Before

Normally my wiring job isn't that bad, but I'm trying to illustrate a point. Above is what a typical setup may look at if you simply plug in devices, and not bother with cable routing.

After

As before, I did not route the cables to show the difference in clutter. The sheaths are a good first step in cleaning things up, and in the end, there were three sets of cables, 5 connections in all, that I did not have to connect in my setup.

Performance

ABIT IC7-Max3 : Pentium 4 2.4C (12x200: 2.4GHz), 2 x 256MB Corsair TWINX PC3200 Ram, ATI All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro, 80GB Western Digital, Windows XP SP1, ATI Catalyst 3.6, Swiftech H20-8500.

To test the PSU's performance, we'll be running our Pentium 4 2.4C at stock speeds, and at overclocked settings, which will be 3GHz (12x250 @ 1.85v). Fans used to cool the Swifty radiator were a pair of Delta SHE 68CFM fans. System cooling was provided by 4 Tt Smart Fan 2s, spinning at "high". To load up the system, we run Prime95 run for 20 minutes, with Folding @ Home running in the background, as well as the LoTR: Fellowship of the Ring DVD in the DVD drive. Voltages were monitored with ABRA DM-9700 multimeter.

Very solid numbers throughout. Both the +5v and +12v rails had a slight drop when overclocking, but both were able to remain over the baseline.

Final Words

Antec has always made quality PSUs, and we've never had a problem recommending to people in the past. With the Modular TruePower 550W we've looked at today, my opinion hasn't changed. If you're gonna be running high-end parts in your setup, plus overclock your components, you better have a PSU that can handle the load.

Build quality is typical Antec. The construction is solid, and it doesn't feel like a box of tin cans. The modular/segmented idea is fantastic for those of you hoping to cut down on cable clutter. Add any coloured sleeving you want, and it'll look really nice compared to unmodified PSUs.

Though we were very pleased with the power supply, there were a couple quirks we would like to see addressed in the future. For one, I would like to a couple individual, 1-to-1 power cables to plug into the modular PSU, rather than all the included cables being of the daisy chain variety. Another thing I would like to see is gold leads on the modular connections, rather than the generic ones.

If there's one thing going against it, it may be the price. The retails about 185$, which is a lot of money for a power supply. A standard Antec TruePower 550W may run about 100$, plus maybe 30$ for a sleeving kit. So for an extra 55$, the sleeving is done for you, and the lines are "cut" to make the PSU modular. You can either let somebody do this work for you, or you can try it yourself, but we're not responsible if you zap yourself.

We want to thank for hooking us up today. They are a great group of people, and have a fantastic product selection you should definitely checkout.

Pros: Excellent rail performance, smart design (modular), and sleeves are a nice touch. Solid and reliable.

Cons: Expensive, individual 1-to-1 molex connections would be nice..

Bottom Line: It's still an Antec, but cable management is the selling point here. Is it worth it? That will depend on how important looks are to you. Yes, less cable clutter will mean better airflow, but realistically, only in cases where you've taken no care at all in cable management.

If you got any comments, be sure to hit us up in our forums.

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