Antec NeoHE "High-Efficiency"

Devonavar · Post by **Devonavar** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:51 am

For what it's worth, Antec specifies the combined maximum output for the +12V rails at 384W = 32A, so it does comply with NVidia's "specs". The 29.44A that MikeC quoted refers to the way we test maximum load.

Keep in mind that most specs are just numbers on paper anyway. There is no "hard limit" to the output capacity, the output specs just refer to what the power load that the manufacturer thinks the PSU can cool properly (or how much they think they can BS without causing a scandal). This will vary depending on ambient temperature, power distribution, etc.

NVidia's SLI "spec" is also BS. An SLI 7800 setup does not require 32A on +12V. Power requirements are specific to a system, not individual parts. In a system with a low power CPU, and SLI 7800 might draw ~20A from +12V. On the other hand, with same SLI 7800 setup with dual overclocked FX-54s may need more than 32A.

32A is a very safe estimate of the worst possible power draw in a system with extremely high power draw. Very few systems require 32A on +12V.

Hassasin · Post by **Hassasin** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 2:28 am

rpsgc wrote:
MikeC wrote:The Antec P150 comes bundled with a Neo HE430. We're in the middle of preparing reviews of both.

AntecRep wrote:We'll post the European versions/pages up in a couple weeks.
Double sweetness

Just had an answer back from the rep in Europe on these PSU's

Dear ....,

Antec’s new NeoHE power supplies will arrive into port at Rotterdam next week. I would imagine that it will take another week or two after that to find their way into our reseller channel.

Thank you for you interest in Antec and our products.

Regards,

Scott
SCOTT RICHARDS
Worldwide Vice President of Sales & Marketing

KorruptioN · Post by **KorruptioN** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 3:13 pm

Big news!

Oklahoma Wolf @ [H]Forums wrote:That's right... I'd forgotten CWT set up the ISO brand.

Ningbo ISO - http://www.cwtnb.com.cn/

Edit - I just realized where I've seen that odd "VRL" nomenclature on the main transformers before: http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=51 ... pert&pid=4

Would they could they be Seasonic (pretty sure PC P&C is using them for these two - double S logo on the transformer), I wonder to myself as I channel Dr. Seuss? It explains the position of the main filter cap.

Edit 2 - I am now 99% sure they are Seasonic. At the UL cert page, there are 4 suspicious "HE" models listed.

UL database page

Looks like these new PSUs from Antec are affiliated with Seasonic, and not Channel Well Technologies we're used to. They look very similar to the PCP&C Silencer series, which are produced by Seasonic.

johnjv · Post by **johnjv** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:43 pm

KorruptioN, that info pushed me over the edge.
Was considering it after the 430 review here, but I bought the 500 after reading that certification page. With just one graphics card and the same for the near future build I should be covered for three or four years
I've had two past Antec psu's, they are both still running today after a couple years of always on, the 380s is powering me now. The 350 smart power is running my neighbors pc (my old a7v266e rig). Seasonic knows what they're doing too.

The new psu I bought for the 64 bit rig died after six weeks of emails, a dvd and standby. I'm not very forgiving, won't use that brand again.

I'll go with what I know will work.

Post by **MikeC** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 7:18 pm

A POSTCRIPT with efficiency results on a second Neo HE 430 sample has been added to the original review.

pony-tail · Post by **pony-tail** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:33 pm

This looks to be the PSU I have been waiting for for my AMD64 system !

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:28 am

WARNING: If you guys are planning to use a DFI NF4 mobo, it seems these power supplies have some issues. AT both the Hardocp forum and the DFI Street forum, people have encountered some problems. It's delayed my build for a little while as I ponder over a seasonic or a enermax noisetaker.

afrost · Post by **afrost** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:28 pm

edit: looks like the problems with the HE's are real

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:54 pm

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965645

Looks like those wanting all black P150’s will have their wishes granted. Take one white P150, build your system, switch it on, stand back (a safe distance) and watch your pride and joy turn a cool charcoal black – except it won’t be so cool, and you’ll need an extinguisher handy.

