CONCLUSION

   When Antec first announced the HCG1000 Extreme last year we were surprised to see that they chose to go with a rose gold and black enclosure and till this day that hasn’t changed. Sure, that color combination does make the HCG1000 Extreme look somewhat unique but rose gold and gaming rigs don’t really mix well (for female gamers however yes this could be an eye catcher). Color combination aside however the HCG1000 Extreme gets near excellent scores both in rail stability and noise levels two aspects which are very important. On top of that add the single powerful rail, hybrid mode, fully modular design, server-grade topology, array of electrical protections and the 10-year limited warranty and the HCG1000 Extreme is a solid PSU. Unfortunately for a flagship model we did expect it to be 80 Plus Platinum certified but Gold is not bad either (besides the electrical efficiency is far from the most important feature of any PSU).

   With a current price tag set at USD175.07 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 198Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the High Current Gamer 1000W Extreme (HCG1000 Extreme) by Antec retails just a tad higher than what we were expecting. That being said unlike most 1KW units out in the market the HCG1000 Extreme focuses a lot on quality and for some people what will probably be worth it. Overall thanks to its power output, rail stability, server-grade topology and components and low noise levels the HCG1000 Extreme is without doubt one of Antec’s best models to date and for that it certainly deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Rock Solid Rail Stability
- Fully Modular Design (Future Proof)
- Size
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- CircuitShield Electrical Protections (OVP/OCP/UVP/SCP/OPP/OTP/SIP/NLO)
- Peak Output (1139W)
- 10 Year Warranty
- Zero RPM Feature
- Noise Levels

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Color Combination (For Some)