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The fan is a 13.9cm Twister Bearing model – KitGuru has reviewed several fans in this family in the past. This PD1402512H fan is manufactured by Power Cooler (Enermax subsidiary) and it is a DC 12v/0.75A model. Enermax rate this model as having a 2,000 maximum rpm threshold, normally running between 850 and 1,400 rpm.
Enermax have been keen to announce their ‘AirGuard' design which used a patented air inlet system with ‘optimal aero dynamical design', reducing noisy air turbulences. The housing around the air vent is bent to the inside, closing the gap in between the inside and fan frame, so less air can get in between them. This effectively reduces noise levels by 1-2 dBa. More on this later.
‘Heat Guard' is another technology Enermax incorporate which forces the fan to operate at approximately 1,200 RPM for between 30 to 60 seconds after the system has been turned off. The idea is that warm ambient air will be expelled from the chassis, therefore enhancing the product life span.
Internally the unit is well designed with several large heatsinks seperating main sections of the physical area and allowing for good heat transference. The heatsinks are well positioned to receive good internal airflow from the 13.9mm fan above and to aid with cooling efficiency.
This unit has a very high standard of soldering throughout and comprises three coils, an MOV, two X capacitors and four Y capacitors. Behind the modular PCB is a polymer capacitor.
Enermax are using high grade Rubycon capacitors. The 12V output area consists of six IRFB3206's as well as a SR860 Schottky for VSB – these are bolted to the heatsink.
The 3.3V and 5V voltage regulator units get their power from the primary 12 V output. This is split into overcurrent protection feeding the four 12V rails. The secondary side (above) which is formed around Nippon Chemi Con electrolytics and polymer capacitors.
While the 12V is split into 4 rails, they are rated at 35A each which is more than enough to feed any graphics cards on the market today. The unit has also passed certification at 85% efficiency at 20% and 100% load – giving it a 80 Plus Silver rating.
The 920W model has a 99.13% 12V output PSU rating and the model we are testing today is a 100% model. There is also built in under and over voltage protection should any fault develop during the products life span. This ensures that the 3.3v/5v and 12v outputs do not surpass a specific point. Over Current protection is in place to ensure voltage stays within specific parameters. Over Temperature protection is in place to cause a forced shutdown for safety reasons if the temperature exceeds a specific point. Short Circuit protection is included to power off the supply should the 3.3v, 5v or 12v rails short.
Lastly Enermax have been focusing on C6 and Hybrid Mode support. C6 is a processor state which can drop the processor to use 1w in power saving mode. Without proper support for this however a power supply may have problems maintaining stable voltages in such a low power draw state.
Another great PSU, nice to see something else outside Corsair here this month 🙂 Tough competition for Enermax, this would have been leading the way 6 months ago.
Interesting to see the 12V mv fluctuation. clearly some circuitry changes have taken place since the last models were released. looks great however
Very tough market now with corsair dominating. Still this is a brilliant model, but the price needs to drop to under £200 to be truly competitve. Nice to see Kitguru being totally honest. i saw another review of this last week (or another model) on a tech site and they give it a top award. I fail to see how this really deserves to be put before the corsair unit considering the performance, efficiency and price differences.
The corsair Flextronics models are totally unbeatable right now until other manufacturers catch up. While this Enermax model is certainly worth buying, it shows the gulf in design between the last generation and this new cutting edge flextronics generation.
I agree. I read a review of this on johhnyguru and it was honest. a few other sites seem to have been overly supportive of this unit. the 12v mv is a little concerning, while it wont cause issues, it still shouldnt be there and compared to the AX1200 which is 15 less, produces more power, more efficiency with more stability with mv, it seems a no brainer. still enermax deserve some credit, I dont want to appear dismissive.
great testing, glad to see you raised ambient temperatures by 10c to cover a greater variety of system temperatures. 25c was too low.
Very good review and I think this is a great unit. I agree Corsair is number 1 choice, but this is a close second.
Great testing KitGuru, best review of this unit ive read online yet,
Good solid design, nice to see rubycon components, those are wiked good/
This is still extremely hard to buy, hacent seen it anywhere 🙁
been trying to buy this for weeks, still cant find it anywhere. Enermax need a new distributor.
They look really brilliant, the design is awesome and im so glad they aren’t using gold fans in this model.
£250 is too much for this, its not competitve. not thanks to corsairs new AX models. I would score it 7/10 for this alone.
Great testing, good to see ambient temperatures up. would still like to see them at 50c however. good step up however.
Efficiency is good, not quite as good as AX series from corsair, but if you have an issue with corsair as a company on some level then this seems to be the one to get.
Zardon, no offense, but how did this get 8.5/10? the testing is spot on, I have one and have taken it apart too. however, the 12V mv is quite movable by todays standards which could in theory cause an issue under full load with for example 2 480’s GTX in SLI. Not only that, but the price is £250, which is £15 more than the AX1200 from corsair which is more powerful, more efficient and doesnt suffer from 12 mv fluctuation. Views?
Garth, this power supply wont give issues with 2 480GTXs under load. dont be silly. the 12 V mv result kitguru measured is STILL well within the recommended specifications by industry experts. Certainly wont argue the corsair units are better, but lets keep it sane !
Great review, very helpful. I need to get the AX1200 now, thats my view !
No one needs this, or the AX1200. the AX850 is the best PSU on the market now when taking into consideration the price point and current modern hardware requirements.
Nice design, always loved the appearance of these products. just a shame they werent comparible to corsairs. makes the pricing seem even more ridiculous.
Found this review today and had to say great site ! very good testing and nicely laid out with high quality pictures.
GREAT REVIEW ! ill be back.
Very nice indeed, Enermax are quality. id rate them higher than corsair due to their history in this market and 5 year warranty.
Dont corsair offer a 5 year warranty also ?
@ Trev, I’m pretty sure Corsair actually offer a 7-year warranty on their PSUs…
I lost all interest in Enermax when I bought Galaxy 850W with that stupid Power Guard system, beeping every step of the way without any reason (even if UPS was well above specified data – 850W PSU require at least 1000W UPS to work properly, I have 1980W). I was using Liberty 500W for a long time then switched to Galaxy and it was biggest mistake of my PC buys. Switched once more but this time to Corsair and never looked back. Enermax messed up big time with first versions of Galaxy and Revolution. For me never again Enermax. It is good to see that this “big-success” addition Power Guard is… no more with this particular model.
Furthermore at this price point I expecting fully modular construction. It is not a secret that Enermax’s sleeving and connectors are rather poor and bulky. Cables are not as flexible as Corsair, with Enermax you need often excessive force to plug another 12V line cable, while Corsair connectors just slid in, do “click” and end of story. For now using spare Galaxy 850W on test bench with minimum loads mainly to test old HDDs with various controllers.
Best buys today are:
– (Blue) 750W Corsair – if you don’t need fully modular setup or SLI/CF
– (Gold) 850W Corsair – if you do require fully modular PSU and SLI/CF
– (Gold) 1200W Corsair – if you don’t want to buy PSU for another 5 or even 10 years.
Right now Corsair is simply unbeatable. Best quality, best price, best design (talking about cables, connectors and general ease of use not color of the box) and finally best support with 7 year warranty.
Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts
and I am waiting for your next write ups thanks once again.