Renowned for some of the best PSUs on the market, we take a look at Enermax’s Modu87+
Product on Review: Enermax Modu87+ 500W PSU
Manufacturer: Enermax
Street Price: Approx £110
Enermax have been in the PSU industry for years now, and really made their name with the superb Galaxy range of PSUs which were considered to be the best PSUs around for what seemed like a lifetime. However, technology moves on and inevitably the Galaxy lost its crown to competitor products. Enermax had to fight back, so last year released their Revolution range of PSUs. Ranging from 850W to 1250W, they’re ideal if you’re building a nuclear reactor, but what about those amongst us that aren’t completely bonkers?
That’s where the Modu87+ and Pro87+ range of PSUs come in. They’re designed to bring some of the engineering excellence found in the Revolution PSUs to mainstream users, with Modu87+ units ranging from 500W to 800W, whilst only 500W and 600W Pro87+ units are available. The Modu87+ and Pro87+ units are very similar, apart from the Modu87+’s use of Modular cabling, which can drastically reduce cable clutter, but obviously adds to the cost of the unit.
Today we will be looking at a 500W model from the Modu87+ range of PSUs, of which here is the feature list:
80PLUS® GOLD
87 to 93 percent efficiency @ 230V and 20 to 100 percent load. 80PLUS® Gold certified
Dynamic Hybrid Transformer Topology
Technological breakthrough topology using a staged dynamic transformer array for extremely high efficiency with the most durable and stable output at any load
Stable and reliable power
Three high-performance and massive 12V rails (Modu87+: four 12V rails). Extremely low ripple noise
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
DXXI ready!
Full support of most current DX11 graphics cards due to minimum two 6+2P (8P) PCI-E connectors
C6 & Hybrid Support
Supports energy saving modes of current and future CPU & GPU generations (C6 & Hybrid Mode) due to ZERO LOAD Design (no minimum load)
Air Cooling by Enermax
Integrated 13.9cm fan with patented Twister Bearing Technology ensures efficient and ultra silent cooling and long lifetime (100,000 hours MTBF)
SpeedGuard
Unmatched 330RPM at low loads. Path breaking and leading patented fan control for optimal cooling and minimum noise (Modu87+ 800W: 700-1.800RPM)
HeatGuard
Keeping PSU fan running for 30-60 seconds after shut down to dissipate the remaining system heat and prolonging system lifetime
Hybrid Capacitor Array
High-performance capacitor array of heavy-duty solid state capacitors and Japanese electrolytic capacitors to ensure tightest DC stability and regulation
SafeGuard
Industry-leading octuple protection circuitry of OCP, OVP, AC UVP, DC UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP & SIP
CordGuard
Fixing the AC cord tightly to avoid accidental shutdowns of your PC
Non-stop @ 50°C
Non-Stop industrial class performance at 50°C ambient
Worldwide Compatibility
100-240V AC input with automatic adjustment and up to 99% active Power Factor Correction (PFC) for global usage
Dimensions (W x H x D)
150mm x 86mm x 160mm / 150mm x 86mm x 175mm (Modu87+ 800W)
Warranty
5 years vendor warranty
87 to 93 percent efficiency @ 230V and 20 to 100 percent load. 80PLUS® Gold certified
Dynamic Hybrid Transformer Topology
Technological breakthrough topology using a staged dynamic transformer array for extremely high efficiency with the most durable and stable output at any load
Stable and reliable power
Three high-performance and massive 12V rails (Modu87+: four 12V rails). Extremely low ripple noise
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
DXXI ready!
