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Broken In
Introduction
Antec Inc., founded in 1986 and headquartered in California, are one of the leading producers of high-performance computer components for the PC builder and enthusiast. Antec offers a wide range of products including enclosures, power supplies, cooling solutions and computer accessories. Antec’s Basiq PSU series, which consists of entry-level units intended for office or basic systems use, has expanded with the addition of Bp series power supplies.
Today we will have the chance to rigorously test an Antec BP 300P. Briefly, this PSU has 300W capacity, is equipped with a 120mm fan which promises silent operation, has two +12V rails and is protected by all necessary protections to ensure your peace of mind. Speaking of peace of mind, the warranty which Antec offers for all BP units is two years. It will be very interesting to find out if this small fellow can fulfill the manufacturer’s promises and deliver a good price/performance ratio which is what users mostly seek, mainly at low priced PSUs.
Specifications & Features
INPUT
- Voltage: 200 - 240VAC ±10%
- Frequency Range: 47Hz – 63Hz
- Current: 3.5A
OUTPUT
Voltage: +5V +3.3V +12V1 +12V1 -12V +5VsB
Max Load: 16A 16A 18A 18A 0.3A 2A
- +12V Maximum combined output: 276W
- +3.3V and +5V Maximum combined output 105W
PSU Connectors Assortment
- 24 (20+4) Pin Motherboard Connector x1
- 4 Pin Atx CPU Connector x1
- 6 Pin Pci-E Connector x1
- Sata Connectors x3
- Molex Connector x2
- Floppy Connector x1
Features
- 300W Continuous Power
- Up to 80% efficient
- 2 year warranty
- 120 mm Fan
CircuitShield
- Over Current Protection (OCP),
- Over Voltage Protection (OVP),
- Short Circuit Protection (SCP),
- Over Power Protection (OPP) &
- Over Temperature Protection (OTP)
- Heavy-duty Caps
- ErP Lot 6
Preview and Unboxing
The box is really small since the PSU's dimensions are restricted. On the front there are several feature badges.
*img692.imageshack.us/img692/4236/24783688k.jpg
Left side of the box reveals some specifications including input, output and connector assortment.
*img339.imageshack.us/img339/2108/98308087t.jpg
Laying the box back shows up the full watts guarantee sticker along with the sketch diagram of bp 300p Power Supply.
*img6.imageshack.us/img6/1382/73566484.jpg
Two pieces of cardboard protect the PSU which is also wrapped in plastic, to avoid accidental scratches during transportation. The bundle includes only the essentials one reusable cable tie along with 4 screws. Also there is no user's manual, only a folded piece of paper which merely provides a product overview.
*img547.imageshack.us/img547/1129/34840642.jpg
The PSU is painted in red and the 24 pin motherboard connector covered with red and black sleeves which looks good.
*img152.imageshack.us/img152/5967/20941795.jpg
The Antec Bp 300p psu comes with two 12v rails with 18amps on both results up with max load of 276 watts.
*img5.imageshack.us/img5/7906/64430462.jpg
The Antec Bp 300p comes with a comprehensive connector set that includes one 6 pin PCI-E, 4pin ATX12V, 3 sata connectors and 2 Molex connectors.
[*img7.imageshack.us/img7/4008/26843815.jpg
*img22.imageshack.us/img22/2465/29331850.jpg
*img22.imageshack.us/img22/2465/29331850.jpg
On the upper side there is a 120mm cooling fan with a honeycomb mesh for better cooling .
*img580.imageshack.us/img580/2117/53570323.jpg
This side is simple red painted with Antec marked on the right side at the bottom of the Psu .
*img853.imageshack.us/img853/7812/11849706.jpg
At the back there is a power connector with no on/off switch and popular honey comb design grill for exhausting hot air out from Psu.
*img543.imageshack.us/img543/7707/94627612.jpg
Internal Looks
So here is what Bp 300p looks from inside and pcb used for Bp 300p is from Delta Electronics .
*img560.imageshack.us/img560/9723/97192718.jpg
The fan is from Yateloon electronics model (D12SH-12) rated @12v using 0.30A with 88cfm air flow and 2200rpm rotation.
*img26.imageshack.us/img26/8000/77027427.jpg
Test Setup
Amd Athlon ii X4 635
Gigabyte M68mt-S2
Gskill 2gb ddr3 @1600 C9
Asus En210 1gb ddr3
WD 1.5tb & Hitachi 1tb
Antec Bp 300p
Windows 7 32bit
Testing
Follwed up the testing Methodology of windwithme so thanks to him.
