Legit Power Supply Reviews
Antec EarthWatts EA-650 Platinum 650W Power Supply Review
| Manufacturer: | Antec Inc. |
| Product: | Antec EarthWatts EA-650 Platinum |
| Date: | Wed, Aug 15, 2012 - 12:00 AM |
| Written By: | Emmanouil Filladitakis - |
| Share: |
Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W PSU Conclusion
Simplicity is one of Antec's base philosophies and the Earthwatts Platinum unit reflects that philosophy to the maximum possible extend. Although the company engineered the power supply in order to be capable of delivering great performance, they only performed minimal aesthetic enhancements to barely differentiate this unit from OEM devices. This approach does keep the cost down and gives the majority of users what they really want; high performance without bells and whistles. In order to achieve that low retail price however, Antec literally stripped the unit down to the bare essentials. There are no aesthetic or functional enhancements of any kind and every cable is hardwired onto the unit. While that is not something necessarily bad for many users, those who want to buy a premium power supply and expect the convenience of a modular unit and/or extensive aesthetic enhancements might end up disappointed.
Antec heavily focuses their marketing on the fact that this unit achieved an 80Plus Platinum efficiency certification, with little focus on its electrical performance and protection features; however, we honestly we do not believe that this certification is what makes the Earthwatts Platinum unit special all by itself. Virtually every company could design and market a very efficient, high performance power supply; however, cost is a major issue and with the Earthwatts Platinum retailing for just $98.88 shipped, which is an particularly reasonable price considering the technological level and overall performance of this product. The competition does have something to worry about! It is clear that a great number of enthusiasts would be enchanted by the great value of this power supply, which should be one of the best deals for a sub-$100 unit at this point of time.
When it comes to performance, besides its high electrical efficiency which is expect from an 80Plus Platinum unit. The Earthwatts Platinum 650W PSU also excels in acoustics, with the unit running entirely silent across the entire nominal load range. The high efficiency also allows it to operate at fairly low temperatures as little energy is wasted as heat. Even though most hardcore enthusiasts would find this unit's electrical performance mediocre, we believe that the ripple suppression and voltage regulation of the Earthwatts Platinum 650W unit is more than acceptable for a sub-$100 product.
Legit Bottom Line: The Antec Earthwatts Platinum 650W unit is recommended for gamers, enthusiasts and professionals who want excellent performance and outstanding efficiency but do not care about modular cables and fancy designs.
Questions or Comments? View this thread in our forums!
Return to Power Supply Home or Return Home
| Review Index |
|
Page 1 - Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W PSU
Page 2 - Unboxing the power supply Page 3 - External Design Page 4 - A look inside Page 5 - Test Setup Page 6 - Testing results (Regulation & Ripple) Page 7 - Testing results (Efficiency, Noise & Thermal) Page 8 - Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W PSU Conclusion |
Socialize