Antec Inc. has made a name for itself for reliable and rugged computer components,  power supplies. They recently brought three Power Supply Units -- BP350PS, BP450PS and VP500PC -- to India. We got to try out the VP500PC, a PC power unit -- what we used to call SMPS or switched mode power supply  modules what were made for the tower CPUs of personal computers.
You may ask who needs these units these days -- unless one gets a PC custom-assembled. The answer is -- the fiercely competitive gaming PC world, where gamers demand  extreme performance,  CPU over-clocking ( often assisted by a dose of liquid nitrogen!)  and   high endurance, with machines working in harsh environments.
It is said ( with apologies to George Orwell's Animal Farm) that   all PSUs are born equal, but some are more equal than others.  When you specify a PC CPU you normally specify the rating -- 450 watt, 500 watt, 600 watt -- and that's it.   But Antec reminds us there's more to PSU than the rated  power output and  we agree:  the rating  500 watts in this case is the continuous power rating, not the peak.  The ATX number ( compatability with ATX cabinets) is 12 volts version 2.3  which should suite all contemporary builds.  The rated efficiency is 82%  which means it should work evenly at  20 % -- 100% of the load. 
The 120 mm fan is quiet -- an important consideration when you want to concentrate on the sound effects of the PC application.
With products like these a reviewer can't realistically test the key specs like endurance and Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF).  But that said, the Antec VP500PC worked quietly without hitch delivering the stated  power. It  has an MRP of Rs 3800, but I see it is available on line at places like Amazon for around Rs 3000.  This may be a bit more than many  less known brands -- but  as George Orwell said ( almost).....!

April 4 2015