Enermax Liberty Advice?

Mista.Gee · 2 Jul 2006 at 08:38

Need advice on the best one to choose from:

Enermax Noisetaker 600W EG701AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-021-EN).
Enermax Liberty 500W ELT500AWT ATX2.2 Modular SLI Compliant PSU (CA-025-EN).

Which one should i buy as i now have and AM2 SLi setup and want a decent power supply to power it and a decent one.

Linky

hp7909 · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:00

geepee said:
{snip}Enermax Noisetaker 600W EG701AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-021-EN){snip}

The Noisetaker 600W suffered the same problems that the previous Enermax did. Anything over a ~120W combined load on +3.3V and +5V would cause the PSU to shut down. That left ~480W to find just from +12V. Will only 36A, that's impossible. The supply only managed to add another 340W to that 120W imposed limit using the +12V rails, stopping at 460W. Dropping back off of the 120W combined load to see if +12V could go further than around ~28A showed no extra headroom. Just over 27A combined is all the PSU can do.

It seems that the 600W quoted is merely a short-burst peak power. No amount of adjustment could persuade the supply to output more. At 460W efficiency was high and it wasn't very hot, but it didn't make the output power it claimed to be able to do, so it was classed as a failure. The supplied EPS to P4&P4+ convertor is a nice touch.

Recommended system: Mid-range to high-end desktop systems based around P4 (including high-speed Prescott), AMD Athlon Socket A and AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron on Socket 754 and Socket 939 but only if fully observing the ~460W limitations and especially the 27W limit for +12V. That's enough for all current NVIDIA SLI however, and a powerful CPU. Server systems due to EPS.

TBH do you really need 500+w (eXtreme PSU Calculator)?

I recommend this:

Tagan TG480-U01 480W ATX2.0 SLi Compliant Silent PSU (CA-000-TG) £50.50

The Tagan TG480-U01 is a PSU I've been familiar with ever since I reviewed it for ***** over a year ago. Since then I've used the review sample in my main testing system and I have my own bought unit in my personal PC. It's been through a number of minor revisions since its introduction, to add and tidy up the available connectors and do away with the EATX-to-ATX converter. The latest revision with 2 PEG connectors was tested. It passed the full-load tests without issue, voltages were solid if a little low under full load and efficiency was acceptable, if in the middle of the pack overall. Connectivity is the Tagan's strong point, the latest revision able to power just about anything, including a pair of PCI Express graphics boards

All loops are braided from nearly the source, to the endpoints of each cable run and its appearance is one of quality. Didn't miss a beat, but is bested in the graphs in all areas, if only by tiny margins in many cases. I won't be switching to anything else because of it, though, which hopefully says a lot.

Recommended system: Mid-range to high-end desktop systems based around P4 (including high-speed Prescott), AMD Athlon Socket A and AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron on Socket 754 and Socket 939. Server systems due to SSI connector. SLI-ready out of the box with the latest revision.

Click to expand...

hp7909

squiffy · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:05

hp7909, he's asking about Liberty, not the Noisetaker

500W should do for a normal system, 620W for a ATI Crossfire setup.

hp7909 · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:08

squiffy said:
hp7909, he's asking about Liberty, not the Noisetaker{snip}

geepee said:
{snip}Enermax Noisetaker 600W EG701AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-021-EN){snip}

Also, I'd wait for more opinions on the Liberty 500W one

Mista.Gee · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:10

So the enermax isn't that good then i take it as im looking for a modulated version so i don't have cables everywhere.

hp7909 · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:22

geepee said:
So the enermax isn't that good then i take it as im looking for a modulated version so i don't have cables everywhere.

From that review I wouldn't say that its not good but 600w rating is just a marketing ploy. You could save your money & buy something more 'realistic' or better :cool:

Air_Arms · 2 Jul 2006 at 09:51

Ive got a 620W Liberty and its awesome, solid as a rock tbh

Mista.Gee · 2 Jul 2006 at 10:00

So what do you guys recommend? Im running a AMD 3800+, ASUS M2N32-SLI-DLx, 2GB CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2 6400C4, X1900XT 512MB PCI-E.

t31os · 2 Jul 2006 at 12:18

Have used the 400W liberty and own the 500W, lovely PSU, quiet and stable.

Murzo · 2 Jul 2006 at 13:08

geepee said:
So what do you guys recommend? Im running a AMD 3800+, ASUS M2N32-SLI-DLx, 2GB CORSAIR XMS2 DDR2 6400C4, X1900XT 512MB PCI-E.

So you dont have an SLI setup then?

With that spec i would recommend the 500W liberty, it is very quiet and all the rails are rock solid and it will easily power your system.

PinkFloyd · 2 Jul 2006 at 18:09

Recently got a Liberty 620. Slightly louder than my Noisetaker 485

()
But this works better with th emotherboard as it has a better range of connectors for my greedy Expert.

I am however worried by the lower 5v atx rail. Smartguardian reporting it as 4.81 and bios saying its 4.87......
Is that worryingly low (have had no problems yet *touches wood*)

squiffy · 2 Jul 2006 at 22:59

hmm my Liberty 5v line, according to Asus PC Probe is 5.11-5.14. tbh I would get a multimeter to the 5v line and determine if motherboard is correct.

PinkFloyd · 2 Jul 2006 at 23:19

Sounds a good idea. I can check that straight on a molex can't I?

scotty32 · 3 Jul 2006 at 10:47

I have an Enermax Liberty 500W. I can't hear it over my bloody X1800XT stock fan, and I have had no problems with it. Recommended!