Antec 550W HE PSU User manual

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 1 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
Antec is one of the oldest & best known manufacturers
of high quality, stable power supplies. Antecs new range
is the Neo HE line. The Neo HE line consists in 4 models
(380w, 430w, 500w, 550w.) The range of power supplies
are designed as energy efficient. Hence the name 'HE'
meaning high efficiency.
Antec give a brief of what 'HE' actually means:
The new range of power supplies energy efficient
operation reduces power consumption by up to 20%
compared to other power supplies on the market today.
Resulting in less heat being generated by the power
supply, meaning a slower, smaller & quieter fan will be
needed to cool the power supply. The result of this is a
cooler, quieter, and more eco friendly power supply.

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 2 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
Today we are going to be reviewing the "Antec 550W
HE" power supply. This power unit supplies 550w of
power to a computer system. Antec guarantee that this
power unit will provide 550w, even when at the high
temperatures of 50c!
[Everything opened up, as you can see the 550W HE PSU, a power cable, the
manual and 4 screws.]

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 3 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
[The 550W HE Antec Power Unit with 3 un-modular cables.]
[Antec 550W Rail & Wattage Information.]

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 4 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
[Antec 550W Psu 80mm Adda Silent Exhaust Fan.]
[Antec 550W’s 5 modular cable connectors.]

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 5 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
Appearance:
The power supply is painted in a dark grey matt colour,
nothing fancy or flash. However with PSUs it’s the
insides that matter. The quality of brading on the cables
(both permanent and optional cables) is outstanding.
The cables are braided using high quality black sleeving
making the power unit appearance looking very high
quality, however i found that the heat shrink did not go
right to the end, which made about 5% of the cable near
the connector viewable. On the rear there is a 80mm
exhaust fan which is a ADDA branded, very high quality
fans which are extremely quiet and effective.

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 6 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
Permanent Cables:
There are three permanent cables on this modular power
supply. The EPS12v (8 pin), ATX Cable (20/24 pin), and
the 12V ATX (4 pin). The EPS12v cable should be used
when possible, if there is no connector on the
motherboard for this cable, the 4 pin 12v ATX cable
should be used. The ATX cable is not optional; it needs
to be plugged in! I found that the 24 pin ATX cable had
quite a neat idea on the connector. For systems that do
NOT use 24 pin, you can simply slide off the 'extra' 4
pins that are on the connector.
Modular Cables:
There are seven modular cables:
Molex Connectors *2, Floppy Connector *1, Pci Express
Connectors *2, SATA Cables *2.
In total there are 6 molex connections, 2 floppy
connections, 2 pci-express connectors, 4 SATA
connectors.
Stress Testing:
Tests were made to see how good this power supply
actually is. I used a multi-meter to record results, Idle
results are normal pc usage - internet browsing, and
standard background applications. Load was tested with
prime 95.
Results:
Idle: 3.3v: 3.31 / 5v: 4.99v / 12v: 12.00
Load:3.3v: 3.31 / 5v: 4.99v / 12v:11.96

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 7 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
Conclusion:
If you have been browsing tonnes and tonnes of reviews
on power units, this unit is more than capable of
supplying enough power to a monster system whilst
staying absolutely quiet. The noise from the unit is just
unbelievable! I have to put my ear right near the grill for
me to even hear the fan spinning, I even thought that it
had stopped working at one point! Antec have
successfully proved that you do not need high powered
fans/noisy power units for a power supply to be capable
of powering a beast of a system.
The only thing that I could pick out to be disappointed
with this power supply is the braiding. The actual
braiding quality itself is very high of quality, however
close to the connectors there had been a 'lack' of heat
shrink which revealed the cable slightly (about an inch
or two) which did disappoint me slightly as there are no
other faults with this unit.

Antec 550W HE PSU
[Page 8 – Ultimate PC Reviews]
This power supply currently retails for £88 at
Overclockers, which I think is an amazing price, given
for the quality of the unit. Not only is it amazingly stable,
but it is the quietest power unit I have ever used. (I have
been through a fair few). This power supply is definitely
recommended as it is not over-priced but still brings
amazing performance.
Pros:
- Silence.
- Efficient with low heat output.
- Amazing Voltage stability.
- Quality of the sleeving.
Cons:
-Not being fully sleeved at the end of each connector.
-Not being able to connect every modular cable if you
needed to.
ULTIMATEPC-REVIEWS
MORE REVIEWS AT:
WWW.ULTIMATEPC-REVIEWS.CO.UK