Antec HCG1000 Pro Platinum 1000W PSU Review

The Antec HCG1000 Pro Platinum is a quality power supply that performed well in our testing. It is the newest revision of the Vertex PX range from Seasonic, which the company has yet to release themselves at the time of writing this review.

Technically, this HCG delivers great results across load regulation tests … around 1%. As we would expect from a Seasonic unit, it is very well built and the individual sleeved cables are high quality. The fluid dynamic bearing fan ensures that noise levels are minimised throughout the power delivery, and until 700 watts were demanded in our specific environment, the fan was running at very low speeds. Being a fully modular unit also means it will suit a lot of system builders in a variety of cases – no need to hook up cables you don't need.

Ripple suppression showed good results from the +12V rail, although the minor rails registered a little higher than some units we have tested in the last couple of years. Nothing of concern and well within industry rated parameters, just something to point out.

Build quality is excellent, and the HCG adopts high grade 105C-rated Japanese capacitors throughout. Primary stage capacitors in our test sample were from Nippon Chemi Con but like some other designs, sometimes this will vary depending on stock between Nichicon and Rubycon. All very highly regarded Japanese suppliers.

The interesting point to discuss about this new Antec power supply is that only Antec have the ATX 3.1 version of this supply on sale. Right now I am unsure if Seasonic have any of the ATX 3.1 supplies currently on the market. They told me that they plan to roll out the new version in the coming weeks and include ‘a note put regarding 12VHPWR or 12V-2×6 cables as both will coexist on the market while the latest version take over.' If you look at their webpage HERE it says ‘Update July 2024: The Seasonic VERTEX Series power supplies were initially shipped with 12VHPWR cables. As soon as the ATX standard was updated, we have begun replacing these with the new 12V-2×6 connectors. During this transition period, customers may receive either 12VHPWR or 12V-2×6 cables in the box. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.'

I don't normally delve into all this in a normal PSU review, but there is clearly some confusion around the Vertex PX brand right now, so I wanted to try and clear it up. One final point to make is we did notice that the Antec HCG warranty is 10 years (HERE), while Seasonic's appears to be 12 years (HERE). This may be important to you, so worth pointing out.

Right now Scan is offering the HCG1000 Pro Platinum on offer at £178.99 HERE. The ATX 3.0 (we think) version of this unit is £50 more expensive from Seasonic at £229.99 on Scan (HERE). If you don't mind the 2 year reduced warranty terms, this Antec HCG1000 Pro Platinum unit is a heck of a deal and one I wouldn't miss myself.

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Pros:

• Runs cool.
• £50 cheaper right now than Vertex PX 1000 unit.
• Very quiet.
• 105C-rated Japanese caps throughout.
• 10 year warranty.
• ATX 3.1 version.
• FDB fan is quality.
• Quality cables.
• Fully modular.
• Excellent build quality.
• Tight load regulation.

Cons:

• Secondary ripple suppression is not class leading.
• Seasonic Vertex PX has a 12 year warranty.

KitGuru says: The Antec HCG1000 Pro Platinum is a quiet, fully modular ATX 3.1 power supply currently available at a highly competitive £180 price point from Scan in the UK. Technically it is an incredibly capable unit which performs to a very high level. Build quality is top drawer and it comes highly recommended.

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