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Antec launches CPX PSU form factor

by on13 February 2009

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A new take on PSU design

The humble PC power supply rarely get any major overhauls, although lately they've become more efficient, the ATX standard is now 14 years old and nothing has changed in terms of the PSU form factor. However, it seems like Antec is ready for change, as the company has announced its new CPX power supply form factor.

The CPX form factor is a bold move by Antec, especially as it's limited to only fitting in a small range of Antec cases which consists of the gaming and performance one series of products. The first product will be the CP-850, which as the name suggests is an 850W unit. The CPX form factor is quite different from your average power supply, as it's both wider and taller. Although no actual measurements were mentioned in the press release, the CP-850 has a rear mounted 120mm PWM fan, which means that the CP-850 is 120mm tall, that's 34mm taller than a standard ATX power supply.

Width wise you're look at 160-170mm, which is 20-30mm wider than your average ATX power supply. Antec claims that the CPX form factor brings "improved airflow and quieter operation" and although the design seems to suggest so, we'll have to wait for some reviews to appear before any judgement can be made. However, with a "better circuit board layout, more room between components for airflow, and a straight-through air path" it seems like the CPX form factor has been designed from the ground up by Antec and discarded all the flaws in the ATX design.

The CP-850 is semi-modular and has two 8-in and two 6-pin PCI Express connectors, as well as nine SATA connectors. There's no mention of Molex or floppy style connectors in the press release. The CP-850 uses a quad 12V rail design, but as there are no detailed specifications at the moment, we'll have to wait and see how Antec has designed the rails for each of the outputs.

The CP-850 should retail for US$149.99 (€116/£104), which isn't exactly cheap for an 850W unit, but we presume the prices will drop one Antec has regained some of the R&D costs. It comes with a five year warranty which should at least protect your investment for a while.

You can find the press release here

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Last modified on 13 February 2009
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