Layout, Design and Features …
Let’s take look at the optical details and features after all the technical data. The black metal case of the Antec HCG Gold ATX 12V 2.4 power supply is cleanly processed and makes a high-quality impression.
Here you can see an side view of the fully modular HCG 750W power supply without the usual cable.
The 120mm temperature-controlled fan is mounted on the underside, which sucks the air flow into the power supply unit and then transports the heated air flow out of the power supply unit via the ventilation holes. The fan is very quiet, so that it is hardly noticeable in the PC. If this is still too loud, you will read another good news in a moment.
Thanks to the effective cooling by the 120mm fan, no additional fan is required on the rear of the power supply unit. Here you can see a picture of the back of the power supply, where you can see the power switch and the socket for the 100 to 240 volt power supply cable. But there’s a button?!
Exactly, the Antec Hybrid Mode button allows the user to decide whether the fan should run continuously or in Zero RPM mode! The fan is not switched on automatically until it’s needed. In the further course of the test we also show thermal images of how the temperature structure of the actively and passively cooled power supply differs. So much so, even with high overclocking and a total load of 311 watts, the fan remained switched off in hybrid mode. We already know this function from another power supply, which is also from Seasonic, namely from the recently tested Seasonic XP760W power supply.
As already mentioned, the Antec HCG 750W Gold power supply is fully modular. This means that all cables can be individually adapted to the PC. In contrast to a non-modular power supply, the air circulation within the PC housing can be improved; this protects the hardware by reducing heating and thus contributes to a longer service life of the components. The cable selection offers ATX, PCIE, CPU, SATA, Molex, connectors and a floppy connection adapter.
Here is the Antec HCG 750W Gold power supply again.
As with many power supplies, the middle SATA connectors are not optimally designed, as the rear cap can come loose, which could expose the contacts on the rear of the connector. The SATA plug at the end of the cable, on the other hand, is faultless.
The workmanship of the other connectors is excellent and even mostly sleeved, as you can see here on the 24pin cable.
The plugs of the 610mm long 24-pin ATX V2.4 power supply cable are exemplary constructed and can be converted to a 20-pin plug as with most other power supplies. Often, however, the 4-pin plug must be held to the 20-pin plug. With the Antec HCG Gold power supply this has been solved better by folding the 4-pin plug in or out.
Here you can see a view inside of the power supply.
The workmanship of the solder joints and the power supply unit construction make a very good impression and also offers enough space for sufficient air circulation.
The high-quality 105°C capacitors used achieve a higher durability than conventional 85°C electrolytic capacitors and thus increase the durability of the power supply. There are also power supplies from Seasonic and other manufacturers with two bulk capacitors and more energy-efficient MOSFETs, but overall we like the design in this price range very much.
Antec HCG 750W Gold PSU practical test …