+12V Ripple Testing


While not perfect, the ripple exhibited by the Quattro was well within the norms through all of the tests…even the Extreme Load test. There was a jump up to a bit over 50mV-pp to go hand in hand with the voltage drop in the Extreme Load test but this was to be expected and once again this power supply stayed well within ATX specifications.


Acoustical & Heat Characteristics

Even with a single (and potentially loud) 80mm exhaust fan, the Antec Quattro 1Kw stayed extremely quiet through all of the tests…until the Extreme Load test. Where all of the other tests showed our 1200RPM case fans to be louder than the lone 80mm on the power supply, the EL test showed that little 80mm could put out quite a bit of noise. While it was far less annoying than the dust busters ATI equipped their HD2900XT cards with, it was noticeable over the case fans. Just remember that this is a case of extreme load which you will not likely put your Quattro under and other than this test, Antec’s power supply was near silent.

The heat produced while the Quattro is under normal sustained load the heat exhausted by its fan is well within the norms but naturally in our higher-wattage stress tests the temperature picks up quite a bit. By the end of the Extreme Load test, the temperature being exhausted was approaching 34°C which is not bad at all.