I don’t want to stir it (like I haven’t already) but first there were the troublesome Phantoms, a 550 went dead on the recent Tom’s test, now this. As a prospective P150 owner I sincerely wish Antec all the best in sorting it.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:46 am

Sooty wrote:http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965645

Looks like those wanting all black P150’s will have their wishes granted. Take one white P150, build your system, switch it on, stand back (a safe distance) and watch your pride and joy turn a cool charcoal black – except it won’t be so cool, and you’ll need an extinguisher handy.

What's up with the FUD dude?

There are a couple of [H] guys with NeoHE issues (and according to the Antec Rep, a total of 6 known issues), none of which have had their PSU spontaneously burst into flames and burn their entire system.

A couple of guys jumping up and down and waving their arms around is not particularly significant and is certainly not a valid reason to base a buying decision on.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:48 am

afrost wrote:edit: looks like the problems with the HE's are real

Links please. Googling gets me nothing worthwhile, other than the one thread at [H].

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 6:05 am

Ralf Hutter wrote:
Sooty wrote:http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965645

Looks like those wanting all black P150’s will have their wishes granted. Take one white P150, build your system, switch it on, stand back (a safe distance) and watch your pride and joy turn a cool charcoal black – except it won’t be so cool, and you’ll need an extinguisher handy.
What's up with the FUD dude?

There are a couple of [H] guys with NeoHE issues (and according to the Antec Rep, a total of 6 known issues), none of which have had their PSU spontaneously burst into flames and burn their entire system.

One guy said he had sparks coming from the PSU. Reading those forums, the numbers appear to have risen since Antec stated there were 6. Considering it’s only been on sale a week, isn’t 6 enough?

Ralf Hutter wrote:A couple of guys jumping up and down and waving their arms around is not particularly significant and is certainly not a valid reason to base a buying decision on.

First you’re saying 6, now you’re saying a couple. I think the numbers are a significant reason to base a buying decision.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:02 am

Sooty wrote:
Ralf Hutter wrote:
Sooty wrote:http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965645

Looks like those wanting all black P150’s will have their wishes granted. Take one white P150, build your system, switch it on, stand back (a safe distance) and watch your pride and joy turn a cool charcoal black – except it won’t be so cool, and you’ll need an extinguisher handy.
What's up with the FUD dude?

There are a couple of [H] guys with NeoHE issues (and according to the Antec Rep, a total of 6 known issues), none of which have had their PSU spontaneously burst into flames and burn their entire system.
One guy said he had sparks coming from the PSU.

What he actually said was: "I move the powersupply cables alittle and the damn thing SPARKS internally. He did not claim that anything caught on fire. From his description, it sounds like something was loose/shorting inside the PSU. And by inference, the sparking would stop if he stopped wiggling the cables around. [Henny Youngman]A guy walks into his doctors office and says ""Doc, it hurts when I do this." Doctor says "Then don't do that!"[/Henny Youngman]

Sooty wrote:
Ralf Hutter wrote:A couple of guys jumping up and down and waving their arms around is not particularly significant and is certainly not a valid reason to base a buying decision on.
First you’re saying 6, now you’re saying a couple. I think the numbers are a significant reason to base a buying decision.

No I didn't. You need to reread my post.

What I did say was:

Ralfie wrote: There are a couple of [H] guys with NeoHE issues (and according to the Antec Rep, a total of 6 known issues)

So the "couple of guys" I referred to would be the kids at [H] screaming that the sky is falling (i.e. : posting comments like "There is more to come, just DO NOT BUY!

, DO NOT BUY/USE!, Try google, this is getting bigger by the second!

), whereas the Antec Rep calmly commented that Antec has six reports of problems and is investigating it.

See the difference in approach?

afrost · Post by **afrost** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:07 am

Ralf Hutter wrote:
afrost wrote:edit: looks like the problems with the HE's are real
Links please. Googling gets me nothing worthwhile, other than the one thread at [H].

