Antec Truepower Quattro 850W vs Silverstone Decathlon 850W Review

Packaging and Accessories

Silverstone Decathlon 850W


The box of the DA850 is decked out in a sublime black and white color scheme with a few dashes of color to give emphasis on some of the more pressing points. The box is on the large side but this is to be expected with 850W modular power supplies. The sides of the box hold a wealth of information including a quick count of the more important connectors as well as some unique interior shots of the power supply with accompanying descriptions. As you can see, while this power supply is UL certified, there is no manufacturer number below the UL logo.


When opening the box I was greeted by a foam-backed cardboard insert which serves to protect the topside of the DA850 as well as holding it in place so it doesn’t fly around during transport. By removing this we can see that Silverstone has provided more than ample protection against shipping damage by padding the underside of the box as well. It may seem like the power supply has very little protection on its sides, you have to remember that the accessories (at the top of the second picture) and the bundle of cables also serve well as padding.


The included accessory package is quite good with some noteworthy additions which every manufacturer should include. First of all you get a basic power cord as well as some mounting screws and an instruction manual (not pictured). That is where the similarity to other manufacturers’ bundles stops since Silverstone has also included some zip ties (which come in handy when cable routing) and a classy nylon carrying bag for your unused modular cables. This last addition is a Godsend and every other manufacturer should take note since finding a safe place for unused modular cables can be a real pain in the butt. Bravo Silverstone.


Antec Truepower Quattro 850W


With a blazingly bright yellow exterior, the box of the Antec Quattro 850W (which we will call the TPQ 850W now and then) is definitely hard to miss. The front of the package really doesn’t tell all that much other than the in-your-face output number, the advertised 80Plus certification and the dual graphics cards compatibility.

The rear of the package is where all of the action is happening. There is a brief description of the features of the TPQ 850W as well as the number of connectors you should expect to receive. Without a doubt, it is good to see the 80Plus logo since it almost guarantees that this power supply will have above-average efficiency no matter what kind of load you put on it.


The quality of protection around the Truepower Quattro is second to none; the entire power supply is encased in thick foam and then wrapped again in a plastic bag. All of the accessories and modular cables are pushed off to the sides on order to provide even more protection.


Compared to the DA850’s complete accessory package, that of the TPQ 850W looks is somewhat lacking in sustenance. Gone are the nylon holder and the zip-ties which Silverstone provided and this means you get only the basics: a power cord, an instruction manual, mounting screws and a non-resealable bag with the modular connectors. While the omission of any extras is notable, it goes hand in hand with Antec’s power MSRP for the Truepower Quattro.

One standout in all of this is the massively think 14AWGX3 power cord. This thing is simply stunning to behold and it absolutely exudes the aura of high quality design. Usually, I don’t comment much about the power cords included with most power supplies because they are so unremarkable; in this case however, this is a cord that goes hand-in-hand with a high wattage power supply. Indeed, the cord included with the Silverstone unit looks positively flimsy by comparison.