Full support of most current DX11 graphics cards due to minimum two 6+2P (8P) PCI-E connectors
C6 & Hybrid Support
Supports energy saving modes of current and future CPU & GPU generations (C6 & Hybrid Mode) due to ZERO LOAD Design (no minimum load)
Air Cooling by Enermax
Integrated 13.9cm fan with patented Twister Bearing Technology ensures efficient and ultra silent cooling and long lifetime (100,000 hours MTBF)
SpeedGuard
Unmatched 330RPM at low loads. Path breaking and leading patented fan control for optimal cooling and minimum noise (Modu87+ 800W: 700-1.800RPM)
HeatGuard
Keeping PSU fan running for 30-60 seconds after shut down to dissipate the remaining system heat and prolonging system lifetime
Hybrid Capacitor Array
High-performance capacitor array of heavy-duty solid state capacitors and Japanese electrolytic capacitors to ensure tightest DC stability and regulation
SafeGuard
Industry-leading octuple protection circuitry of OCP, OVP, AC UVP, DC UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP & SIP
CordGuard
Fixing the AC cord tightly to avoid accidental shutdowns of your PC
Non-stop @ 50°C
Non-Stop industrial class performance at 50°C ambient
Worldwide Compatibility
100-240V AC input with automatic adjustment and up to 99% active Power Factor Correction (PFC) for global usage
Dimensions (W x H x D)
150mm x 86mm x 160mm / 150mm x 86mm x 175mm (Modu87+ 800W)
Warranty
5 years vendor warranty
I think you’ll agree that the feature list is pretty impressive, most notably the 80PLUS Gold certification. This is a fantastic achievement and the extra efficiency really will have an effect on the electricity bill – especially if energy prices continue to spiral upwards. The CordGuard also caught my eye, and is something I haven’t seen on a PSU before – I look forward to investigating this one for myself.
Enermax also sent me an email with various bits of information relating to their Dynamic Hybrid Transformer Technology. It’s all pretty complicated stuff, with the fundamental advantage of it being able to dynamically adjust the frequency’s and voltage with which the PSU operates- drastically increasing the efficiency and reducing the amount of waste energy. For the most hardcore enthusiasts out there more information on this can be found by clicking the ‘DHT Topology’ tab on this page.
Packaging & Appearance
The PSU arrived in a fairly plain box – giving little away as to the appearance of the PSU. All the graphics placed on the box are in gold, hinting at the 80Plus Gold rating. In the background there is also a faint 80Plus Gold logo – Enermax clearly want to show this off and exploit it to it’s full potential.
The front of the packaging – note the faint 80Plus Gold logo in the background.
On the underside of the box it becomes apparent where Enermax have shifted all the technical information to, with a plethora of information crammed into this relatively small space.
It’s clear where Enermax have shifted all the technical information to.
Taking everything out the box I was impressed at the amount of accessories supplied with the Modu87+. In the box there was the following: Enermax Modu87+ PSU, User’s Guide, Enermax Brochure, Cable Pouch, Modular Cables, UK Mains Cable, 2x Enermax Stickers, 4x Mounting Screws, 2x Velcro Cable Ties and the CordGuard.
The accessories bundle is the best I’ve seen, with pretty much everything you could need included.
And finally we have the PSU itself:
The Enermax Modu87+ in all its glory…
The finish on the PSU is gorgeous deep gloss black, with the Gold graphic on the side complemented superbly by the golden fan blades. I think it’s about time we took a close look at the PSU itself…
A Closer Look
Looking from above we can see the large, gold coloured fan. At almost 14cm in size, it should shift a lot of air whilst also, with any luck, producing very little audible noise.
The gorgeous 14cm twister fan used to keep the internals nice and cool.
Moving round to the back of the PSU we can see the row of modular connections. The unit I was supplied didn’t come with enough modular cables to saturate these ports, suggesting the back plane is universal between all the Modu87+ models and Enermax just remove some of the cables for the lower models.
Although there is a number of modular ports on the back of the PSU, not all of them can be used at once.
The cables themselves just slot in the required port and are locked in place by a small clip. Here’s a shot of a modular to dual 8 pin Connector (note how nice the braiding is – big thumbs up to Enermax for that).
The braiding on the cables is quite dense – as a result you can’t see the wires beneath
And finally a look at the CordGuard. At first I wasn’t quite sure how this worked, but a quick look in the manual explained all and attaching it to the PSU was a simple and effortless process. It also performed it’s task very well, holding the cable firmly in place even when I gave it a tug or two.
The CordGuard stops the power cable from falling out the back of the PSU.