I only read the thread at [H]. My original post was sort of flaming people that were saying these power supplies are bad....but after reading the whole [H] thread I personally wouldn't buy one this month unless I really needed a power supply and it was exactly what I wanted......so I had to change my post.

I'm sure Antec will get it all sorted out. Some of the voltages people are getting (with the working PSUs and DMM) seem kind of low......are those normal voltage levels? Theoretically the 12V should never drop below 11.6V and the 5 should never drop below 4.8V.....is that right? I guess I should go and read some of the power supply articles here

I have never had anything but good experience with Antec and am still planning on buying a P150.

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 8:34 am

Ralf Hutter wrote:See the difference in approach?

I’m sure anyone reading this, whose not associated with Antec, in any way shape or form, will interpret what I said, my humour, what you said, and your disposition, and won’t be letting this PSU anywhere near their hardware until Antec have sorted it

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:46 am

I'm sure antec will sort things out, but for now why saddle a great case like the p150 with an old recycled psu design. It's no more efficient than a smartpower 2.0 although marketed as an HE design. And now there are some other problems. At least the smartpower 2.0 has and interesting cooling system that deserves more development. Unbundle the case and psu and let consumers decide for themselves. - FG

Ackelind · Post by **Ackelind** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:11 am

Seems like the problem is some sort of compability issue between ASUS A8N (deluxe, premium, more perhaps?) and the NEO HE. All those who have had systems failing to boot have had one of those ASUS boards.

Seems like ASUS and Antec will have some sorting out to do.

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:27 am

frankgehry wrote:why saddle a great case like the p150 with an old recycled psu design.

Well, this case is marketed as a quiet case. So they looked at some data like below and picked the quietest (fanned) PSU they had in their line up. Guess what, that was not the SmartPower 2.0

Code: Select all

DC Output (W)        40 . 65 . 90 . 150 . 200
SP-450 (dBA@1m)      21 . 21 . 21 .  27 .  32
Neo HE 430 (dBA@1m)  20 . 20 . 20 .  21 .  26

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:06 pm

The neo he was not in antec's lineup when the p150 was designed. They sourced an unremarkable oem model and added detachable cables and a low speed fan. That's all.

The sonata II is also marketed as a quiet case, and guess what, the smartpower 2.0 was designed for it. But, I never suggested packaging the p150 with the sp2.0, although it would probably be as quiet as the neo he at moderate output levels. In a p180 it may well be just as quiet. A difference of 1dba is well within the margin of error especially when the ambient noise level for the sp2.0 test was 20dba and the temperature was 25C. Both are higher than usual. You cannot expect accurate sound pressure readings when the noise floor is so close to the source being measured.
http://www.norsonic.com/ProductsAndUses ... 53&nivaa=3
Antec could have improved the cooling system and effeciency of the sp2.0 and ended up with a better product than the neo he. - FG

nici · Post by **nici** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:22 pm

afrost wrote: Some of the voltages people are getting (with the working PSUs and DMM) seem kind of low......are those normal voltage levels? Theoretically the 12V should never drop below 11.6V and the 5 should never drop below 4.8V.....is that right?

People are probably posting voltage results from software monitoring, wich are not accurate. a digital multimeter is what you need.

Post by **MikeC** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:30 pm

No comments about the apparent compatibility issues between the Neo HE and the Asus board mentioned. As AntecRep has already said, both Asus and Antec are aware of & working on the issue.

But I have to say there's little question about the difference between the SmartPower2 450 and the NeoHE430:

1) They are close in efficiency, it is true.

2) Even though the measured SPL may seem close, in subjective listening, the NeoHE's sound quality / level is distinctly superior. It sounds less intrusive right from the start. When the 2nd fan in the SP450 comes on, it's not even in the same ball park.

3) If I were choosing between the SP450 & the NHE430, there'd be no question... unless I had an Asus A8N.

computergeek22 · Post by **computergeek22** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:18 pm

I think some ppl with DFI mobos are also having a problem.

hravn · Post by **hravn** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 11:07 pm

Argh! This is not happening... I finally have all the parts (except PSU) for my new rig stacked in a neat pile in my living room, just waiting for the NeoHE to be released in Sweden. And now this?? Why did it have to be the A8N?!

