INTRODUCTION

   Although most consumers are looking to purchase a brand new power supply unit for a new system build there are always those who just want to "revive" their old ones and as expected are looking to get their hands on low-cost models. Now there's always been an abundance of low-cost OEM PSU models in the market aimed towards people on very tight budgets but since lately we've seen quite a few affordable models (alas not as affordable) by some of the top PSU manufacturers there's really no reason for anyone to even think about getting something like that. Antec just recently updated their High Current Gamer line of power supply units with some very capable models but it seems that was just phase one of their plans since next was their value line and today with us we have the VP700P PLUS 700W model.

   Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators. Antec’s offering of enclosures includes a wide range of cases, such as its advanced Performance One Series, economical New Solution Series and VERIS family of media components designed for the home theater PC market. Antec’s products also include front line power supplies, such as its premium Signature Series, powerful TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, one of the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are designed for the gaming demographic, like the premier gamer enclosure: the Nine Hundred. Antec also offers a line of computer accessories comprising many original products, including its patented LED fans and notebook cooling solutions. Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and Taiwan. The company’s products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world.

   The brand new VP700P PLUS power supply unit by Antec is a non-modular model (power cables are all hardwired into the unit) which can deliver up to 794W (peak - 700W continuous), sports an 80 Plus certification (up to 85% electrical efficiency) and features a single high-current +12V rail rated at 54A (can deliver up to 648W), silent 120mm fan (RPM is controlled by a thermal manager), high quality main Japanese capacitors, Active PFC and a full suite of electrical protections (CircuitShield) including under voltage protection (UVP), over voltage protection (OVP), short circuit protection (SCP), over power protection (OPP) and no-load operation (NLO). Last but certainly not least Antec covers the VP700P PLUS with a 3 year limited warranty (AQ3).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is located at the front of the box right next to its power output.

Both the electrical specifications and all of the available connectors are listed on the left side.

The product features are printed at the rear of the box in 8 languages.

Antec has placed the main unit inside a bubble wrap so it's sufficiently protected.

Along with the VP700P PLUS and its power cord you will also get 4 mounting screws, warranty information paper and a quick overview paper.

THE VP700P PLUS EXTERIOR

As mentioned in the introduction page the VP700P PLUS has all of its power cables hardwired into the chassis (for a 700W unit that's not a major issue however).

A 120mm fan is used to cool the interior components of the VP700P PLUS.

The product name is printed on both sides of the enclosure.

Once again at the top of the unit we find a sticker with its electrical table printed on it.

Although the mainboard power cable is sleeved the others are not.

Most of the rear is perforated and here we also see the power on/off button and the power port.

THE VP700P PLUS INTERIOR

From what we can tell about the 120mm fan (manufactured by Power Year Electronic Technology) it can reach speeds of up to 2000RPM to produce up to 74.32CFM airflow with just 31dBA of noise.

The interior layout is quite clean and features two silver heatsinks which divide it into three areas (the OEM seems to be Seasonic).

In our sample both primary and secondary capacitors are manufactured by TEAPO (all are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

   Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   When Antec reached out to us and asked if we’d like to test their new Value Power VP700P Plus 700W PSU we knew that it wouldn’t be able to match their HGC models something which is clear from our charts. Of course you can’t expect an entry-level model to match mid and high end models so I can’t say that we were disappointed or surprised by the results (worth pointing out is that in order to not push the unit to its limits and then some instead of using our second configuration which would require over 700W of power we used our primary one which required just over 600W for our tests). Rail stability is good for an entry level model (although again far from the HCG models by Antec) and noise levels are less than what we were expecting (still if you were to push the PSU to 650-700W noise levels would increase) and as for build quality it’s certainly many levels higher compared to what you’d get from a cheap OEM unit.

   So just how much are you required to send to get your hands on the VP700P PLUS by Antec? Unfortunately since the VP700P Plus was just launched we were unable to locate it on any of the large retailers but judging by its predecessor it should land in the USD60-70/60-70euros price range (since its not written in stone however we’ll update this review when it becomes available). Overall the VP700P Plus although certainly nothing special is still worth your attention if you’re looking for an affordable PSU with good power output (700W continuous), strong single rail, plenty of electrical protections and a 3 year warranty.

PROS

- Build Quality (Japanese Capacitors)
- 80 Plus Certified
- CircuitShield Electrical Protections
- Peak Output (794W) 
- 3 Year Warranty
- Price (?)

CONS

- Not Modular
- General Rail Stability
- Current Availability