Enermax Gold: Modu87+ and Pro87+
by Christoph Katzer on January 19, 2010 1:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
A look Inside
When opening this unit we couldn't really see anything different inside than you'd see in other power supplies. If you take a closer look you will find a few differences though. In fact this unit uses some of the same technology as Seasonic does in their latest X-series. Enermax's so called Dynamic Hybrid Transformer technology, part of the "resonant topology", is nothing more than a kind of gearbox for the components. This way Enermax can regulate the voltage that goes into the capacitor ranging from roughly 330V to 400V. If the load on the DC output is low the voltage to the capacitor will be lower as well, resulting in better efficiency. The same goes for the frequencies which will be decreased with higher loads and increased when the DC load is lower.
In the secondary part we see two "DC to DC" sister PCBs where the 5V and 3.3V rails are created. Below these two sister PCBs we find capacitors attached to another PCB vertically. Enermax actually carries a patent for this arrangement which is space saving and enhances the cooling of the attached components. Oh and don't mention the blue heatsinks. They do look strange inside a black and golden schemed power supply, but as you can remember back at Computex the housing was still dark matte black with a red fan installed. It made sense at the time and Enermax unfortunately had already produced all of the heatsinks and were unable to change those when the new look was introduced. For component geeks, there is a Rubycon capacitor in the primary and a lot of Nippon Chemi-Con caps in the secondary. The solid-state caps are made in Taiwan, though.
The overall quality is as we would expect from Enermax, but they still managed to top former achievements. As they previously worked with PCBs made of synthetic resin bonded paper (FR-2), things always looked a little shabby inside. With the new multi-layer PCB it all looks much cleaner and adds a huge percentage of quality to the units.
The Fan
Since Enermax bought its own fan company a while ago they started producing a wide range of funky fans. Together with their twister bearing they have come up with some pretty good fans lately and are in fact able to diversify the product ranges according to their actual needs. In the case of the Modu87+ and Pro87+ for example Enermax wanted a larger fan; 140mm is the largest possible in an ATX power supply today and it's already patented, so Enermax decided to make a 139mm fan themselves. Together with golden blades this fan looks truly amazing, and we are happy that there aren't any LEDs. The fan carries the model number EA142512W-OAB. Enermax also worked on the Hall-IC inside the fan and made it possible to run the fan at incredibly low RPMs, which we will see later.
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strikeback03 - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
Probably because over 90% of the computers that exist are built by OEMs, and a high quality power supply is too expensive for that application. You are going to have a hard time selling consumers on "higher quality power" when that is something they expect to just work.7Enigma - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
A patent on a 140mm fan? Seriously? What a load of crap. They should have made the 139mm 139.9mm and put a big red F in their booklet with the name of the patent-holder. What is this world coming to?7Enigma - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
I have to say I am very pleased with the modular PSU's sticking with the same plug design. That would make cable management after installation a thing of the past which I think for 90% of us DIY builders is what keeps us from replacing a PSU mid-upgrade cycle. Instead just disconnect the cables from the old PSU, pop in the new one, and connect the cables again.I do want to mention a PSU I installed for my cousin about a month ago. I for the life of me can't remember the brand but it was definitely a high-end PSU. It was modular and instead of using the typical A/C plug style to connect the cables to the PSU, it had similar to a microphone plug; 3 pronged in a triangle fashion with a locking collar that you had to screw down. It was a VERY well manufactured piece and there was no issue with feeling the connection wasn't solid.
Anyways glad to see a PSU review again. I got burned a year ago when I jumped the gun on an early recommendation for a PSU you were just starting to test and have been unhappy with its rails and overall quality (Tuniq Potency). Penny-wise, pound-foolish and all. I've been trying to justify upgrading to a better PSU and I think the time has just about come. I just hate the though of doing the cable management again...definitely going to be getting a modular PSU again (previous to the Tuniq I had an Antec NeoPower 480w which was awesome in its day).
dukeariochofchaos - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
the best i can find these for is ~$240 for the 600watt, and ~$275 for the 700watt.so far, i can't find the 500, or any of the "pro" series.
i guess they figure somebody spending that much on a psu is only going for the top.
Christoph Katzer - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
Yes, unfortunately Enermax USA won't take all of these six units.strikeback03 - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
So does that mean we won't see the 500W units?Well, at least there is still Seasonic.
Christoph Katzer - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
I heard they will be bringing the Pro87+ 500 & 600W.dukeariochofchaos - Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - link
i have seen these come down in price in akihibara already.in the right places, they are ~$200 for the 600w, and ~$230 for the 700w.
i have also seen the "pro" models around for about $50 less for each.
cupoftea - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
I meant first paragraph.Hoist. Petard.
cupoftea - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
Pedant ON. Its not a square shape its an octagon, to match the octagonal hole for the fan and (most) of the metalwork forming the fan guard. Pedant OFF.