Why isn't there a Phantom with detachable cables?

</rant>

johnjv · Post by **johnjv** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:45 pm

Well it's only been on for seven days now, but I'm happy with mine.
The inside of my P180 is nothing I'd put in the gallery right now but when I complete my upgraded box I'll post a pic.
The 500 HE is absolutely quiet to my ear, as was the noisetaker that croaked after six weeks. It's not making any heat either darn it, now that it's cold. It's powering a slight oc'd athlon xp, 9800xt, two hdd's, two optical drives, three 120's and a 92mm.
I've had only Antec psu's and cases since I built my A7V266E state of the art rig a couple years ago.
They haven't let me down yet.
My nF2 is set to get 1.6v it gets 1.62
the 3200xp set at 1.65v it gets 1.66
memory set at 2.7v it gets 2.75
3.3v = 3.34
5v = 5.22
12v = 12.21
That's not perfect but it is similar to past psu's I've looked up in the bios.
The memory has always gotten 2.75 at the same setting, but the last psu as well as the 380s I ran until this new one got here I could see the 3.3 and the 5v & standby 5v fluctuating every couple of seconds.
This one doesn't.
When I get rid of the 92mm cpu fan and go A64 (only lacking the pcie card and mb) I'll review it again.

killerfish · Post by **killerfish** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:52 am

Just installed mine last night with an AsRock Combo-Z mobo and works perfect. My voltage looks very similar johnjv.. Here's what it's powering:

CPU - AMD64 2800+ 754 pin
RAM - 2x 1GB DDR 400
HD - 1 80GB Samsung, 1 160 GB Samsung
DVD - 1 DVD +RW
GPU - 1 AGP 8x nVidia GeForce 6800
Case - Antec P180

Everything's running cool and quiet. Very happy so far.

Thanks
KF

PS> Antec Rep over at another forum posted that issues with A8N's are a motherboard related issue.. Here's the quote:

So we've got an answer.

The A8N SLI and A8N SLI Deluxe changed from rev1.01 to rev1.02 earlier this month; A8N SLI Premium changed from rev1.01 to rev1.02 in July.

They (Asus)suggests our shared customers with motherboard rev1.01 to update the drivers and BIOS, and also plug the onboard 4pin Molex connector. If the updates still don't solve the problem, the customer will need to contact ASUS RMA for replacement.

Version 1.02 boards should be ok, in house testing showed no problems with 1.02s.

lenny · Post by **lenny** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:39 am

hravn wrote:Why isn't there a Phantom with detachable cables?

Erm, how about:

hravn · Post by **hravn** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:22 pm

Hmm.. maybe a bit more permanent than I had in mind..

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 7:23 am

Sooty wrote:
Ralf Hutter wrote:See the difference in approach?
I’m sure anyone reading this, whose not associated with Antec, in any way shape or form, will interpret what I said, my humour, what you said, and your disposition, and won’t be letting this PSU anywhere near their hardware until Antec have sorted it

Hmm....

Looks like Antec didn't need to sort it, but Asus did:

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p ... tcount=181

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... 047#220047

afrost · Post by **afrost** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:05 am

That's great to know. Now I can feel more confident buying a P150 the day they hit shelves

PPGMD · Post by **PPGMD** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 4:03 pm

Hmm I got one of the Neopower HE 430 watt models, having issues with it on my system, it would crash randomly (the system would just power off, no errors, just boom off) about once every 30 minutes, seemed heat related, so I installed the PSU compartment fan in my P180 that kept it on for a few more minutes at a time, but still crashed.

So I went back to my old PSU installed ghetto style (ie on a platform outside the case,) the computer is running fine. Hmm probably going to have to RMA on Monday, I hope they cross ship.

My board is a Asus K8N, I know there have been some issues with the A8N.

Antec NeoHE "High-Efficiency"

for those who didn't see...