A few years ago, manufacturers were shipping out 1000 watt power supplies like hot cakes. That’s because, a lot of regular folks thought it would improve their computer even though they had no real use for that kind of power. With the help of resourceful testers and engineers, users began to realize there was far more benefit from using true rated power supplies offering better efficiency than the cheaply made higher wattage nuclear power plants.
With the establishment of the Extraordinary League of 80Plus, new efficiency standards have motivated many a manufacturer like Antec to continue designing and producing better power supplies. With the release of their CP, Signature, and TruePower series, they’ve offered 80Plus PSUs for every kind of user. They’ve got something for the professional right down to the guy who’s pressing the confirmation button for some extremely power hungry nVidia GTX480 video cards. Finally, we have a bitter sweet real need for the Antec TruePower Quattro 1200 Watt power supply!
Features and Specifications
Like most power supplies in this market segment, the Quattro TPQ-1200 is a beast. It’s a fully loaded and heavy PSU engineered to provide a solid, reliable 1200 watts continuously to any computer that needs it. Typically, this kind of PSU is built to provide more than that. Just how much, we’ll find out in testing.
As you no doubt already guessed from the intro, this is a full on 80Plus Silver Certified power supply. What this means is it must be able to maintain an 85% efficiency power to watt ratio at 20, 50, and 100% load in order to gain this certification. It also means, you’ll be wasting a lot less energy over the next year which is a very good way to stick it to the energy corporations.
Like any ATX power supply, there are +3.3V, +5V, +5VSB, and -12V power rails. However, the TPQ-1200 offers a total of six +12V power rails offering 38 Amps each! Ripple/Noise is one thing that can effect the current traveling down each rail. For this reason, PowerCache 2200uf capacitors have been used in line on every modular and hard wired cable attached to the power supply to ensure a steady stream of power. This also includes the main 24-pin power connector.
Package Contents
Like an over zealous TSA agent, the box’s contents were inspected while ever so carefully while placing the items on the work top. Other than a very thin leaflet manual with the product notes, there is the power supply itself, bag with four mounting screws and a plastic bag containing all the extra modular cables one might need if the hardwired cabling isn’t enough.
Though a fancier Velcro type bag is a nice touch, I wouldn’t mind seeing a reusable, zip-lock style bag (red in color?) for storing the extra cables. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to stamp TPQ-1200 on the side should you toss the box later. We also wouldn’t mind seeing some handy (and very cheap) Velcro straps to spruce up the bundle. We love those handy straps!
TruePower Quattro 1200 Style
Thank goodness, the red box does not indicate the unit’s color. Rest assured, it follows the rest of the TPQ series sporting a long jet black chassis and twin racing stripes. In the case of this power supply, the number “1200” is emblazoned on the top and bottom. This is reminiscent of classic sports cars like the Shelby GT that once ruled zero to sixty. The unit offers both hardwired and modular style cabling. Hardwired to the unit, you’ll find a 24-pin, 8-pin auxiliary, split 8-pin auxiliary, two 8-pin PCI Express, three SATA, three standard 4-pin, and floppy 4-pin cables. This is the perfect amount of cables needed for the typical enthusiast system running dual video cards.
In the modular bundle, there are extra cables for eight SATA, six 4-pin with Floppy, and two more 8-pin with 6-pin combo cables. With all the hardwired cabling in place, chances are that you won’t even need the modular cables, but they’re here if you need them. Now, if we only had something to put them in…
Speaking of cabling, you can see the in-line PowerCache capacitors attached towards the end of each of the cables. The PowerCache caps make it so there’s at least an inch or so unbraided just before the connector. Now that we understand why, it’s not a big deal. We doubt anyone will notice much considering the grade of PC that will be using this PSU.
Overall, the cable wiring feels pretty stout and stiff. The connectors make a solid, immovable connection as well. We definitely didn’t notice any slack indicating the possibility of wiggling out of place. This is important especially when it comes to power hungry components that rely on the connection.
Checking Out the TPQ-1200 Engine
Some folks say that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. That’s true in a sense because they all have a similarly engineered designs using many of the same components. However, we have the heart of a Ferrari hiding underneath the hood of the TPQ-1200!
First off, there are large Nippon and smaller Sanyo capacitors used every where. The two main largest are Nippon 420V 330uF capacitors which are the power supplies main life line. At the heart of the unit are several good quality switching transistors connected to some serious black heat sinks. Even the two small controller boards are quality made which makes me feel even more confident about this unit.
As for the circuit boards, the solder joints are top notch at every connection on every PCB. There’s plenty of extra soldering throughout, especially in the areas where larger power components are used. Though this may seem trivial, it ensures there is no room for error during operation.
