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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rudolphna - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - link
Very nice to see a new PSU review on anandtech, I was worried you guys had forgotten what made you popular- reviews of real products not just blog after blog. I have a suggestion, if I may. The Antec Neo Eco 400W power supply. I actually just bought one, it seems like a good deal. It has a 30 amp 12V rail (360W) a 120mm fan, and is 80plus certified. Not sure who the OEM for it is, I'm thinking Seasonic. But you guys should check it out. Great review by the way.papapapapapapapababy - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - link
good luck finding a replacement for that gold monstrosity. so that make this crap a n buy for me. You see, i like to change the fans on my psu ( better fans) in order to control them myself.strikeback03 - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
Might still use 140mm mounting holes, and just be a 139mm fan to avoid a stupid patent.Calin - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
Hard to think you'll need a fan better than that - 50 Celsius for the vented air and almost totally silent even at maximum load?I have an old Seasonic 350W (12 cm fan) which I felt was totally silent in typical operation (closed case, computer under desk), and after about four years it still is totally silent.
papapapapapapapababy - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
is not hard to think _ for me_ the big fan dsnt follow a standard, it has no other use for me, if a buy 4 120 fans i could give the multiple uses/ ( psu replacement fan, case fan, cpu fan, low speed fan, high speed fan, etc, - btw cases with big fans are terrible) one huge big ass fan? no other user ¡ difficult to find = no thanks.papapapapapapapababy - Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - link
is not hard to think _ for me_ the big fan dsnt follow a standard, it has no other use for me, if a buy 4 120 fans i could give the multiple uses/ ( psu replacement fan, case fan, cpu fan, low speed fan, high speed fan, etc, - btw cases with big fans are terrible) one huge big ass fan? no other user ¡ difficult to find = no thanks.Voldenuit - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - link
Why use such a cumbersome term as Cable Management (which refers primarily to the neatness of cable routing) when 'Modular' is much more apt (and specifically referred to in the product name)?Nobody makes 'cable management' PSUs, but quite a few companies make 'modular PSUs'.
Mumrik - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - link
More comparisons (especially in the benchmarking) to competing products (rather than just the other two in the series) would really be nice. I actually have come to expect it at Anandtech.To me, this came off as a bit more of a fluff piece. Not a disguised commercial but more like something I'd find at most other hardware sites.
ap90033 - Friday, January 22, 2010 - link
I thought this was a good article on specific hardware. But then again I am not the uber geek with no life like some seem to be around here....RaistlinZ - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - link
Geez, and I thought the X-Series was overpriced. Sure, these Enermax PSU's are efficient, but certainly not $50.00 more efficient than say, an Corsair 750HX. If they come with a $30.00 MIR then they might be worth the money, but otherwise I'll pass.