maybe it was just one of the bad ones...it does happen from time to time..I
started getting random reboots on my other system after putting my old
Ti4200 in it..so I went and bought the 2nd Enermax and problem solved.
I guess it may have been bad, but read the below text. This reviewer
had the exact same problem with the same Enermax PSU. My vid card at
the time was an R8500 too, as his was. I never did get my Enermax
replaced. Just went out and bought an Antec and let the Enermax
collect dust in the basement. I have two PC's here and one is using
400w Antec and my designed to be quiet PC is using a 400w Zalman.
Both have stable voltages but the Antec is a bit better than the
Zalman on the +12v line. The Enermax 365 cost me $65.00 CAD, the
Zalman $150.00 CAD, I think you get what you pay for. Enermax may have
improved a lot since 2 years ago but I take their 33amps on the +12v
line with a grain of salt. That's my take on it anyway.
http://www.gamingin3d.com/articles/ps_roundup/main.shtml
Jeez, Louise! What's with the Enermax powersupplies? There's a hefty
drop on the 12V lines under load, with respective increases on the 5V
lines. They both pass within +/- 10% limit, both not my preferred
"high-quality" +/- %5 limit.
In comparison, the Zalman/Nexus duo barely break a sweat under load.
The Zalman has a SLIGHTLY better 12V line... but the difference isn't
worth writing home about. Both of them have all their lines fall
within +/- 5% of the respective line's spec, so stability issues due
to under or over voltage should be non-existent.
(side note: while the Enermax powersupplies may seem a bit weak in
comparison, they're still better than the average generic powersupply.
I used the same test on an old generic 250W I had lying around, and
the thing dipped below 10.7V on the 12V line! That's just
unacceptable...)
Another note on the Enermax powersupplies: while it seems the
newer-yet-lower-end 365 model beats down the discontinued 451 in every
conceivable way, there is a problem with it... or at least the one I
have on hand. The problem is with certain video cards. For example, if
I use my Radeon 8500 with the 365, the system will crash whenever I
try to start a game. Annoying to say the least.
You think that's the end of the Enermax story? I wish. I've been
trying to get it replaced (since it has a 2 year warranty...
supposedly), but the retailer I got it from said they only covered it
for the first year. The second year is through Enermax... Yah. Right.
Their website says to either contact the retailer (which is obviously
not an option), or if that fails, a "branch office or agent in your
area". Well, I tried all those offices and agents. Everyone of them
gave me the run-around. They would either tell me to call someone
else, that the drives are only covered for 1 year (it says 24 months
right on the box... last time I checked, that equals 2 years), or they
would tell me "we don't deal with end users". Now I'm stuck with a
problematic $50 powersupply that's under warranty, but no one will
warranty it.
