Enermax vs Antec?!?!?

[millertime]

Ok i want to know wich psu is better for the price and features. And please if you dont really know much about powersupplies then dont post. I dont want to be rude but there have been other posts like this and people say enermax with no proof other than their enermax is fine. So experiences psu people please post. thanks in advance

[Fink]

Enermax.

Antec PSU's are fine for non-demanding systems, say Socket-370 celerons and P-III's, but I have found that the 5V rail dies if you are using any AMD chip. Actually, the 5V rail usualy sucks on antec units causing system instability.

Enermax units are the ones that I have had the best luck with. Also, PC Power and Cool and Sparkle power supplys are at the top of my list. Never replaced one yet, unlike the Antec's, of which I have replaced two (100% failure rate) in the past six months.

Only complaint about the enermax units is that the 12V rail can run a bit high, about 12.65V. Within spec though, and I only had one out of four units exhibit this behavior.

[Malakai]

other way around there...

Antec has a much better power output on the +3.3v and +5v lines than Enermax. Enermax dont work on a lot of high demand mobo's like Epox and some Abit.

Enermax IMO are overpriced cheap PSU's, Antec is one of the best.

all time best IMO would be PC Power and Cooling, with Antec at a close second

[LiGhTBoY]

Or you could try a Sparkle (I was going to buy a Sparkle, but I found an Enermax from the same site that I was going to buy my case :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: ).

[millertime]

Well I think I might go Antec. Enermax is way overpriced for what you get, a pretty paint job and some gold fan grills. I might consider pc power and coolin but I will most likely find that those are too much also. I mean an Antec 550watt supply for 100 bucks. thats good.

[Ridenow]

I have a Enermax 431W in one computer and an Antec 350W in my server. Both are good, I have not had any trouble with either. There really is not much difference, both look the same, 2 fans with grills. One has crome grills, one is "gold". The Enermax has wire loom on the motherboard cable, but that is the only real difference. I have not checked the Antec voltages, I do not have monitoring software on the server. The Enermax is well within range.
I used to have a Sparkle 350W and it was good, but it fried. I would have to say both the Antec and Enermax are better than the Sparkle.

[MechCD]

I have had many power supplies, but no Enermaxes. I have 2x 300 watt PC Power and Cooling supplies. One is running a 1ghz tbird and has been doing so for about a year. The other used to run my packed 1.4ghz tbird computer with no sagging on the lines. it has now been moved to a 1.1ghz tbird system. Both these supplies were bought a few years ago, and ran 500mhz P!!! systems :D

I use a 330 watt Antec TruePower on my 1.4ghz now. The rails are not low at all, and I am using 4 drives total (not counting floppy). The 5v rail hovers around 5.10v and the 12v rail is around 12.2v. I can't comment on the 3.3v, because I believe this is regulated by the motherboard. Motherboard monitor says 3.66v, as set by a jumper on the motherboard (3.6 is the default somehow). My only problem is the exhaust is darn hot. I disconnected the thermally controlled fan plug inside the PSU and hooked both fans to a rheostat mounted to the back of the case. This allows me to have quiet, or cool, depedning ont he weather.

I also have used an Sparkle 400 watt PSU. It is a fine unit, pleny of power. I changed the fan out with a Nidec thermally controlled one. I can give a model number if someone wants it. Most electronics shops will order a few for you. I don't think i ever stressed this PSU :D

From what i've read about enermaxes, I wouldn't get one. A droopy rail is really a problem. The Antec units seem so similar in features that it really makes you wonder if they are made by the same company (neither antec or enermax). One company could demand higher quality than the other. I seriously doubt that antec makes their own PSUs, but whoever makes then, does a grand job.

edit: many spelling errors:beer:

[Penguin4x4]

In terms of quality, 3)Enermax, 2)Antec, 1)PC Power & Cooling
Proof:

Enermax EG365P-VE FMA:

+5V -5V +12V -12V +3.3V +5V SB

Max. Load

32A 32A 17A 1A 1A 2.2A

Min. Load

0 8 4.25 0A 0A 0A

Load Reg.