The overall build quality of the unit is very impressive, with a reassuring weight to back it up. Let’s just hope it can perform as well as it looks.
Testing & Results
Testing a PSU is completely different to testing a graphics card or a new motherboard. Instead of running a series of benchmarks on the PC, all the testing has to be done externally, with the helping hand of a multi-meter.
The 3 main PSU rails are tested under idle (0W) and load (200W) conditions. For the idle testing the PSU is completely disconnected from the test rig, and then using a Thermaltake PSU Tester it’s jump started. For the load conditions it was connected up to the test system whilst 3DMark06 was looped.
The 12V rail is the most important of these rails, as it provides extra power to graphics cards and the CPU. The 5V and 3.3V rails are becoming more and more redundant, mainly dealing with add-in devices and hard disks.
System Components
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4GHz)
Abit 650i SLI Motherboard
Corsair DDR2 2GB 800MHz (4-4-4-12)
MSI NVIDIA 9600GT 1GB
4 x Western Digital 80GB SATAII HDDs
2 x Seagate 250GB SATAII HDDs
During testing the temperature of the exhausted air was also taken using a digital thermometer.
I was stunned when recording the test results. So much so that I even went back and took them again. However, this just proved the first set to be correct.
I found the 3.3V and 12V rails didn’t budge at all, remaining perfectly solid. The 5V rail moved by the tiniest amount, so is really nothing to worry about. Whatever Enermax have used inside this PSU it certainly seems to be working – I’ve never seen anything this solid before.
Conclusion
Enermax have always been one of the leaders when it comes to PSUs, and this review shows why. With their relentless development they have produced another fantastic PSU, with stunning build quality and superb voltage regulation.Unfortunately, this quality does come at a price and with retail prices being around the £110 mark this makes the Modu87+ substantially more expensive than other 500W PSUs. This really is steep for a 500W power supply and I believe it to be something that will considerably hinder the PSU\’s appeal.
However, the 5 year warranty and rock solid performance means the Modu87+ should last through many upgrade cycles, saving you money on PSU upgrades. Couple this with the outstanding 80Plus Gold certified efficiency (which will save you money on energy bills) and things don\’t look quite so bad.
There’s no doubt that this is the crème de la crème of modern PSUs, and Enermax deserve praise for the work they have done. Disappointingly though, the high price means the PSU misses out on a Gold award, but earns itself a deserved Silver.
Pros
+ Superb rail stability
+ Good build quality
+ Nice cable braiding
+ 80Plus Gold rated
+ Thoughtful accessories
+ 5 Year Warranty
Cons
– High Price
We would like to thank Enermax for sending the Modu87+ 500w PSU for review. Discuss this on our forums
Review update – 31/9/2011
A few weeks back Enermax contacted us to say they had updated their range of Modu87+ PSUs. These upgrades weren’t just internally either – the PSU received a new paint job too. Having received the unit a few days ago I thought I’d update this review with what the new unit has to offer.
The new headline feature is the PSUs compliance with ErP Lot 6, which is an EU eco initiative. Essentially this means the PSU has a reworked, more efficient 5v standby rail (which should result in a power draw of <1w when in standby).
The other update is the new colour scheme, which is incredibly snazzy. The gold trim around the fan is obviously designed to show off the PSUs 80Plus Gold efficiency award and does a good job of it – personally I’d prefer something a little more subtle though, but we can’t have it all.
The paintwork itself is unlike anything I’ve seen before – It’s got a rough texture to it, which is a lot nicer than it sounds and looks fantastic. Enermax have gone to town here and it really adds to the feeling that this PSU is something special. Aside from the adjustments to the paintwork, everything else looks the same as before.
Overall then, some worthwhile design changes to the Modu87+ range. Improved efficiency is always a good thing, and along with the 80Plus gold certification Enermax really are covering all the bases. Unfortunately though, the price is still fairly steep compared to the competition – despite Enermax doing all they can to justify the price. If your wallet’s in a good mood though, and you’re looking for a highly efficient PSU with a bit of added aesthetic pizzaz, then look no further.