With the help of some handy engineers, we were able to find out that the in-line PowerCache capacitors at the end of each cable are also Nippon. These are well known for being extremely reliable and of good quality. They’re also more expensive than other capacitors.
No doubt, you noticed that there is a single, puny 80mm cooling fan inside the chassis. Why you ask? Higher efficiency power supplies waste less wattage causing less heat, thus there’s no real need for extreme cooling. As long as it’s a high efficiency unit, a meager 50 cubic feet of air should do the trick. The problem will be noise especially if this is in an uncommonly hot room and the fan needs to kick into high gear. However, as long as the unit is installed in a decent computer case with decent air flow and the room is of a comfortable temperature, the fan should be just fine.
Testing 1200 Watts
Two main tests were performed on the PSU. First, it was used in a rather non typical system built for nothing more than guzzling power just to make a dent in the unit. The goal is to push the PSU upwards of 75% if possible so we can check voltage levels and fluctuations so you know what to expect with typical power hungry systems.
Here’s the test system break down:
- Intel Core i7 980X Gulftown “Hex-Core” Processor
- GIGABYTE X58A-UD5 ATX Motherboard
- Patriot Memory 2000MHz 6GB ViperII DDR3
- Dual ZOTAC Geforce GTX295 Videocards
- Kingston HyperX 128GB SSDNow V+ (Rev 2)
- Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB Hard Drive
- Western Digital Black 2TB Hard Drive
- Four Seagate Barracuda 500GB Hard Drives
Second, the PSU was connected to a scope and voltage tester designed to measure each rail’s perspective voltages. With this hardware, the PSU can also be pushed to its maximum load whereas the test system cannot. It’ll also push it past specs to see if the circuit protection does its job and shuts down properly.
Going 0 to 1200 Watts in 5 seconds!
Using my trusty volt meter, a manual voltage measurement was recorded from the power supply while connected to our power hungry test system. Voltages were well above spec and there was little voltage fluctuation while at 75% load. Also, the 80mm cooling fan wasn’t audible at all. Obviously, it’s not enough to make the TPQ-1200 break a sweat.
Next, we used the equipment to push the PSU all the way up to 100% load. Again, we recorded voltages and were able to monitor the rails for sloppy power output. Here’s what the PSU finally gave us.
In typical performance level power supplies, we see .04 to .09 volt fluctuations. Large fluctuations, usually caused by bad switching and/or weak capacitors, can adversely effect component lifespan. The unit here didn’t quite hit .04 which is really great. Fluctuations and “ripple” noise were extremely minimal overall placing the Antec TPQ-1200 in a very small list of exemplary power supplies.
Our unit was about 87% efficient at 1200 watts and even a bit higher proving that this is truly is an 80Plus Silver power supply. The only time we heard the 80mm cooling fan was when the room temperature was above 32 C which is roughly 90 degrees Fahrenheit. From a regular user’s perspective, you’re probably never going to hear the fan unless your computer case is sitting next to a powerful heater.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, what all of this testing means is that you’re not going to ever have a problem with power if you have this power supply in it. The ANTEC Quattro TPQ-1200 is for extreme gaming or power administrator systems running multiple cores or multiple video cards. Based on its size and performance, it’s not meant for smaller mid-sized towers and computer systems requiring less than 300 watts. Sure you could run it, but mother nature would hate you. If you need less, we strongly recommend one of the smaller units that ANTEC makes. All of which are built upon the same pedigree. Otherwise, you won’t be disappointed at all.
There are very few power supplies that can, or have achieved similar results while maintaining their certified efficiency rating. The Antec TPQ-1200 takes a highly coveted place amongst the best of performance level power supplies ever tested. If the rest of the Quattro series is created equal, we would expect the TPQ-850 and TPQ-1000 to be equally impressive. Now, we just need a couple ATI HD5970s or GTX480s to make this a truly indispensable upgrade.
The Antec Quattro TPQ-1200 will run you in the neighbourhood of $279US which isn’t cheap by any means. It is one of few things you can buy for a high performance system that is worth every dollar and compared with other competitors in the 80plus SILVER range it is quite reasonable. This mix of high performance with a a favourable price earns it our Editors Choice Award.
Pros
- Exemplary performance
- Exceeds specifications
- Quality made components and design
- Sporty painted chassis
- True 80Plus Silver Certified
- NVidia GTX480 ready!
Cons
- It’s a huge beast
- Heavy weight PSU
- Not friendly with smaller computer cases
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
Love This Review? Hate This Review? Tell us in the Forums!
Antec Quattro TPQ-1200 Modular 1200W ATX Power Supply Photo Gallery
