The TPQ850 has a measly five modular ports for expansion purposes, which is disappointing considering the power supply comes with eight strings of possible cables. Although our test system did not require more than the given number of spaces, a more feature-rich computer may very well have. Two of the expansion ports are colored red to signify that they are meant for PCI-Express cables. Unfortunately, this means that only three of the expansion ports are available for peripheral connectors (to the laymen, the red PCI-Express ports are actually capable of powering the peripheral strings, as you will see later), when the PSU ships with six such strings. There is a possibility of 8 SATA connectors, with two strings of three and one of two. However, if you want to use all of these connectors, you will have no plugs left over for other peripherals like optical drives and 12V cooling fans. You could possible get around this inconvenience by using SATA->MOLEX adapters, but such items are not included with the TPQ850, so they will not be taken into consideration for this review. Another option for the three available peripheral string connectors is having nine 4-pin MOLEX connectors (with 2 auxiliary (floppy) connectors). Since most motherboards these days come with a MOLEX->(2x)SATA adapter, this setup is optimal if one wants to maximize connectivity options. However, the fact that the TPQ has a very limited arsenal of connectors cannot be avoided. For comparison purposes, the Real Power Pro 850 from Cooler Master includes a total of 16 peripheral connectors standard (not modular) – 2 auxiliary, 6 MOLEX, and 8 SATA. Nevertheless, the four dedicated PCI-E connectors on the TPQ850 demonstrate full support of SLI and unrestricted CrossFire (meaning HD2900XT cards will be capable of overdrive in the Catalyst software) – definitely a good thing.


One of the very best things about the TPQ850 is that it is 80 Plus certified, meaning it maintains efficiency of over 80%. Not only does this 80 Plus certification end up saving money on your electricity bill, it also means that the TPQ850 produces more power with less heat produced. The TPQ850 also carries EPS12V v2.91 and ATX12V certifications, which should be expected of all new power supplies given the tremendous potential power consumption of modern PCs. The TPQ850 is equipped with four (as in Quattro) +12V rails, each with 18A. The maximum combined draw from the four +12V rails is 768W (or 64A at 12V). This equates to more than enough power for the hungriest video cards out there today (Radeon HD 2900XT’s). It is also very nice to see on the specifications of the TPQ850 that it has been rated through testing in a 50C environment. This temperature is actually higher than is typically seen in computer cases, and is far better to rate power supplies at than the 20-30C temperatures seen on many units these days.


Finally, the TPQ850 package includes the unit itself, eight different connector strings that can be plugged into the five modular ports on the power supply, a very thick power cable, four case screws, and two (yes two) identical product manuals (this was probably random so if you buy this product expecting to get two manuals you may very well be disappointed). This is a pretty unimpressive offering, considering many comparable power supplies ship with things like vibration dampeners, extra cable holders, and twisty-ties for cable management. These extra features would have fit in the TPQ850 package handily and would likely not have cost Antec too much extra money. The package also comes in a really cool box. Seriously… the box is cool enough to be a selling point for this power supply. Set on a store shelf, the untrained eye will fall directly on this beauty rather than the unit next to it, and as you’ll find out, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.