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Enermax Digifanless 550W Power Supply Review

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Performance And Performance Per Dollar Ratings

Performance Rating

The following chart shows the total performance rating of the Enermax Digifanless PSU, comparing it with other units we have tested in the past. To be more specific, the tested unit is shown as 100 percent, and every other unit's performance is shown relative to it.

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The Enermax Digifanless offers high overall performance. But Seasonic's passively-cooled units (the SilverStone Nightjar uses the same platform as the Seasonic SS-520FL) manage to surpass it. Nonetheless, only the SilverStone Nightjar comes with four PCIe connectors, while both Seasonic SS-460FL and SS-520FL units are equipped with only two PCIe connectors. So, if you need to power two graphics cards with a pair of PCIe connectors each, you have to choose the SilverStone Nightjar or Enermax PSU (if you're looking for passive cooling, that is). You do have the option of getting extra PCIe cables for the Seasonic units, if you can find them.

Performance per Dollar

The following graph may be the most interesting because it depicts the unit's performance-per-dollar score. We looked up the current USD price of each PSU on popular online shops and used those prices and all relative performance numbers to calculate the index. If the specific unit wasn't available in the United States, we searched for it in popular EU shops, converting the listed price to USD (without VAT). Note that all the numbers in the following graph are normalized by the rated power of each PSU. 

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As expected, a high price dooms the Enermax Digifanless' price/performance ratio. Unfortunately, all passive PSUs are expensive, and when you add digital circuits to the cost, the expense grows. 

22 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blackmagnum 17 May 2015 11:00
    If you think buying a mid-range PSU that costs as much as an enthusiast gaming CPU or graphics card, then you have more money than sense.
    Reply
  • PaulBags 17 May 2015 11:35
    Why'd my commented get deleted? "This is a passively-cooled PSU, so you should install it with the top exhaust grille facing downward." is totally wrong advice, if you don't believe me read the warnings in the picture YOU took.
    Reply
  • Calculatron 17 May 2015 12:42
    Ironically, I have yet to try an Enermax PSU, although I really like their other products; I have an ETS-T40-TB, a whole myriad of their fans, and the Ostrog Pink case.
    Reply
  • uglyduckling81 17 May 2015 13:16
    "This is a passively-cooled PSU, so you should install it with the top exhaust grille facing downward. If you don’t follow this advice, hot air will be trapped inside the PSU"

    Hot air rises. If you have the opening facing down you will be trapping hot air inside. Read your own comment "top exhaust". 'Top' means on top, 'exhaust' means expulsion of air not intake.
    The PSU clearly has vents on the back and sides so I think it's a moot point either way but it's clearly a better idea to install it with the top opening facing upwards.
    Reply
  • nukemaster 17 May 2015 15:05
    15875927 said:
    Why'd my commented get deleted? "This is a passively-cooled PSU, so you should install it with the top exhaust grille facing downward." is totally wrong advice, if you don't believe me read the warnings in the picture YOU took.
    I think your post got lost(forum bug maybe), not removed. I would see if it was removed and it was not.

    I think this would depend on the case you are using to be honest.

    System air will cool it.

    If the power supply is at the top of your system putting its vent up will cause heat to have no place to go in many cases. Power supplies in the bottom of the case would be better served with the power supply vent face up.

    The power supply has software to let you see the temperatures anyway so you can test. Tom's tests in a hotbox so it is not an actual case.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042.html
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp 17 May 2015 15:24
    guys sorry for this mistake. It is with the fan grill facing upwards and not down. This is how a single word can bring doom!
    Reply
  • Blueberries 17 May 2015 17:39
    These are solid! I'd take a SeaSonic SS-520FL2 for $140 over this any day, though!
    Reply
  • PaulBags 17 May 2015 20:00
    These are solid! I'd take a SeaSonic SS-520FL2 for $140 over this any day, though!
    I have the seasonic, I love it. I prefer the modular connector layout on it too, this emermax only offers a few oddly placed plugs by comparison. The cables arn't as good though, and you don't even get enough to populate all the plugs, although it's sufficent for most scenarios for a 520w PSU.

    I'd very much like to see AC cable clips become standard, I've had the ac work loose on me before when I turned a case slightly to plug something in, glad I didn't have anything important up at the time.


    To anyone who _would_ want the enermax over the seasonic I'm genuinely curious as to why. It's always good to learn and/or gain perspective.
    Reply
  • eklipz330 18 May 2015 03:52
    i just realized my 7 year warranty for my corsair hx750 expires this year QQ
    Reply
  • f-14 18 May 2015 03:52
    15875927 said:
    Why'd my commented get deleted? "This is a passively-cooled PSU, so you should install it with the top exhaust grille facing downward." is totally wrong advice, if you don't believe me read the warnings in the picture YOU took.
    I think your post got lost(forum bug maybe), not removed. I would see if it was removed and it was not.

    I think this would depend on the case you are using to be honest.

    System air will cool it.

    If the power supply is at the top of your system putting its vent up will cause heat to have no place to go in many cases. Power supplies in the bottom of the case would be better served with the power supply vent face up.

    The power supply has software to let you see the temperatures anyway so you can test. Tom's tests in a hotbox so it is not an actual case.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042.html

    page 2 second set of pictures picture number 5 what does it specifically say? where does hotair go, where does cold air go, in a fanless case your argument is excellent advice on how to waste money and start a fire. if you are running an antec 1200 with all the fans unless this psu is mounted at the top with the vents down and all the other fans are set to intake into the case you are in great shape, however that mitigates the point of having a fanless psu, you go fanless because you don't want there to be any noise, much less a hoover vacuum for a case.

    i haven't read the warranty card, but i am sure it says something about keeping the psu vents facing up when mounted at the bottom of the case, when mounted on the side that would be interesting.

    nice psu, i will keep it in mind for the next time a customer wants a zero or low noise build.

    someday there will be a liquid cooled PSU, i laugh because of water conduction electricity, but where there is a will, there is a way to circumvent conductivity and deal with all that heat i am sure.
    Reply