Antec Truepower Quattro 850W vs Silverstone Decathlon 850W Review

Exterior Impressions

Silverstone Decathlon 850W


Compared to the offering from rival Antec, the Silverstone DA850 is has a completely stealth look to it which should appeal to a much broader number of potential customers. The finish is an almost scratch-resistant black powder coat which is surprisingly tough compared to some power supplies we have reviewed in the past. The top 120mm fan dominates most of the upper side of the Decathlon even though the longer than normal chassis makes the single fan seem a good deal smaller than it really is.

When looking at the DA850 you will notice that it looks pretty naked without any of the pre-attached cables that are seen on most (what we call) “semi-modular” power supplies. Each and every connector on this power supply is modular and can be attached and reattached when needed.


Antec Truepower Quattro 850W


I will dispense with using all of the overly-used euphemisms comparing the color scheme of the TPQ 850W to that of a Dodge Charger Super Bee and cut right to the chase. People who see the exterior styling chosen by Antec usually come down on one of two sides of the fence: Some say “I LOVE it!!” while others say “What the heck was Antec thinking?”. I am firmly planted in the former category because I think this is an absolutely stunning and unique design. You on the other hand, may think differently…

With the color debate now out of the way, let’s look a little more closely what Antec has given us under those racing stripes. First of all there is a single 80mm exhaust fan which is supposed to be quite silent (or at least that is what Antec promises) along with a very basic modular interface. Unlike the DA850, the Truepower Quattro is not a completely modular design; the ATX connector as well as the 4 and 8-pin CPU connectors and a pair of 6+2 pin PCI-E connectors are all attached to the power supply itself. This can become a bit of a pain considering you may not be using all of these connectors. On the other hand, if you buy an 850W power supply, you are most likely going to use every non-modular cable included except for the 4-pin CPU connector.