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Enermax are highly respected in the enthusiast community, especially for their high quality power supplies. Today we are looking at an update on their new Modu 82+ II 525W unit, which adds EU regulation ‘ErPLot6' compliancy.
These new revisions are being rolled out in 2011 to meet the new guidelines and the 525W model will be available from March 2011 onwards for around £100 inc vat. This is an 80 Plus Bronze unit with a reported 84%-88% efficiency.
So why another revision? ErP (Energy-related product) is a new directive to establish a framework for the setting of eco-design requirements. All products must meet the ecology design requirements and obtain the ‘CE' certification. Only then, can the product be sold into the EU market.
ErP Lot 6 (previously EuP = Energy-using Products) is part of the EU FrameWork Directive on Eco-Design of Energy Using Products from the 21st of October 2009. A new regulation (no 1275/2008) states that from the 7th of January 2010 a PC system should not consume more than 1W during off state or standby. From the 7th of January 2013 the limit will change to 0.5W. In the future, only systems which meet this requirement will receive CE certification.
To meet this requirement a PSU is only part of the equation, the motherboard also has to be compliant, ultimately reducing power consumption and meeting the ErP Lot 6 demands. In the case of a power supply, the standby consumption depends on the efficiency of the 5V standby rail (5Vsb).
Enermax say “We improved the efficiency of the 5V standby rail to make its PSU ready for the newest EU standard. We gained around 20% efficiency on the 5Vsb rail – up to 55% instead of around 35% (0,09A load, 230V). The first models will be launched at the beginning of 2011 – series by series, starting with Pro82+ II and Modu82+ II. Enermax is one of the first PSU manufacturers to react on this regulation.”
80PLUS® Bronze efficiency
- 84-88% efficiency at 230V and 20-100% load. 80PLUS® Bronze certified.
Intel ATX12V v2.3
- Compliant with the latest desktop power supply design guide. Full support of most current CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo™/ Quad™/ Extreme™ / i7™ / i5™ / i3™ and AMD® Athlon™ 64X2/X4 or Phenom™ X3/X4.
Future ready and flexible
- All-round modular cable management. 10/12P sockets for possible connector changes of upcoming high-performance CPU and graphics card generations.
Stable and reliable
- Three high performance and massive 12V rails.
New: DXXI ready!
- Full support of most current DX11 graphics cards due to 6+2P (8P) connectors.
Full graphics power
- Supports SLI™ systems (Modu82+ II 525W/625W) and CrossFireX™ systems.
New: HeatGuard
- Keeping PSU fan running for 30-60 seconds after shut down to dissipate the remaining system heat and prolonging system lifetime.
SpeedGuard
- Patented fuzzy logic 12cm fan speed control for optimal cooling and minimum noise.
AirGuard
- Patented air-intake with optimal aero-dynamical design reduces noisy air turbulences.
SafeGuard
- Industry-leading octuple protection circuitry of OCP, OVP, AC UVP, DC UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP & SIP.
New: CordGuard
- Fixing the AC cord tightly to avoid accidental shutdowns of your PC.
Non-Stop @ 40°C
- Non-stop industrial class performance at 40°C/104°F ambient.
EMC ready!
- Full-scale electromagnetic filtering protects against radiation interferences (CE EMC EN55024 compliance).
Worldwide compatibility
- 100-240V AC input with automatic adjustment and up to 99% active Power Factor Correction (PFC) for global usage.
ENERGY STAR 5.0 ready!
- Support computer system to meet ENERGY STAR 5.0 standard.
Dimensions
- (W x H x D) 150mm x 85mm x 140mm.
Warranty
- 3 years vendor warranty.
The Enermax Modu 82+ II 525W arrives in a stylish, colourful box with all relevant information clearly detailed on the front, ideal for a store display.
Inside, there is an extensive bundle: a power cable, mounting screws, felt cable tidies, literature, a manual, modular cables and a storage pouch for the cables you won't be using.
The PSU is wrapped inside a plastic bag and protected with a layer of cardboard.
The Enermax Modu 82+ II 525W is an attractive design, with a subtle metallic finish and gold fan shroud.
The supply isn't a pure modular design, with a cable housed on the left of the chassis. It measures 150mm x 85mm x 140mm (W x H x D).
All of the cables are high quality and easily colour coded so no problems can occur when building a system. The cabling is abundant for this specific power output and we are pleased to see the availability of 8 pin PCI-E 2.0 power connectors (x3).
The rear of the power supply is completely vented to allow for maximum air flow.
The 12V output is capable of delivering up to 40A which is very impressive for a 525W supply.
The 120mm Enermax branded fan (EB122512H) is controlled to rotate between 450 rpm and 2,000 rpm depending on the ambient temperatures. It is a 9 blade design and incorporates dual ball bearing and is rated for 0.30A at 12V.
The fan opening is contoured around all edges to help move the airflow into the fan and to reduce any turbulence. This is a patented AirGuard aerodynamic design.
The overall internal layout and design is first class, much as we would expect from Enermax.
The main capacitors on the primary side are Matsushita (Panasonic) and are rated for 180uF, 400V and 85c. At the right of the choke is the main bridge rectifier. Secondary capacitors are Nippon Chemi-Con rated to 105c. The cables are nicely sleeved into the chassis to protect against fraying.
Enermax have wrapped some of the capacitors in protective sleeving to insulate them from the soldered traces on the back of the AC input PCB.
Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.
Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.
