Packaging
The packaging of the Antec CP-850 was the economy plastic bag between two pieces of foam. Be mindful of the look of the shipping box when select one from the store shelf. Of course if you purchase the power supply from a web site, inspect the shipping box for any indication that the box was dropped on it edge etc. Drops from any significant height over a few feet could dislodge some soldered components. I don’t mean this warning to be for just this product but for all power supplies and like components.
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| The box was very form-fitted to the PSU, which didn’t leave too much padding to assist with any shock from being dropped. | Features listed on the box. |
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| Despite the very large in size the CP-850 is, the cables that come with the supply are numerous and very long. | The CP-850 is unboxed and shown here are the supply with the additional cables. |
Having cables that are removable (though not all cables) can be very desirable in a case where someone is trying to obtain a clean look. Also with less cables just laying about in the case, you cut down on the obstacles inside the case which would prevent better air circulation.
The CP-850 is designed for Antec’s new case line due to the size of CP-850, we did not have a new Antec case on hand to install it, so we tried to shoehorn the CP-850 into one of the cases we already had on hand which we discovered that the CP-850 did slide in under the standard motherboard, but we couldn’t mount the power supply to the case since none of the screw holes lined up.
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| The CP-850 just made it under the motherboard. | Though we were able to get the cp-850 into our stock case (none Antec), we were not able to use the mount screws b/c they did not line up with the case. |
After further examining this power supply, we decided that the excellent build quality, amazing performance, and silent operation were not easy to come by. We then got an Antec P193, just to see exactly how this PSU fit into the mix. After installation we saw this PSU really shine.
| Antec P193 paired up with CP-850 | Close up of PSU installed in the Antec P193 |
The P193 is really a case that was built with pride. When most people think of nice cases, they think Lian Li, some may even think Thermaltake and Silverstone. Well now you can add Antec to the top of that list. We can really see why they would design a power supply that was “case exclusive” so to speak. If you’re in the market for a really nice case and PSU combo, this set is something that you should really take into consideration.
