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Enermax EG325P-VE SFMA 320W PSU - Page 2 of 2
Posted: April 27, 2004
Author: Hellfire
Manufacturer: Enermax
Source: Maxpoint

Installation:

The image below is what my case looked like before removing my old power supply. With this setup I noticed that I could hear my power supply fan over my rear case fans.

Click Image for Larger View

After removing my old power supply, which was the standard power supply that I received from Raidmax with my case, I installed the Enermax power supply. As you would expect, the screw holes lined up perfectly with the holes in the case, and left plenty of room for the exhaust fan. All the cables could reach where they needed to go, without any problems. But that’s ok, this was going in my small Raidmax (medium tower) case. If I was installing this in my large Antec (full tower), I’m not certain all the cables would reach. If they did, it wouldn’t leave much slack. Longer cables would be nice, but not a requirement. If this was a larger power supply (say a 400w+) I would expect the cables to be longer.

Here’s what my case looked like after I got the power supply installed and running. To me it looks much nicer since some of the cables are now wrapped. Would’ve been better if they were all wrapped.

Click Image for Larger View

Testing:

Test Machine Specs:
• Motherboard - Shuttle AN35N-Ultra
• Processor – AMD XP2600+ Barton
• Memory – 1.5 Gigs 3200 DDR (generic)
• Video Card – PNY GeForce FX5600 Ultra
• Hard Drives – 1 Western Digital 180 Gig SE
• Case Fans – 2 Rear 80mm, 1 Side Panel 80mm
• Optical Drive – Memorex DVD-R/RW
• Other Accessories – Multi-Media card reader (8-n-1)

Power Supply Performance:

Using a Craftsman Auto-Ranging Multimeter (Model 82139), I recorded the idle and load voltage conditions of the Enermax 320W power supply, as well as my Raidmax 420W unit. The idle results were obtained with no applications running, while the load results were obtained with all of the following running; Agent, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, MS Access (1.5 Gig DB), City of Heroes, and BattleField 1942. The chart below shows the load voltages of each unit as measured on the 3.3V, 5V, and 12V rails.


The following graph shows the results obtained on the Enermax recorded at both idle and load conditions.


As you can see the Enermax EG325AX-VE Noisetaker is very stable, especially when compared to the Raidmax test unit and its 100W edge in published power output. Even under a load it stays stable, with only a slight variation in the 5V rail. With zero fluctuation measured on the 12V rail, I would say Enermax's separate 12V rails for drives and the cpu/motherboard proved to be a worthy innovation.

Conclusion:

To sum it all up, I have to say this power supply is by far the quietest power supply I’ve ever seen (or heard). Even with nothing but my processor fan and the power supply fans running, I never heard a thing from it.

Most people will want a larger power supply, but for this system, a 320W does the job just fine. It will remain in this system until I need more power, at which time I’ll put the Raidmax Power Supply back in, and move this one onto another system. If it had been the 420W or better, it wouldn’t ever move.

A search of PriceGrabber turns up nothing on this particular unit, but Newegg has them in stock for $49.50 (US), which is quite respectable. All things considered, I would most definitely give this power supply a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):


Pros:

• Price – Can’t beat this quality for the price
• Noise – No noise. Will be a great addition to make any PC noise free.
• Looks – Great looking finish if you have an acrylic case.
• Cable Wraps – For a low cost PS, any pre-wrapped cables are helpful.
• Fans – Nice large, efficient, and quiet fans.
• Connectors – Dual SATA and Dedicated Molex – plenty of connectors for all your needs.

Cons:

• Wrapping – Don’t do the cable wrapping ˝ way. Complete the job and wrap all the cables.

Special thanks to Maxpoint for providing the Enermax EG325AX-VE (G)/(W) SFMA 320W PSU to Bigbruin.com for Review!!!

Please drop by the BigBruin.Com forum and feel free to discuss this review!

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