?4% ?5% ?5% ?10% ?10% ?5%

Antec True Power True330:

+5V -5V +12V -12V +3.3V +5V SB

Max. Load

30A 0.5A 17A 1.0A 28.0A 2.0A

Min. Load

0A 0A 0.8A 0A 0A 0A

Load Reg.

?3% ?5% ?3% ?5% ?3% ?5%


PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 350ATX

+5V -5V +12V -12V +3.3V +5V SB

Max. Load

40A 15A .3A 1A 40A 2A

Min. Load

N/A

Load Reg.

?1% ?3% ?1% ?3% ?1% ?1%
________
JUGGALOS (http://juggalos.org/)

[millertime]

I think im goind antec but I will definetly consider pc power and cooling. thanks for all the educated input keep it coming.

[nikhsub1]

It's all about the voltage regulation!

[jdmcnudgent]

theres a very simple mod to do the the enermax psu's. i now have 2 awesome enermax powersupplies, 430, and a 330.:D

[YMAN]

Antec has some good supplies, such as the True Power,
but PC POWER & COOLING - TURBO COOLS are the true
king of computer power. I still havent managed to kill
my pc power & cooling power supplies, and the regulation
is almost perfect (+/- .02v).

[RnPgrosz]

Originally posted by Fink
Enermax.

Antec PSU's are fine for non-demanding systems, say Socket-370 celerons and P-III's, but I have found that the 5V rail dies if you are using any AMD chip. Actually, the 5V rail usualy sucks on antec units causing system instability.

Enermax units are the ones that I have had the best luck with. Also, PC Power and Cool and Sparkle power supplys are at the top of my list. Never replaced one yet, unlike the Antec's, of which I have replaced two (100% failure rate) in the past six months.

Only complaint about the enermax units is that the 12V rail can run a bit high, about 12.65V. Within spec though, and I only had one out of four units exhibit this behavior.

I'd have to disagree with you there. I have an antec 550 watt true power psu and it's the greatest one I have ever owned. Absolutely no variations in the 5v and 3.3v.

[Malakai]

even the non-true power antec's are good PSU's. my +5v rail has dropped to 4.80 @ 2.2vcore, with 4 IDE devices and 3 PCI cards, all high powered, and during a bench. and the rail remains stable at 5v on the PSU end, its my mobo thats causing the voltage drop. the 5v mosfet mod will fix me right up, these PSU's are great. and only like 40$ for a 400w one.

[Penguin4x4]

Originally posted by jdmcnudgent
theres a very simple mod to do the the enermax psu's.

Where would I find this at?
________
SUBARU R2 HISTORY (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Subaru_R2)

[garasaki]

How much are the PC Power and Cooling PSUs? Are they as quiet as the enermax's??? Where can I find them?

:beer:

[YMAN]

You can find PC POWER & COOLING Power Supplies
here: www.PCPOWERCOOLING.com

Click Here For The Price List (http://www.pcpowercooling.com/prices/index.htm)

The Turbo Cools are a little noisy, but the fans can
be swaped out if it is to noisy for your brains.

[garasaki]

ouch, a little pricey...

[MechCD]

Expensive, but you'll use that PSU in you next 3-4 systems :D They last forever and take a beating.

[Lord_of_Decay]

I use Enermax PSU's and have had no problems with them, my +5v line stays constant.

[Malakai]

Originally posted by Lord_of_Decay
I use Enermax PSU's and have had no problems with them, my +5v line stays constant.

your on water, so overvolt the cpu to 2.1+ Vcore, and watch that +5v line die.

