Enermax Gold: Modu87+ and Pro87+
by Christoph Katzer on January 19, 2010 1:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
External Appearance
The new series from Enermax surprised us as we had imagine something completely different (thinking back to Computex from last year). At that time both series were equipped with a 12mm Magma fan and had a very rough sandblasted paint scheme. Enermax has returned to a more traditional look and we think the change was only for the better. In an effort to reduce costs Enermax had to keep painting to a minimum which is why these units now only come with simple black paint. On the other hand, not all the changes were an effort to reduce costs; an expensive feature for example is the 139mm shiny golden fan. It fits quite well with the design aesthetic actually and makes this new design look better than the previous one with the red Magma fan. There is one little detail that doesn't quite fit, however: the Enermax logo in the middle of the fan guard looks a little odd with the square shape over a circular fan. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The Modu87+ power supplies have the cable management jacks at the front of the unit. There are five jacks with five pins and two with twelve. The jacks have the same size and shape as on other Enermax power supplies, and since the company offers separate cables in retail packages you can use old cables even if you want to switch to a new Enermax unit. Above the usual main switch and AC input you will find a small area with a note saying "Please put ENERMAX log sticker here." You can find the Enermax sticker in the package, but why bother? Enermax explained the reason for not attaching it in the factory is that the company doesn't know what direction the user is going to mount the power supply, since various cases have the PSU at the bottom and others have it at the top. If they pre-apply the sticker, it would be upside-down for some users. If you want your system to be "just so" after assembly, this might be an important consideration.
The CordGuard
Below the AC inlet and main switch you will find something new. These two hooks belong to the newly acquired patent from Zippy and now offered by Enermax called CordGuard.
The CordGuard is nothing more than a small wire-hook attached to the power supply. Once you connect the power cord you can lift the hook up to securely fasten the cable. This makes sense in households where you have the PC standing in an open space and someone could accidently pull out the cable. It might not be a critical feature for everyone, but it will undoubtedly come in handy for some users. Enermax will be modifying all of their PSUs to include the CordGuard function going forward, but we really don't think this is necessary.
Enermax posted this video on YouTube to show real life experiences and how they could be solved with CordGuard. We think it's dangerous to let kids play behind a PC in the first place, and let's just hope they don't notice the power switch….
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nubie - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
The only thing I learn from these reviews is to put in a 220v socket (USA) for the PC. It shouldn't cost much and would save on the power.I wonder what kind of efficiency you get from OEM PSU's (gateway, hp, dell) in the 250watt to 350watt range, because that is what I use to build PC's and I figure it puts them right in the middle of their power range with a 35-65watt CPU, as is common these days.
7Enigma - Thursday, January 21, 2010 - link
You sure the 220v US and the 230v Euro are compatible? I didn't think so but I'm not an electrician.As for the OEM PSU's I'd LOVE to see some tested. I'm banking on them being completely crap. More importantly than the efficiency would be the stability of these PSU's. Typically OEM's look for the least common denominator for all components, without normally sacrificing reliability when used as intended (ie not OC'd, extra devices).
But sounds like a great mini-review. Take a typical Dell, HP, Gateway (they still exist?) PSU and put them through the ringer and see who squeals first.
JonnyDough - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
"we hope that Enermax will bring in some really good MIRs (mail-in rebates)"There is no such thing.
bigboxes - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
I suppose it depends on the company. I got my Seasonic rebate in two months.JonnyDough - Thursday, January 21, 2010 - link
You're missing my point. What if you didn't get it? What if you had to cut off a UPC code, and a leg, and mail them in and then it took five months? Why can't they just give instant rebate at the checkout counter at Best Buy? Because they make money screwing people over. The discount only applies to those willing to mess around with the silliness of it all. Those who can't do it properly, lose out on it. Rebates are dumb.7Enigma - Thursday, January 21, 2010 - link
No, they make money by the majority of people not participating or participating improperly (forgot the UPC, sent in the wrong one, expired, etc.) Yes there are companies that are out to completely avoid paying rebates. They are the ones that have rediculously short windows for expiration, or just look for reasons not to pay (Tiger Direct....cough....cough). I've done a number of rebates my last 2 computer builds and have yet to not have one honored (most builds I give myself a 1 month window to accumulate all of the parts and heavily bank on the rebates to get better parts than I would otherwise purchase). One or two took significantly longer than stated, but in the end I received all of them WITHOUT having to contact the rebate company.Maybe I was just lucky, but maybe, just maybe I read the forms properly and sent in what was required within the allotted time.
Just one piece of advice if building a computer system. BUILD THE SYSTEM FIRST, THEN SEND IN THE REBATE. :)
cfaalm - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
It can also be the Euro/Dollar rate (at 1.41 now) at work here. When this thing is manufactured in Germany the Dollar price is going to be outrageous compared to the Euro price.Then again, when I bought my MODU82+ 525 late december 2008 it cost me 100,00 Euro. They remain amongst the most expensive apparantly still.
JonnyDough - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
I have an Enermax Liberty 500w and a Liberty 620w and they're both still going strong after several years.I'm really loving this Modu if there isn't anything better in a year or two when I finally upgrade my Opty 185 I may have to opt for this. It looks like its a bit easier to add/remove cables than my Liberty.
The gold fan is schweeeeet! At 140cm and with that blade design its gotta be darn near completely silent. Really great job Enermax. You're still my fave. :)
JonnyDough - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
"Enermax will be modifying all of their PSUs to include the CordGuard function going forward, but we really don't think this is necessary."I do. Stupid cats.
Shadowmaster625 - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
$150 for a power supply? Does it come with a glass pipe? Sheesh. What I'd like to see is a cheaper power supply that has a big fan like these, but only 300W. Only goofballs need more than 300 watts. I have a Q6600 system overclocked to 3.3 and it doesnt even pull 200 watts fully loaded. If I upgraded to a 5770 it should go to about 230 watts. So what is the deal with these 700W supplies?What I'd really like to see is a supply that outputs 50W at near 90% efficiency. Most new computers idle at 50 watts or less, and yet all these power supplies have atrocious efficiencies at that level. Not once have I ever read a review of a power supply that is actually specifically built & specced for 90% of the pc's that actually exist, ie those that idle around 50-75 watts and pull 120-150 fully loaded.