Specifications

The HCP-850 is not only Platinum certified as it can also operate at up to 50°C ambient, which is in accordance with the ATX spec. Based on a modern platform that utilizes DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails, it is also fully modular and Haswell ready. It even packs a full set of protections. Antec actually mentions some protections other companies/OEMs neglect to mention, although still present (e.g. Surge & Inrush Protection, No Load operation, etc.).

The cooling fan uses ball-bearings and is of high quality because it is a Delta fan, which the company also has a long tradition in manufacturing. Contrary to the current trend, this unit doesn't feature a semi-passive mode. The fan rotates at low speeds at light loads instead. With a length of 19 cm, the HCP-850's dimensions are longer than usual, but every normal ATX case should accommodate it without any problems. At seven years, its warranty is incredibly long, and its price is quite high, which is the norm for a high-end Delta implementation.

Antec doesn't like single-rail PSUs, which has the HCP-850 utilize four strong +12V rails instead. With up to 130 W combined, the minor rails are quite strong, and the 5VSB rail is a little stronger than is the norm for today's PSUs.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The HCP-850 comes with a large number of connectors, including two EPS and six PCIe cables, and all are available at the same time. It also has nine SATA and six Peripheral connectors, which is enough to power a large number of devices. Cables are generally long enough, but we would like the main ATX cable to be close to 60 cm long. The distance amongst connectors is fine and all connectors use 18AWG gauges, which is as the ATX spec recommended.


Like all other HCP units, this unit's power distribution is also highly versatile to cover every possible system configuration. The 12V1 rail feeds all peripheral cables and the main ATX connector, and it can also power one PCIe or one EPS connector. You can even opt to connect its 8-pin ATX connector to 12V2 instead of 12V1 since the ATX cable comes with a 20-/8-pin configuration, but we don't see any practical reason to do so, so you had better stick to the 12V1 rail instead. You had also better avoid mixing PCIe and EPS connectors as those connectors should be fed by dedicated rails.