Enermax EG465P-VE 431W PSU

One thing all computers have in common is they all need a power supply, (PSU), to make them work and as they become more powerful and feature rich, so their power requirements become more demanding. The importance of a good PSU and its effect on reliable computer operation cannot be stressed enough. The PSU needs to maintain a constant voltage output within close tolerances whilst having sufficient current "beefiness" to cope with the computers widely changing demands as CPU load, disk drive activity etc. varies. This is no mean feat and failure to meet these requirements often results in random crashes and the danger of data corruption that brings. I am going to look at one such power supply that purports to be up to the job, the Enermax EG465P-VE PSU. This is a 431W low noise unit intended as an upgrade over the standard 250W/300W generic PSU. Here are its details straight from the spec sheet...

FEATURES

Meets ATX 2.03 & ATX +12V 1.1 Version. Pentium 4 supported !
AMD Desirable Mechanical Version !!

Gold plated connectors provide perfect conduction. 
Compliant with AMD K7. 
Dual fan design of E type PSU and all with thermal control function. 
+5Vsb output current 2.2A output 
Cable tube tied design for neatness. 
Noiseless & High MTBF 

Cables

Cables Illustration

Cables

ATX+12V cable, AUX cable, Output cables 8+2. Cable Length 800mm

Removing the PSU from its packaging, the first thing you notice is its weight, the unit being somewhat heavier than most generic supplies. The case is made from heavy gauge steel with no sharp edges to rip your fingers when fitting the unit inside your case. The build of this PSU oozes quality. On the back there is the power cord socket, a 110 - 230 Vac mains voltage selector and a mains power switch. From the picture it can be seen the unit has two cooling fans protected by gold coloured finger guards. The finger guards are recessed into the casing to prevent them fouling on the computer case when fitting the unit. The rear fan is a 90mm exhaust and the underside fan is an 80mm intake. With the PSU fitted, the underside fan assists in removing the hot air from the CPU cooler, which can result in a cooler running CPU which is a useful side effect. To help keep the fan noise to a minimum, the fans are speed controlled via a temperature sensor inside the PSU, there is no manual speed control unlike some other models from Enermax. There is an output cable to monitor the underside fan speed via a motherboard header should you so wish.