Mark discovers an affordable Power Supply for bigger gaming systems
Having once worked in the automotive industry making wire harnesses for cars, I'm acutely aware that connectors are a predicable source of electrical problems. Building any circuit with intentional breaks in it is never good in terms of reliability, and the more you use the less dependability you'll have.
Yet, confusingly, in the world of computers, power supplies with cable management are considered ideal, and those without are often sneered at. This anachronism is no more finely presented than in the new Enermax MAXPRO 700w (EMP700AGT) that just arrived to me from Germany.
The specification for this PSU is top notch, and the price is really competitive too, yet it doesn't have cable management. I'm actually convinced that's a good thing for a range of reasons, though, and not a detracting feature.
This design sits upon the top rung of the Max Pro range, starting with a 400W model, and notching up in 100 watt intervals to the review model’s 700 watt output. They all use the same compact and beautifully powder-coated case, offer an 80 Plus efficiency rating, and utilise a 120mm durable Twister bearing fan as their cooling choice.
Where they diverge is in the amount of power they can distribute, and the cabling provided to do that job. They all feature a single floppy line, four 4-pin Molex, and the usual suspects in respect of ATX 2.3 standards. Where the EMP700AGT is different is that it supports eight SATA lines, and no less than four 6+2 PCI-E lines as well. That's double the amount of PCI-E you get on the 600 watt model, and makes this supply perfect for anyone wishing to build a high performance multi-GPU gaming rig.
The flipside of having all that cabling is that, should you not need or require all of it, you can't disconnect it - and thus you'll need to find somewhere in the PC to neatly stow it. That's a hardly an insurmountable problem, but it's something worth considering if you have a small or hopelessly cluttered case.
If you can handle that challenge then you'll be rewarded with an exceptionally high quality part that includes many of the same features that Enermax puts on its most expensive PSUs.
These include HeatGuard; a thermal timer that keeps the fan going up to a minute after the system shuts down to make sure that the supply doesn't suffer from heat soak. And, it also uses Enermax's branded inlet modifications called AirGuard that reduce the noise created by the airflow into the supply.
It might seem a rather minor thing, but being nearly silent was one of the main design priorities, and in operation the supply almost achieves that objective. Another contributory factor to this is Enermax's patented fan, that uses a special bearing that generates no noise at standard loads and relatively little when at 1500 RPM running and extreme duress.
Other enhancements protect the supply from short circuits, over voltage, over current, over power in addition to surges and inrush current. Built to withstand prolonged 24/7 operation through the use of high quality Japanese parts, Enermax offers a three-year warranty as proof of its confidence in this product.
In testing this supply was as resilient as I'd anticipated, as I've not seen an Enermax PSU in many years that didn't demonstrate excellent stability under load. The only real catch I've found with this design is that it was exclusively designed for the European market, and as such is only built for 200-240VAC mains and not the lower voltages used in the Americas. Therefore you couldn't run a PC built with this PSU in the USA, should you take it there.
That's not a problem many will have, but limiting the input has allowed for the most effective conversion of power, enabling it to post a great average efficiency of 87%.
The spec of the MAXPRO is right, the build quality is exceptional, the price is just amazing, and the reliability of this design over one with managed cables is the icing on the cake. Unless you are bonkers enough to be building a system that needs more than 700 watts on hand, the EMP700AGT ticks all the boxes for anyone who is happy to manage their own cables. Or you could chance a poor connector, and spend considerably more getting a similar spec, the choice is entirely yours. Mark Pickavance
An efficient, powerful and inexpensive PSU from a top brand.