We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA
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DC Output Load Regulation
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||||||||
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Combined DC Load |
+3.3V
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+5V
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+12V
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+5VSB
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||||
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
|
|
110W
|
1.02
|
3.37
|
1.03
|
5.12
|
8.02
|
12.20
|
1.00
|
5.10
|
|
220W
|
2.04
|
3.35
|
2.02
|
5.11
|
16.01
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12.18
|
1.00
|
5.09
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|
305W
|
3.02
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3.34
|
3.04
|
5.09
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22.06
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12.15
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1.50
|
5.07
|
| 410W |
4.01
|
3.32
|
4.05
|
5.06
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30.12
|
12.12
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2.00
|
5.05 |
|
515W
|
5.02
|
3.32
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5.06
|
5.04
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38.14
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12.07
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2.50
|
5.02
|
Voltage regulation is stellar, right across the range, holding to reference levels.
| Enermax Modu 82+ II 525W | Maximum Load |
| 592.5 |
We managed to load the PSU with 592 watts before it shut down gracefully. The overcircuit protection works well.
Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.
| Cross Load Testing | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | -12V | +5VSB | |||||
| A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | |
| 493W | 1.0 | 3.34 | 1.0 | 5.08 | 40.0 | 12.03 | 0.2 | -12.34 | 0.50 | 5.12 |
| 153W | 15.0 | 3.26 | 15.0 | 5.04 | 2.0 | 12.28 | 0.2 | -11.67 | 0.50 | 5.00 |
The Enermax Modu82+ 525W PSU delivered great results in our cross loading tests. We placed a full 40A on the +12V output and a light load on the remaining outputs. With such a great imbalance the voltages all remained well within specifications.
We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum.
ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.
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ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
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|
|
Output
|
Ripple (mV p-p)
|
|
+3.3V
|
50
|
|
+5V
|
50
|
|
+12V1
|
120
|
|
+12V2
|
120
|
|
-12V
|
120
|
|
+5VSB
|
50
|
Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the Enermax unit complied with the ATX standard.
| AC Ripple (mV p-p) | ||||
| DC Load | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | 5VSB |
| 110W | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| 220W | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| 305W | 20 | 20 | 25 | 25 |
| 410W | 20 | 25 | 35 | 25 |
| 515W | 20 | 25 | 45 | 25 |
Ripple supression isn't class leading but it is very good and remains well within the Tolerance guidelines. Some supplies can really fall down in this area.
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Efficiency (%)
|
|
|
110W
|
86.1
|
|
220W
|
88.5
|
|
305W
|
88.7
|
|
410W
|
87.8
|
|
515W
|
85.8
|
For an 80 Plus Bronze unit these figures are some of the best we have seen to date, peaking just under 89%.
We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.
As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
|
Noise (dBA)
|
|
|
110W
|
27.4
|
|
220W
|
27.9
|
|
305W
|
28.8
|
|
410W
|
31.3
|
| 515W | 34.5 |
Below 70% load, this PSU is basically silent, and only in the upper 25% does it become audible, but never intrusive. Excellent results again and this means that it will make an ideal partner for a HTPC system build.
|
Temperature (c)
|
||
|
Intake
|
Exhaust
|
|
|
110W
|
35
|
37
|
|
220W
|
36
|
38
|
|
305W
|
37
|
45
|
|
410W
|
40
|
47
|
|
515W
|
42
|
51
|
The 120mm fan does a great job of keeping the temperatures in check, with only a 9c above ambient intake threshold.
|
Maximum load
|
Efficiency
|
|
592.5W
|
83.4
|
Pushing the PSU above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 83.4%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.
To test the standby power draw today, we used an ErP supported product – the MSI Big Bang XPower MS7666 Rev. 1.1 Motherboard which complies with EuP 2013 standards. This specific board has been tested and consumes 0W in Standby mode.
|
ErP Lot 6 system build
|
Standby Power Drain
|
|
MSI & Enermax
|
0W
|
Well we can't really get much better than this, a standby power drain of nothing.
The Enermax Modu 82+ II 525W supply with the latest ErP Lot 6 update has certainly proved to excel right across our array of testing today.
The efficiency levels are class leading for a 80 Plus Bronze certified supply, maintaining efficiency between 85% and 89% across the full gamut of output. Cross loading results were excellent and again, some of the most impressive we have seen to date. Ripple suppression point to good internal design, translating to high levels of system stability under tricky power situations.
Aesthetically, we like the design, both inside and out. The supply is nicely finished and internally it is a clean, efficient design. The fan is another highlight as it provides excellent airflow without generating much noise at all. This would be a perfect powersupply for a media center as it exceeds all the necessary criteria.
As with many Enermax products, the only downside appears to be the price point, which has been indicated to be £99 inc vat when it reaches the UK in March of this year. When you can spend the same amount of money to get the Antec High Current Gamer 900W it becomes very much a personal buying decision. Both are 80 Plus Bronze Certified and the Antec product offers almost 400W more power headroom. The Enermax supply is quieter however and has a more efficient standby state.
The Enermax Modu 82+ II 525W power supply has impressed us greatly. It is perfectly suited as a highly optimised supply for a demanding enthusiast media center, and we are hard pressed to think of a better choice in this situation for under £100. We recorded no power drain with a compliant MSI motherboard in standby mode. Many people are becoming more energy conscious as electricity bills and overall lifestyle costs increase in 2011 and this could very well be a primary selling point.
KitGuru says: A quality design both in and out and one for the energy aware consumer in 2011. Ideal for a media center.
