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Packaging, Contents, Exterior, And Cabling
Packaging
On the front of the box, Enermax uses an extra-large font for spelling out Platinum, which apparently describes the unit's efficiency certification. Right below "Platinum," we find the PSU's capacity, along a number of icons describing the most notable features: a five-year warranty, the twister bearing fan, high-quality electrolytic caps, and the fan's Dust Free Rotation feature.
Around back, a couple of diagrams show the twister bearing's anatomy and explain D.F. rotation technology, through which dust is blown away from the fan and the PSU's internals, allowing for improved cooling over time. Enermax also mentions the ErP Lot 6 2013 compatibility (less than 0.5W consumption in standby), the Japanese electrolytic caps, and the sleek-looking Sleemax cables. A table conveys information about the available cables and connectors of both Platinum D.F. units, and right below another table depicts their power specifications.
Contents
The PSU is protected by a couple of packing foam pieces inside the box. Moreover, it is installed in a felt bag. This is a nice touch, especially in light of Enermax's hefty price. You can use this bag to store unused modular cables once the PSU is installed in your case.
An accessories box holds the AC power cord and Sleemax modular cables, along with some cable organizers, several zip-ties, and a set of screws. The bundle also includes a small user's manual.
Exterior
The external design isn't extraordinary in any way. We'd even describe it as boring. Nonetheless, this is a PSU, so external design means nothing to us. What really matters is the platform inside, hidden under the chassis' top cover.
Up front, there's an AC receptacle and a small power switch.
The series name is provided on the PSU's sides. A power specifications label is affixed to the bottom.
The modular panel includes two EPS sockets, but the EPF500AWT only comes with one corresponding cable. You could always track down another one if you need two EPS cables, but we wouldn't recommend doing that and using all of the PCIe connectors. This PSU's capacity isn't high enough to feed power-hungry parts over two EPS and four PCIe connectors at the same time.
It's troubling that the PCIe cables can be connected to the EPS sockets and vice versa. If you do this, the PSU's short circuit protection is activated (thankfully) and it won't start. That's a major flaw, and although Enermax labels the sockets, some folks might not pay attention to them. It's better to use different connector patterns for the EPS and PCIe sockets, making them incompatible.
The dimensions are compact, and the finish is of pretty good quality.
Cabling
The individually sleeved cables look really nice, even if we're not particularly fond of them (they're harder to route than plain cables). However, anyone with a windowed case will probably like how much cleaner they look, despite the significant cost they add.
