Test Setup

All measurements were performed using two Chroma 6314A mainframes equipped with the following electronic loads: six 63123A [350 W each], one 63102A [100 W x2], and one 63101A [200 W]. The aforementioned equipment is able to deliver 2500 W of load, and all loads are controlled by a custom-made software. We also used a Rigol DS2072A oscilloscope kindly sponsored by Batronix, a Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a Picotech TC-08 thermocouple data logger, two Fluke multimeters (models 289 and 175), and a Yokogawa WT210 power meter. We also included a wooden box, which, along with some heating elements, was used as a hot box. Finally, we had at our disposal three more oscilloscopes (Rigol VS5042, Stingray DS1M12, and a second Picoscope 3424), and a CEM DT-8852 sound level meter. In this article, you will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow. Finally, we conduct all of our tests at 40°C-45°C ambient to simulate the environment seen inside a typical system with a higher accuracy, with 40°C-45°C being derived from a standard ambient assumption of 23°C and 17°C-22°C being added for the typical temperature rise within a system.

Primary Rails Voltage Regulation

The following charts show the voltage values of the main rails, recorded over a range from 60 W to the maximum specified load, and the deviation (in percent) for the same load range.

5VSB Regulation

The following chart shows how the 5VSB rail deals with the load we throw at it.

Hold-up Time

Hold-up time is a very important PSU characteristic and represents the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, a PSU can maintain output regulations as defined by the ATX spec without input power. It is, in other words, the amount of time the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption. The ATX specification sets the minimum hold-up time to 16 ms with the maximum continuous output load. In the following screenshot, the blue line is the mains signal and the yellow line is the "Power Good" signal. The latter is de-asserted to a low state when any of the +12V, 5V, or 3.3V output voltages fall below the undervoltage threshold, or after the mains power has been removed for a sufficiently long time to guarantee that the PSU cannot operate anymore.



Hold-up time didn't reach 16 ms, despite the huge bulk Rubycon caps. It thankfully didn't fall very short since it exceeded 13 ms, but the ATX spec is still strict on this matter and insists on at least 16 ms, so we will mark this test down as a fail.

Inrush Current

Inrush current or switch-on surge refers to the maximum, instantaneous input-current drawn by an electrical device when first turned on. Because of the charging current of the APFC capacitor(s), PSUs produce large inrush-current right as they are turned on. Large inrush current can cause the tripping of circuit breakers and fuses and may also damage switches, relays, and bridge rectifiers; as a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.



As we expected, the HCP-1300 registered very high inrush current, which, however, is still below 50 A, a safe value for even sensitive circuit breakers and fuses. Keeping the inrush current below 40 A is not easy with such large bulk caps.

Voltage Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests revealed the stability of the voltage rails and the efficiency of the HCP-1300. The applied load was equal to (approximately) 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80%, 100%, and 110% of the maximum load the PSU can handle.

We conducted two additional tests. In the first test, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load while the load at +12V was only 0.10 A. This test reveals whether the PSU is Haswell ready or not. In the second test, we dialed the maximum load the +12V rail could handle while the load on the minor rails was minimal.

Voltage regulation was, with the exception of the insignificant 5VSB rail, top notch. Although the +12V rail didn't match the Corsair AX1200i's incredibly low deviation, the performance of the minor rails once more proves why Delta is probably considered the best PSU manufacturer. The unit's fan was also quiet at up to 50% load since the fan control circuit only had the fan spin up to significant speeds to dissipate the thermal load afterward, which increased output noise to annoyingly high levels. Efficiency wise, the HCP-1300 performed amazingly well, easily exceeding 93% with typical loads, although we weren't able to verify Antec's claims to 94% efficiency with even 230 VAC input, where efficiency at normal loads is higher than with 115 VAC.

During our overload test, the PSU delivered almost 110 A of current with the operational temperature exceeding 45°C, which you don't see every day. Keep in mind that this unit will be called upon to power an incredibly powerful mining ring, which will have ambient temperatures inside even an open case easily reach or exceed 40°C because of the heat the VGAs will produce.