We were extremely impressed by the Antec VP450 power supply, which proved to be an above average budget power supply.

Power supplies without a PFC circuit usually provide, at least at some point, efficiency below 80 percent. However, this simply didn’t happen with the VP450, which presented efficiency between 80.3% and 85.5 percent. This unit, though, can’t qualify for the 80 Plus certification, as a PFC circuit is required to obtain it.

In addition, most budget power supplies have a fake label that says the unit has two +12 V virtual rails, while in reality the power supply doesn’t have an over current protection circuit, which is necessary for the power supply to have more than one +12 V rail. This doesn’t happen with the VP450, which really has two +12 V over current protection channels.

With so many bad power supplies sold for USD 40 or less (several of which can really damage your PC due to voltages outside the proper range), the Antec VP450 is a terrific find. If you are building an entry-level PC that doesn’t require a lot of power, you and your wallet will be very happy with the VP450.