With default setup
- CPU 200X14.5 = 2900mhz
- Dram 1600mhz 9-9-9-24
*img706.imageshack.us/img706/6237/34775160.jpg
Enter to OS desktop 72 ~ 75watt
*img15.imageshack.us/img15/8585/60240774.jpg
Run OCCT Power Supply Test Items 147 ~ 149watt
*img708.imageshack.us/img708/4143/90892639.jpg
Powerguard shows this M68mt-s2 default mode max power consumption is 147W
According to 80Plus website,
Output 50% transfer efficiency is around 80%
After transferring, 220V 147W is around 117W real output.
OCCT Test Result
CPU Voltage Variation
*img593.imageshack.us/img593/5296/nonocvcore.png
3.3V
The highest is 3.35V and mostly it is between 3.31~3.33V during the test.
*img836.imageshack.us/img836/994/nonoc33v.png
12V
The highest is 12.30V and the mostly is between 12.10 ~ 12.16V.
*img69.imageshack.us/img69/4521/nonoc12v.png
3V voltage drop is around 0.01~0.02v. It is a very good condition.
Even 12V is only around 0.05v. At load voltage drop is not much and psu works excellent .
Using More Accurate way
Idle
5V testing result is 5.17V.
*img43.imageshack.us/img43/2060/41191356.jpg
OCCT Full Speed
The voltage is 5.17V which is same as of idle condition.
*img809.imageshack.us/img809/4717/76726767.jpg
Idle
12V testing result is 12.16~12.17V which is different with board meterage 12.23V .
*img252.imageshack.us/img252/8697/67041162.jpg
OCCT Full Speed
The voltage is 12.08V which is lower than the idle condition around 0.06~0.07V.
*img17.imageshack.us/img17/5593/50387890.jpg
5V voltage remains same in full speed condition.
12V only has 0.06~0.07V small wave. This meterage measurement is little lower than mainboard measurement.
OC System Setup
- CPU 228X14.5 = 3310mhz
- Dram 1600mhz 9-9-9-24
*img16.imageshack.us/img16/7893/24671978.jpg
Enter to OS Desktop 94 ~ 97W
*img809.imageshack.us/img809/434/95588493.jpg
Run OCCT Power Supply Test Items
Amd Athlon iix4 @3.31GHz, 4 physical cores full load plus GT210 -206 ~ 210watt.
*img62.imageshack.us/img62/2610/12096956.jpg
Powerguard shows this M68mt-s2 OC mode max power consumption is 206W.
According to 80Plus website, there are only 20, 50 and 100% transfer efficiency.
After transferring, 220V 206W is around 165W real output.
OCCT Test Result
CPU Voltage Variation
*img59.imageshack.us/img59/7910/ocvcore.png
3.3V
The highest is 3.35V and mostly it’s between 3.29~3.33V during the test.
*img69.imageshack.us/img69/6803/oc33v.png
12V
The highest is 12.23V and the mostly is between 12.03~12.17V.
*img199.imageshack.us/img199/9324/oc12v.png
3V voltage drop is around 0.01 ~ 0.04 .
The voltage drop is around 1.01% higher than the default mode. but it’s still much lower than acceptable 5% tolerance.
Whereas 12V voltage drop is a bit Higher but still psu woks fine to run under safe conditions.
Using More Accurate Meter
Idle
5V testing result is 5.17V.
*img96.imageshack.us/img96/7449/30329015.jpg
OCCT Full Speed
The voltage is 5.19V which is higher than idle condition around 0.2V
*img22.imageshack.us/img22/4365/37665369.jpg
Idle
The voltage is 12.11~12.13V which is different with board meterage 12.23V.
*img405.imageshack.us/img405/6893/73727097.jpg
OCCT Full Speed
The voltage is 12.05V which is lower than the idle condition around 0.06~0.08V.
*img202.imageshack.us/img202/9058/55484800.jpg
You can see no matter idle or OC, 5V is raising 0.2V
There is no 5V dropping.
12V wave is only 0.06~0.08V. Even though it is bigger than the default, but still acceptable and is under 5% tolerance.
Conclusion
It's nice to see respectable companies releasing budget products without major compromises to their performance and quality. This is exactly the case with the Antec BP300P. Although Antec used one of the best OEM PSU manufactures, Delta Electronics, they managed to keep the retail price low, heavily boosting price/performance ratio, heavily boosting price/performance ratio.
To sum up, I found the BP300P to be a good/solid performer. The tight voltage regulation it boasted on all rails was far better than what I expected from a PSU of this price and the fact that it worked flawlessly.
The Good
Dual 12v rails
Low Price
Good Performance
The Bad
Short cables
Specially Thanks to Antec For providing the Review Sample.
