sure if this is the reason, but may be tax hasn't been included in the US version?
laserwing6 - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Well, they make the stuff in China, then send it back to US where they distribute it...not very smart if they ask me...or at least thats what most companies do :Pdingetje - Thursday, June 2, 2011 - link
Right, i guess it doesn't make sense for an american company to do that.The weird thing is that if i compare (street)prices between usa and taiwan of almost any hardware brand, the prices are 10 to 15 percent lower in the usa (so even for taiwan based companies).
I guess it has something to with tax or middle-men or both.
radium69 - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - link
Scuse me, that should read 700W :)Quizzical - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - link
Is this, by any chance, a rebranded Seasonic S12II?Folterknecht - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
Look at last Page:"Pricing ends up being the big selling point here, especially when we consider the original Seasonic version cost $20 more."
JasonInofuentes - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - link
Glad I picked this up when I thought my PSU had blown. Sad that it turned out to be my mobo. :( Ahh well.SlyNine - Wednesday, June 1, 2011 - link
So I found this site talking about PSU reviews, Worth a good read and also shows why Anandtech is one of the best PSU reviews out there!, So keep up the good work Anandtech!http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Why-99-Perc...