[H]ard|OCP

Navigation

• [H] Forums
• Archives
• Search
• [H] Folding

Antec NeoPower 650 and NeoPower 650 Blue

Antec is one of the most recognizable names in the industry when it comes to power supplies and chassis. Today we have a look at two units that are now considered "mid-range" offerings. So what makes an Antec 650w Blue?

Introduction

One of the most prevalent names in the consumer power supply realm, and general enthusiast PC realm for that matter, for a number of years now is Antec. Antec is a company that has been kicking around the PC DIY market since 1986 and in that time frame has become one of the most widely known brand names. In addition to power supplies Antec has product lines that include cases for work and play, cooling solutions, lighting, and other accessories. Our interests today are its power supplies. Over the years Antec has used a number of OEM providers for their power supplies including HEC, CWT, FSP, Enhance, and recently Seasonic. Some of the older Antec/CWT solutions were notorious for being plagued by the “Fuhjiyyu sudden death syndrome” but in the last year or so Antec has dropped these older designs in favor of new products from FSP (Basiq), Seasonic (TP3, NeoHE, EarthWatts), and Enhance (Quattro). Today we will be looking at a pair of power supplies from Antec the NeoPower 650 and the NeoPower 650 Blue which are being built by long time Taiwan power supply manufacturer and seemingly golden child of the moment, Seasonic.

Sea Sonic Electronics Co Ltd (Seasonic) is one of the older companies producing consumer power supplies having been founded in 1975 and entering the PC power supply production market in 1980. During that more than 30 years as a company Seasonic has cultivated lines of power supplies that are today some of the standard bearers for efficiency and quiet computing. This focus, and their reputation for quality, has lead to a real explosion in production as Seasonic can be found providing OEM services on various model lines for Antec, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, and of course under their own Seasonic brand.

Blue on Black

We have seen a couple of times now where a power supply brand will position two products in very close proximity to one another in capacity but differentiate them based on various features. When this is the case sometimes these units are based on the same platform and other times these units come from vastly different OEM's which prove to be better at servicing various niche markets. So with Antec also positioning two products at the exact same capacity level in the NeoPower 650 and 650 Blue, both from Seasonic, how does Antec plan to differentiate these seemingly overlapping products?

NeoPower 650 Blue

Power your system with 650 Watts of high efficiency power. The NeoPower 650 Blue’s advanced modular cabling allows you to use only the cables you need while keeping your case free of clutter from the ones you don’t. It’s equipped with a super quiet 120mm fan that lights up your case with internal blue LED illumination while keeping it cool. The NeoPower 650 Blue delivers reliable output to your devices with three 12 volt rails, making for an extremely stable system. Don’t feed your power hungry system with anything less than NeoPower.

NeoPower 650

Set up your power supply your way, with NeoPower. The NeoPower features advanced cable management which allows you to customize the cables you use in your system reducing cable clutter and enhances the airflow throughout your computer. The result is a cooler quieter system, making NeoPower the premier choice for high-performance PC systems. NeoPower is available in a variety of models including 430W, 500W, 550W, 650W and 650W with blue internal illumination. Now you can set up your system the way you really want it.

Seemingly from Antec's marketing there is no real differentiation for these products beyond the Blue LED 120mm in the NeoPower Blue. Therefore we may be left with simple product duplication in their lineup, or are we? Moving on, let’s see what we have to look forward to when we purchase the Antec Neopower 650 Blue and NeoPower 650 power supplies in terms of documentation, accessories, cable count, rail layout, output characteristics, and general build quality.