Enermax Launches the Pro82+ and Modu82+
by Christoph Katzer on March 25, 2008 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Conclusion and Prices
We are impressed by Enermax for coming up with these two series, even if they are quite similar. Enermax already showed promise with the previous Infiniti design, and the Pro82+ and Modu82+ set a new standard as Enermax tries to attack several markets at the same time. First, Seasonic now has some real competition in their quest to become the reincarnated PSU god of silence. The German market has the be quiet! power supplies, which at the moment are at least the second most sold brand for enthusiasts. Both brands are famous for their silent operation, and Enermax is definitely aiming for that market as well.
As we see at the price comparison, Enermax has a moderate price policy. Since these models are brand new, we expect the prices to fall somewhat in the near future. Enermax provides good technology and performance in their offerings, and they do it with better noise readings. The "quality budget" sector also gets a new option, as there are few good PSUs in the low wattage market, and we're not aware of any new models targeting this market from other vendors. The larger versions feature four 6/8-pin PEG connectors, which is not a common trait among their competitors.
Performance-wise, both of the new series showed very good results today. We have to say we like the Pro82+ a little better since it has much better pricing at the moment, but as stated this can change once the power supplies are available in greater volumes. The cable management of the Modu82+ is very good, and users will have no problems with it. The new 12-pin jack also buys Enermax some future expandability, since they can always adjust the harness and connector and leave the jack untouched. This is why Enermax has the right to put "future ready" on the package, though how meaningful that will be in the long run remains to be seen.
The efficiency ratings are very good, and especially the smallest version, the Pro82+ 385W, performed very well. All of the units reached a very good 86% efficiency maximum, and they also maintained a high efficiency level throughout the loading test. Voltage outputs were stable, and especially the important 12V rail performed within 2% to 3% of regulation.
When it comes to prices, we have the first prices available now but Enermax is still working to increase supply. The prices will surely drop in the next couple of weeks when more units are available at all the major retailers. Right now, the lowest price in Europe for the smallest version is 48 EUR, which is a good start. The Modu82+ models are quite a bit higher, apparently because of the extra features and the desirability of modular cabling. This can be seen clearly with the 625W versions of the Pro82+ and Modu82+, where the Pro82+ costs 105 EUR and the Modu82+ costs 125 EUR. The cable management definitely shouldn't add 20 EUR to the price; whether prospective buyers agree with that or not will determine how much that gap closes.
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The Enermax Pro82+ and Modu82+ both perform extremely well in our tests, and as such we are awarding both series our Gold Editors' Choice Award. Users can't go wrong with these power supplies, and silence (without going fanless) has been redefined today. Enermax truly has the quietest air-cooled power supplies in the market right now, and the prices (at least for the smaller versions at the moment) make these units relatively affordable and very attractive.
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Bremen7000 - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Horizontal bar charts for price? Really? I guess when all you have is a hammer...Woodchuck2000 - Thursday, March 27, 2008 - link
Well put...One of the shoddier reviews I've seen on Anandtech for quite some time, including some shocking graph abuse and grammatical errors throughout.
In the DC Output Stability and Quality section, There are four PSUs in the top three graphs and then only three shown in the analysis below. Which 525W supply is that?
In the graphs below, I assume the numbers at the lower half of the nonsensical Y-axis are meant to be negative? And is the load percentage on the X-axis a percentage of total rated PSU capacity, or rated line current. And in either case, are other lines loaded and if so how? You'd expect completely different 12v load characteristics depending on which other lines are loaded any how much.
"In case of ripple and noise, we were surprised to see very little distortion on the rails. The highest amount of ripple on the 12V rail was 16mV for example. The other rails were similar except the 5Vsb rail, which went a little high. That's pretty common, unfortunately."
Why is that surprising? How did you measure ripple? Is that amplitude or peak above rated? A little high under what circumstances? Why's that common, and if it's only the 5V Standby Rail, why is that necessarily unfortunate? The whole article is full of meaningless generalisations like that one...
Anandtech has enough quality writers not to need filler like this. All in all, D-
C'DaleRider - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Apart from the upgrade in caps, there seems to be no design improvements. On the contrary, the workmanship looks a bit dodgy. I'd wait to see if these blow up left right and center after a year of use before passing a verdict.
[quote]To our surprise, there are two main capacitors, which is something we don't see often in Enermax power supplies.[/quote]
Whaaaaa??? Last I checked the entire FMA lineup had "two capacitors" on the primary side.
Spacecomber - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
At the beginning of the section on the Pro82+, you state, "The package is quite different from the Modu82+ series and comes in completely different dimensions". I think that you were just describing the dimensions of the box that the power supplies come in, but the picture at the start of the article, where the power supplies are stacked on each other, gives the impression that the power supplies themselves might be of different dimensions.Can you confirm that the external dimensions are the same for all these new models? Are these power supplies of the typical size?
Thanks.
Christoph Katzer - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Yes, only the package is different.strikeback03 - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Your photo of the label for the big Pro82+ shows 625W, but your charts on pages 12 and 14 say Pro82+ 525W. Which was it actually?Didn't look elsewhere, but these are on Newegg right now for $10-30 more than you list in the review. The Infiniti 650 is priced the same as the Modu82+ 625W but the Infiniti ships free, and the Infiniti 720W is cheaper than either after a $25 MIR.
Griswold - Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - link
Any good reason (like you couldnt get ahold of one) for not including the 425W PSU of this line? Its by far the most reasonable of the three... too bad.