Introduction

We would like to thank Antec for supplying the review sample.

A while ago, we provided you with a review of Antec’s fresh High Current Gamer 750 W unit. Now, it is high time for its bigger brother, the HCG-850M, to hit our test bench and confront our Chroma loads, which will definitely give it a really hard time. Almost all members of the High Current Gamer line, modular or not, are made by Seasonic. The only exceptions are Delta Electronics older HCG-750 and HCG-900 units. The first generation of HCG PSUs didn’t have modular cables, but Antec thankfully decided that modularity is the way to go, so they released a revamped HCG series with the "M" affix to highlight the modular cables these new units feature. Actually, two HCG-M units, the HCG-M 520 and HCG-M 620, have already been on the market for almost a year now. The three new HCG-M units have capacities of 400 W, 750 W, and 850 W.

With five members in total, the HCG-M line covers all popular market segments and most users, but we do expect Antec to release a higher capacity unit to complete the line in the future. Enough with the general talk, let’s focus on the HCG-850 W that will star in today’s review. This unit, like all of the line, is 80 Plus Bronze certified, only has two native cables, and is equipped with a full set of protection features. Also, it has two 16-pin sockets to make it future proof as both are compatible with any upcoming changes to connectors. It also features an LED fan, and all of its capacitors are provided by respectable manufacturers, giving them a long lifespan. All in all, the HCG-850 W has a set of interesting features and does, on top of that, use a reliable and already proven Seasonic platform, the M12II.