Final Thoughts and Conclusions
So to recap: The Antec TPQ850 is a nice looking, well-performing power supply. What's not to like about it? The price? Nope. The TPQ850 is priced comfortably at $160 USD. This price is not all too amazing when taken at face value, but when compared to the both the Cooler Master RPP850 and the OCZ GXS850, priced at $197 and $170 USD respectively, the tremendous value of the TPQ850 rears its beautiful, racecar-like head. And that's not all: at the 850W output, the TPQ850 appears to be the least expensive offering out there from a major manufacturer.

The modular cables, generous fixed cables, excellent style, clean internal design, low heat production and near silent operation truly make this power supply stand out from the competition. The price, as mentioned above, is really what makes this unit a winner. However, there are some issues we have with the unit that prevent it from being what we would consider perfect. The power supply comes in a pretty lousy package in terms of accessories. We understand that the barebone essentials were probably used to keep costs down, but charging an extra five dollars for these extras features would keep the price of the TPQ850 lower than the competition and increase the overall product value substantially. In terms of performance, the TPQ850 could have been better. Our current top-performing 850W power supply, the Real Power Pro from Cooler Master, was manufactured by the same company that makes the TPQ: Enhance Electronics. The main difference we see in the design of the two units is a dual-transformer configuration in the RPP850. Although we are not electrical engineers, we would struggle to think that this does not play a significant role in the performance difference between the two units. In any case, the TPQ850 is a pretty outstanding product, especially for the price.

Pros
+ Small form factor will fit in micro ATX cases without a problem
+ High quality components; only small heatsinks needed
+ Great design
+ Good internal layout
+ Active PFC
+ Lowest price in class
+ 5 year warranty
+ Advertised performance rated at 50C
+ Four dedicated PCI-Express connectors, two being 8-pin
+ High Efficiency
Cons
- Unimpressive package
- Performance not as good as some competitors (albeit more expensive ones)
Rating
9.2 out of 10