Enermax EPF500AWT Power Supply Review
Enermax is one of the oldest PSU OEMs around, and perhaps the only one that preferred selling designs under its own brand, rather than selling them to other companies. Only Sapphire has been allowed to use Enermax's platforms.
A series of unfortunate events forced Enermax to eventually shut down its manufacturing line, so now it relies on the work of other OEMs, including Channel Well Technology (CWT) and Yue-Lin. With its Platimax D.F. family, Enermax partnered up with Fortech Electronics, a division of Colorful Group (CFG). Chaintech and Segotep belong to CFG, the first brand dealing with graphics cards and mainboards, while the second sells cases and PSUs.
The subject of today's review is the Platimax D.F 500W. It's a mid-capacity PSU with interesting features like Dust Free Rotation (DFR) technology. According to Enermax, DFR allows the fan to automatically remove dust from its blades by spinning in reverse and at full speed during the PSU's start-up phase. Another catchy feature is the Sleemax cable design, which describes the individually sleeved cables and nice braiding that Enermax uses. Unfortunately, this feature is probably why the EPF500AW costs as much as $140, making it one of the most expensive 500W PSUs out there.
Enermax's second-gen Twister Bearing fan is notable as well, as it's rated for an exceptionally long 160,000-hour life. Most sleeve bearing fans are close to 30,000 hours, while good double ball-bearing and FDB/HDB fans exceed 50,000 to 60,000 hours. Besides its extra-long lifetime, this bearing type makes it easy to detach the fan's rotor thanks to the "Click Mechanism." This means you can clean the rotor and remove any dust that does accumulate.
Specifications
The EPF500AWT is 80 PLUS Platinum-certified, and is able to deliver full power at up to 50°C, continuously. Most protection features are present with the exception of OTP, which we feel is essential to every PSU. We can't help but wonder why manufacturers find it so difficult to incorporate this protection capability in their designs. It really saves the day when a fan goes out, for example. Heat is a PSU's worst enemy, affecting its short-term stability and long-term reliability. The general rule is that a 10°C increase in a capacitor's operating temperature reduces its lifetime by 50%.
A seemingly odd-diameter 139mm cooling fan is used because 140mm fans are patented. This might sound unbelievable, but indeed someone was smart enough to patent the use of 140mm fans in PSUs. Of course, there's a workaround for everything. Despite the EPF500AWT's high efficiency, Enermax doesn't implement a semi-passive mode. This is absolutely fine with us. In fact, we prefer to keep the fan spinning at all times so at least some air is moving over heat-sensitive components.
Finally, the dimensions are normal for a 500W PSU. We would like to see a longer warranty given Enermax's premium price tag. The individually sleeved cables aren't cheap, but $140 for 500W of capacity is incredibly steep. That's going to negatively affect the EPF500AWT's performance per dollar score, to be sure.
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 16 | 15 | 41 | 2.5 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 103 | 492 | 12.5 | 3.6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 500 |
The minor rails have sufficient capacity, given the PSU's overall capacity, while the +12V rail is strong enough to support any high-end graphics card. Lastly, the 5VSB rail is rated for a maximum current output that's fairly typical nowadays.
Cables And Connectors
| Modular Cables | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (545mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+150mm) | 2 | 4 | 18AWG |
| SATA (450mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 2 | 8 | 18AWG |
| Four-pin Molex (450mm+150mm+150mm) | 2 | 6 | 18AWG |
| FDD Adapter (+100mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG |
The number of EPS and PCIe connectors is sufficient for a 500W power supply. You also get more than enough SATA and four-pin Molex connectors. Cable length looks good, and the distance between connectors is ideal.
Power Distribution
Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to say about its power distribution.
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