[jdmcnudgent]

Originally posted by Penguin4x4


Where would I find this at? its very simple. once you take apart your enermax psu, make sure you empty the power out of it first,:D you look on the board for the R-82 resistor. next you need to unsodder one of the legs of the resistor. next, you need to go to radio shack, and buy a 1K ohm trim pot, i get the blue square kind, that has three legs. next, you are gonna wanna break off the back leg on the 1K ohm trimpot, and this is key, atleast to the way i did it. also, you want to unsodder the leg of the R-82 furthest from the edge of the board. now, with the 1K trimpot, you want to sodder the middle, which is now the back leg into the hole you took the R-82 leg out of. almost done, now, you take the front leg of the trimpot and sodder it to the leg of the R-82 that you took out. now, all you have to do is put the power supply back together, and when you boot, you will see the difference right away. if it is not high enough for you, you can adjust it with the trimpot, and you will be able to stick a small screwdriver through the fan grill on the back of the psu, when you pull the power connector from the mobo, that the fan is connected to. an example, i am right now using my 330w, which is in the ddr setup, before i did the mod, the computer would power down just because the 12v line would drop so much. here is a screenie.:D

[MechCD]

You shouldn't have to mod or adjust a PSU for it to be a good one, it should work right and work well out of the box. Modding it is great if it were cheaper, but enermaxes are somewhat expensive comapred to the Antecs (haven't checked prices in a while :D)

[ElGriton]

Originally posted by MechCD
You shouldn't have to mod or adjust a PSU for it to be a good one, it should work right and work well out of the box. Modding it is great if it were cheaper, but enermaxes are somewhat expensive comapred to the Antecs (haven't checked prices in a while :D)

I couldn't agree more. If it dosen't do what it's supposed to do right out of the box. Why bother with it.

[jdmcnudgent]

Originally posted by MechCD
You shouldn't have to mod or adjust a PSU for it to be a good one, it should work right and work well out of the box. Modding it is great if it were cheaper, but enermaxes are somewhat expensive comapred to the Antecs (haven't checked prices in a while :D) dunno, every name brand psu i have bought has been crappy, maybe cause i run the vapo, dunno. but, there are people here that say that they have gotten crappy antecs, so then what. i put that mod in this for people that already have enermaxes that have crappy performance.:(

[jdmcnudgent]

Originally posted by ElGriton


I couldn't agree more. If it dosen't do what it's supposed to do right out of the box. Why bother with it. every psu is different. you and i could buy the same psu and i could get the crappy one and you could get the good one,:( what to do then, we bought the same psu and i got robbed, now what? do you have a willo?:D

[ElGriton]

Originally posted by jdmcnudgent
every psu is different. you and i could buy the same psu and i could get the crappy one and you could get the good one,:( what to do then, we bought the same psu and i got robbed, now what? do you have a willo?:D


I'd bring it back. I just picked up an Antec True550 today at my local comp store. Sure I paid a little more for it but, if it's not working I can bring it back and would bring it back until I got a good one. I have however never gotten a bad one :D

What's a willo?

[Penguin4x4]

Antec

[millertime]

Originally posted by Penguin4x4
Antec nice and simple. just how i like it.

[Tactics]

Originally posted by jdmcnudgent
dunno, every name brand psu i have bought has been crappy, maybe cause i run the vapo, dunno. but, there are people here that say that they have gotten crappy antecs, so then what. i put that mod in this for people that already have enermaxes that have crappy performance.:(

I agree with JDMcnudgent on that one. Every PSU that i have owned has craped out on me. The antec I had roasted a motherboard, the Enermax developed a short (sitting right next to me) and the Codegens caused random crashes.

Call me unlucky, but I honestly think PSU's are all going to crap out if they are pushed.

Tactics

[YMAN]

Codegens caused random crashes

Same Here, I have all kinds of power related
issues with my codegens.

[stompah]

I have had 2 300w codegens die on me. But both 250w codegens run just fine. go figure.

