Enermax EG465P-VE 431w PSU - Installation and Performance
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Company: Enermax
Product: Enermax EG465P-VE - 431w PSU
Availability: SideWinder Computers and Many online stores
Price: $90.00
Installation: I didnt' have any trouble at all installing the PSU. It fit directly into the PSU slot and screwed in without a hitch. This is a no-brainer really and probably the hardest part about a new PSU install is where and how to route the wires. You want to get tactical here so as not to have wires hanging to and fro. Again, airflow in the case is essential in keeping your hardware cool and a smooth running, long lasting PC. Personally, I ended up with more molex connectors than I could use so I tied a few up and tucked 'em away in the side of the case. I don't like to have anything extra laying around to hinder airflow. There were actually 2 Floppy power connectors which kind of made me curious. Who the hell runs 2 floppy drives? And nothing else that I know of uses that type power connector. But I'm not one to complain about having more, so I simply zip tied, tucked it and went on about the install.
Performance and Cooling: It's really hard to accurately judge the performance of a PSU. After all, you just basically want to plug the damn thing up, hookup all your perphs and fire it up right!? Well, if you hadn't already guessed, we are not rocket scientists or electrical engineers here at OCA. However, I do thoroughly test my hardware before I review it and I will have to say this Enermax is hangin' tough. I have been running it well over 1 month non-stop (cept for the occasional BSOD compliments-0-MS) and have not had ANY power related problems whatsoever. Here is what this PSU has been giving power to for the last 30 days...
- 4 - Sunon High SPeeD 80mm blowhole and exhaust fans
- 1 - Sunon (regular) 80mm top mounted fan
- 1 - Sanyo Denkai 92mm intake fan
- 1 - Pabst 60mm 6,850rpm fan
- 1 - CD-Rom drive
- 1 - DVD-Rom drive
- 2 Maxtor 7,200rpm 40Gig HD's
- 1 MSI KT266 Pro2 - RU motherboard
- 1 stick 256meg Kingmax PC2400 Memory
- 1 Visiontek GeForce3 Video Card
- 1 NETGEAR fast Ethernet NIC
- Various USB items to include Avermedia smartcard reader, Logitech Wingman RumblePad and MS Optical Mouse
- TweakMonster LightStrip
Whew! Ok, you may not realize at first, but that is quite a bit of hardware to power up! The Enermax doesn't even so much as break a sweat. Honestly, with the old PSU, when my CPU would start up a game or go into some heavy calculations, you could hear the high power fans change pitch as if power was being drained from them. I was quite used to it and honestly did not know any difference, but with the Enermax, I can hookup anything I wish and never once hear power fluctuations as I previously did. Their just not there and the Enermax is ROCK SOLID.
Also, one of many peak features of the Enermax is the placement of intake and exhaust fans. The fan that sits just above your CPU and pulls hot air from is is a 90mm, clear fin, high power fan that comes with a 3pin header complete with RPM monitoring (should your mobo support it). The MSI K7T266 Pro2-RU mobo I have has a 3pin header for the PSU right next to the CPU fan which makes hookup a snap and very convenient. One thing to mention, this PSU does NOT qualify as Noiseless, or even Low-Noise. I was actually quite surprised when I fired it up and heard how loud it was. Not that big a deal, but if your trying to build the "Quiet" PC, you better look somewhere else for a PSU. But honestly, if your considering a PSU of this caliber, I seriously doubt your going to be worried about this. And if your one of those brave souls that is currently running a Delta 60mm fan, the Enermax does not even come close. With that in mind, the noise doesn't come without the plus side. The Enermax lowered my case temps by an average of 3-4 degrees Fahrenheit and also let my CPU run from 1-2 degrees cooler under load. While this may not be a monumental achievement, you hardcore OC'ers know that every single degree counts when trying to keep a stable system and prolong the life of your CPU. Also, you may have heard of the Enermax "Whisper" series of PSU's. Well this ain't no Whisper! I actually chose not to get one of the Whisper models. No offense, I just don't trust something to monitor my system and determine whether or not it thinks it's hot enough to increase the fans speed. I want top speed, ALL of the time. But that's just my preference. Although the very latest models actually come with an adjustable fan speed knob. Now THAT my friends is cool. I'm not sure of the pricing, but I think that may be worth a few extra $$. I wouldn't mind having the option to tone down the noise and airflow a bit if I left my PC on overnight.
Conclusion: Again, I know there is only so much you can highlight in a Power Supply review. Yet the Enermax definitely earns top honors as a high performance PSU. It's obvious the unit is constructed of high quality craftsmanship and has not even blinked in the last 30+ days I have been running it. The addition of the 90mm intake fan, gold grills and black cable wrap set the Enermax in a class ahead of most PSU's. Lets finish up this review and cover the highs and lows.
Highs:
Quality intake AND exhaust fans
ATX power cord cable wrap
Gold pimp grills
On-Off switch
Meets AMD and Intel ATX 2.03 specifications
Full 2-year manufacturer warranty
Lows:
Alright folks. That about does it. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality and performance of this unit and I hope I have conveyed this in today's review. And on that note, If your interested in purchasing one of these, I have negotiated a deal with Gary @ SideWinderComputers to get anyone who goes there a 5% discount on your entire order, with the purchase of ANY Enermax Power Supply Unit. Considering they have great prices and don't charge over-inflated shipping charges like most sites, that ain't too shabby my friends. All ya gotta do is enter OCA_SPEED in the coupon field. The coupon will expire on December 7th, (Friday night, saturday morning) at 12:00a.m. EST.
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