2003 Power Supply Roundup Part II: Better Faster Cheaper
by Kristopher Kubicki on July 31, 2003 1:58 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
The EG465 power supply did extremely well in our last power supply roundup. We have not really seen many other new products from Enermax in the last few months, so we obtained a slightly newer version of the supply we reviewed in our first review instead.
From our previous review, you may recall the EG465 PFC’s tight tolerances and excellent features. The new version sports all of these features, but since the slightly different circuitry warrants a separate benchmark for this PSU. The variable fan control, motherboard monitoring and copper/rubber ATX sheath are all included on this power supply. Furthermore, the line we looked at also came in a glossy finish similar to the TTGI units. The unit includes Active PFC as one of its features as well.
The EG465 also comes with Enermax’s trademark variable fan control on the rear of the unit. We have not had problems with Enermax’s variable fan controls. The dial-style fan control assures that the switch can never fall into a halfway position like with Vantec or TTGI. We will touch more on this issue later.
One annoyance the EG651 and the EG465AX both had was a loud “pop” when the power supply was turned off. This occurred whether or not the motherboard was on or not.
Wattages
|
3.3V |
5V |
12V |
-12 |
-5 |
+5vsb |
combined theoretical |
actual combined |
advertised total |
|
|
Enermax EG465AX-VE FCA 460W |
115.50 |
175.00 |
396.00 |
12.00 |
5.00 |
11.00 |
290.50 |
200.00 |
460.00 |
This power supply is really a system builder’s treat. All rails seem to be pretty evenly balanced, with plenty of room on the +3.3V and +12V. The +12V rating appears to be the peak, however. A higher combined rail rating would go a long way for this power supply, but we are just nitpicking rather than criticizing these specifications. When talking to Enermax, one of the features they were very proud of was their strict adhesion with the Intel ATX12V 1.2 standard. Of all the power supplies we looked at, the two Enermax units were the only power supplies which displayed this ATX12V 1.2 compliance. We will see this certainly pays off in the performance benchmarks later on.
Unfortunately, with any quality component, the EG465AX-VE is expensive. Most vendors carry the unit for about $85, which prices it aggressively for system builders. We were very pleased with the performance of this unit, as well.
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Anonymous User - Saturday, August 2, 2003 - link
#11, yes P=IxV, but the power ratings in the table were obviously taken from manufacturers' data rather than actual measurements, which is why when any power rating for any of the positive voltages is divided by that voltage, the quotient exactly equals an integer. That would not be a problem if all manufacturers applied identical standards to their specifications, but many computer users have learned that this isn't the case.Anonymous User - Saturday, August 2, 2003 - link
Perhaps you could include a Q-Tec PSU in the next review? They retail here in Sweden at about 60% of the price of corresponding Enermax and other high quality units, so assuming they aren't totally lousy they're very cheap.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
I agree with #15. Definitely take a look at the PC Power and Cooling 400w Silencer PSU. I own two of these units and they're very high quality with reasonably low noise.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Enlight power supplies are always being excluded from these PSU comparsions. I have a Enlight 360W PSU and it's very stable and very quiet. Test some Enlight PSUs!Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
I appreciated the comments concerning AMD users, but what I really need is some sort of guidance on AMD processor speed vs combined power or 3.3V rail current for upgrading older systems. Many older cases have limited power supplies and I'm trying to figure out the fastest processor I can install and still have reliable operation. Example: A 300 watt supply with 25A of 3.3V can only support up to a Athlon 1600+ on an ECS K7S5A Pro or a 350 watt with a combined power of 200W can support up to 2200+. Oh, and forget that old 250 watt power supply altogether. I need something like that... yeah, I know: your mileage may vary, void where prohibited by law, no watts were endangered in the making of this article.....:-)Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Next time you guys might want to check out the PC P&C Silencer 400. It's built just as heavily as the Turbo Cool but with a quieter fan.Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
Hey guys, im sure 1 or 2 of you resistorheads are an ee or will soon be one.. ripple and noise are only part of a good pwr supply.. we need the facts... how many watts do these power supplies really put out. how do they respond with a big load.. will they take an overload.. how well are they protected...thats what i wanna read aboutMIDIman - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
WOW - excellent review. I'm getting a zalman for my silent box.Nice to see you guys pumping out articles quickly again! Thanks!
idenyit - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
hey just wondering the allied A400ATX hows that compare with the B400ATX thats offered on newegg? any differences?Anonymous User - Friday, August 1, 2003 - link
#10, doesnt P=IV? The Power and Voltage measurements were given.