[jdmcnudgent]

Originally posted by ElGriton



I'd bring it back. I just picked up an Antec True550 today at my local comp store. Sure I paid a little more for it but, if it's not working I can bring it back and would bring it back until I got a good one. I have however never gotten a bad one :D

What's a willo? a willo is a 256 L2 cache p4. and most of us are not fortunate enough to have a place to walk in and buy a psu, there arent any around here where im at.:(

[Malakai]

also called the Willamette, where current p$'s are Northwoods, or Northy's, or Woody's, or whatever

[Penguin4x4]

Sony has a new VAIO(PCV-MXS20) with a 2GHz willo, it sucks. :D $3,400 bucks, gimme a break, Sony. Stick with Camcorders and Cameras, OK?:D

[garasaki]

Originally posted by jdmcnudgent
a willo is a 256 L2 cache p4. and most of us are not fortunate enough to have a place to walk in and buy a psu, there arent any around here where im at.:(

You can buy a PSU at best buy...and i can't believe toledo dosen't have some sort of computer supply store. Also, I had never heard the Williamette core PIV's reffered to as willo either...I was also wondering about that!

[jdmcnudgent]

Originally posted by garasaki


You can buy a PSU at best buy...and i can't believe toledo dosen't have some sort of computer supply store. Also, I had never heard the Williamette core PIV's reffered to as willo either...I was also wondering about that! yes, you can buy a ps at BB, but they dont sell antec or enermaxes here. there are computer stores around, but they are little shops, and if i took a ps home and tested it and said that the 12v line was low, and i wanted to exchange it, they would prolly do it once, but what if i keep getting bad ones, they would say sorry chuck, and say we can only give you your money back. a big place like comp usa prolly wouldnt care, but there is not one around here. also, you never answered my question, willo or woodie?:D

[garasaki]

What was your ? about willo and woody??

One of my buddies bought an Antec from BB. But I'm sure it wasn't a TruPower model and was overpriced...

[rivercom9]

Lotsa stuff is overpriced at BB. Thank GOD for the Fry's Electronics near me.

[AntecRep]

Best Buy doesn't have the TruePower power supplies yet, but they have our PP303X and PP352X. They have for a while now (cases and fans as well).

CompUSA carries TruePower.

Also MicroCenter carries TruePower among other things.
They have 4 locations in Ohio, but I have no idea how close any of them are to you.

AntecRep

[Penguin4x4]

Hey, someone PM nikhsub1, Antec Rep has returned!:D Anyway, man, when will Antec be selling the aluminum Performance Plus series cases? I wanted to get one(regular steel) but then I realized that akuminum versions have surfaced. That's what you're company needs: Aluminium SX1030/SX1040 SOHO File Server's or Peformance Plus's with TruePower 550's!;)

[AntecRep]

I was gone? Ok so it took me awhile to get back after the forums were down. 8)

We actually didn't really like the aluminum's that Chenming showed us. And we wanted all aluminum, not the plastic front.

Oh the other turn off was the cost associated with an aluminum case with TruePower, somewhere north of $250 I think (it's been a couple of months).

AntecRep

[Penguin4x4]

Umm, in that case, could you make your TruePower 550's as powerful as PCP&P's Turbo 600 Sun? 35A max on the +12v would be awesome, especially if you run Water Cooling/Peltier combo's and don't want more than 1 power cord coming out the back of the case,(My predicament actually, only got 3 outlets in my office)

[AntecRep]

I can pass the suggestion along, but then we'd likely get close to their pricing level ($313 for 1 unit). BTW True550 gets up to 305.6 on the +3.3v and +5v which isn't too bad compared to the max 350W on for their 600. But the Amps are incredible on that thing.

AntecRep

[Penguin4x4]

OK, thanks. Creative Labs should get someone in here, their service and support stinks,:D.

[AntecRep]

I wish they did too. It might have saved me back with I was having issues with my SBlive, Win2k and Abit kt7Raid.

Ah well. I'm on to a Santa Cruz now. 8)

AntecRep

[Malakai]

how did this thread turn into a creative labs bitching thread?:D

[SteenkyBastage]

I'll not compare the two (enermax and antec), because all of the ones I've built with those two PSU's have worked well. But I will rundown my specs of what my enermap 460w psu is holding up at:

Dual xp1800+'s running at 1.85v, 1702mhz.
Asus a7m266d oced by fsb
1GB corsair pc2400 ram overvolted by .1v
radeon 8500 128mb
dvd IDE
cdr IDE
2x 80GB 7200rpm HD
1x 60GB 7200rpm HD
tx4 raid controller
SB live w/ live drive
fdd
10/100 NIC
2x 120mm high CFM fans
2x 80mm sunon fans
USB 2.0 Pci add in card
adaptec 2940uw scsi
scsi zip drive
scsi jaz drive
scsi CDR-W

5v rail stays at 4.92v
when I built this barebones (still with 2 cpu) 5v was at 4.98v.

I was quite surprised I didn't need to stick in a second PSU on this system... even had a case with 2 PSU slots lined up for the setup.

That psu is the only one that I feel has REALLY been stressed power wise... the rest of the sytems I built with the smaller enermax and antec PSU's have all run great, but haven't really had much of a challenge compared to this.

[Malakai]

Originally posted by SteenkyBastage
I'll not compare the two (enermax and antec), because all of the ones I've built with those two PSU's have worked well. But I will rundown my specs of what my enermap 460w psu is holding up at:

Dual xp1800+'s running at 1.85v, 1702mhz.
Asus a7m266d oced by fsb
1GB corsair pc2400 ram overvolted by .1v
radeon 8500 128mb
dvd IDE
cdr IDE
2x 80GB 7200rpm HD
1x 60GB 7200rpm HD
tx4 raid controller
SB live w/ live drive
fdd
10/100 NIC
2x 120mm high CFM fans
2x 80mm sunon fans
USB 2.0 Pci add in card
adaptec 2940uw scsi
scsi zip drive
scsi jaz drive
scsi CDR-W


/drools all over self.....

jeesus what do use all that power for?

[Ridenow]

Originally posted by AntecRep
I wish they did too. It might have saved me back with I was having issues with my SBlive, Win2k and Abit kt7Raid.

Ah well. I'm on to a Santa Cruz now. 8)

AntecRep

I have that setup, just put the SBLive in an even numbered slot. It works just fine.

[Ridenow]

Originally posted by Malakai


/drools all over self.....

jeesus what do use all that power for?

Because we can!

[AntecRep]

I did get it to work awhile back, and it was working fine for a year or so. I just got the Santa Cruz about a month ago.

AntecRep

[nikhsub1]

Originally posted by Penguin4x4
Umm, in that case, could you make your TruePower 550's as powerful as PCP&P's Turbo 600 Sun? 35A max on the +12v would be awesome, especially if you run Water Cooling/Peltier combo's and don't want more than 1 power cord coming out the back of the case,(My predicament actually, only got 3 outlets in my office)
Forget about MORE power, the 550 puts out more than enough. You should always use a dedicated PSU for a pelt anyway. What I WOULD like to see from ANTEC is a "MISER" line or somethings to that effect where the voltage tolerances on the main lines, 5V, 12V, 3.3V are regulated within 1%. Even if they are more $$$ I would buy one in a heartbeat. PCP&C would be in big trouble.

[Penguin4x4]

Originally posted by nikhsub1

Forget about MORE power, the 550 puts out more than enough. You should always use a dedicated PSU for a pelt anyway.

I would if knew how.

[Malakai]

www.sidewindercomputers.com has a 400w (i think) PSU with just 1 dedicated 12v line coming out of it. its specifically made to run a pelt and will save u heartache in the long run if u use it.

i would never run a pelt without a dedicated 12v PSU for it, a pelt WILL eventually kill a regular PSU from overdraw.

[Penguin4x4]

So another cord coming out the back of the case? Wait, that's OK I found this. (http://www.cyberguys.com/cgi-bin/sgin0101.exe?UID=2002062510485733&GEN6=00&GEN9=5CG01&FNM=00&T1=121+2550&UREQA=1&UREQB=2&UREQC=3&UREQD=4)

[SteenkyBastage]

Originally posted by Malakai


/drools all over self.....

jeesus what do use all that power for?

haha, it sits at home and folds while I'm gone... When I'm there, it continues folding but also assists in such chores as:

file server
cs server(lan)
cs gaming station (net)
other misc games...
but the biggie: 3ds4 workstation... helps a ton to have an uber-dualie with lots of ram when working in 3d

it was kind of overkill... but not for the price (an extra $200 over what a single cpu upgrade would have been over upgrading to this). Most stuff in it, like scsi, raid, sound, etc were things brought in from the old system... hand me downs if you will. I'd hate to think of what all that would have cost me if I purchased it all at once :eek:

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by Tactics


I agree with JDMcnudgent on that one. Every PSU that i have owned has craped out on me. The antec I had roasted a motherboard, the Enermax developed a short (sitting right next to me) and the Codegens caused random crashes.

Call me unlucky, but I honestly think PSU's are all going to crap out if they are pushed.

Tactics

Unfortunately, that's been my experience too! I always like to have a spare around for when that unfortunate *pop* happens, or when the puter just wont turn on and you know for sure you've fried another p/s:burn:

[Oni]

I don't really have any experience w/ Antec, but I have an Enermax 431 Watt that's been nothing but goodness. The 5v rail drops no lower than 4.92 under load, and the 12v rail and 3v rail maintain about 12.45 and 3.43 respectively under load.

Great PSU for the price ($130 after tax)

[Shackmaster]

http://www.emaxasp.com/a-pro/details.asp?item=PS%2DTT500SS

That's the PSU I just ordered, and I hope it's a real good one.

[larciel]

antec true power

[millertime]

i think antec wins this one

[markus]

well i have both an antec 430 true power,and a enthermax 431.the ethermax puts out
3.38
5.08
12.05
i love this one.now the antec 430,just bought recently
3.20-3.264
11.68-11.712
4.95

these are low compared to the ethermax psu..im letting it burn in for a few days,hopely the voltage will increase..the varations change alot,the 12 volt rail drops as low as 11.588..we'lln see,i may send it back..

offf the subject i bought a chefie case with a tubolinx 420 psu.tryed it on 3 systems,man it s***k..all 3 psu's are not connected to any case fans,i got a septerate cheap psu's for them,otherwise the voltage drops too low.

back to the turbolinx psu
i get 2.94-3.20
11.58 and less,it does go up to 11.68
4.70 i don't have it hooked up at the moment,i think this psu is bad or a ****y psu..

im running an abit it7 mb
asus p4333 mb
and a abit sd7-533 mb
the ethermax is the best so far i have..

[Syndicate]

Antec's have always blown up on me enermax's arent as good as they seem like i said before in another post 400 bucks for their 4 bay case with a psu , what makes you think they arent overcharging for their psu's?

Pc power and cooling and SPI-Sparkle inc , if your going to pay a good amount for a psu throw in the extra 20 bucks and get one that will last a while ..

buying from a company that mostly deals with power supplies or a company that supposidly makes cases and everything else .. ? its your choice.

[RangerJoe]

enermax all the way...ill grab the links..but as i have posted MANY times about the enermax vs antec psus...the enermax 431 watt puts out more amps in EVERY way than the antec 550 watt psu...so what does that say?

enermax 431 watt..3rd picture (http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=17-103-432-01.JPG/17-103-432-02.JPG/17-103-432-03.JPG/17-103-432-04.JPG)

antec 550 watt...3rd picture (http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=17-103-910-01.JPG/17-103-910-02.JPG/17-103-910-03.JPG)

i have an epox motherboard...have had ZERO problems with it....if only i wasnt heat limited..i would overclock more

5v line never goes below 5.03 at 1.91 ghz...(1.8 vcore)

[fatguy]

i love my antec TP430

[{PMS}fishy]

I have an Antec TP 480w thats going abck. The thing is crap for what I paid for it. My Enermax 431w was more stable, but it put out slighlty lower voltages. The 12v on the antec sucks, and the 5v is jumping all over the place. My enermax was better for the 12v and output a bit less than the antec, but was much more stable. Im going to do the mod on my Enermax that JD posted and hope to achive some better performance.

[steveyboy]

When you hook up your new psu remember to give is at least 48 hrs of run time before you draw any conclusions. They all need at least that much time to "burn in".