Finnaly i have the Enermax 475. But i have some questions!!

DG · Post by DG » Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:51 pm

I have the Enermax NoiseTaker 475 A-PFC v. 2.0

1. If i start the PSU, shorting the green-black wires, so no motherboard or video card is connected to it, the PSU whines. I can hear the whine from 2 feet (~70cm). But, if i connect the whole system (motherboard, video, fans, hdd, etc) to the PSU, it DOESN'T whine!! Nothing, zero whine! Just the fans spinning VERY quitely. Is this normal?

2. In have very poor voltages with it. My bios readings are: 3.3+ (2.70v), 5+ (4.89v), 12+ (12.40v). My pc is running fine, but i keep asking myself if theese are the real numbers. Before the Enermax, i had an Antec TP430W, and the voltages were fine (on the same mobo)...

3. Should i cover the grille at the back of the PSU? It seems the air from the bottom 92mm fan is pushed outside the psu in the case, instead of sucked in...

Thank you!

ps: my current configuration is: Epox 8rda+, Ati 9800 pro, AMD 2500+, 1x hdd Samsung, 1x cd writer...For the moment i've tested the PSU only outside the case...

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:21 am

1) What you are hearing is coil whine. This is a very annoying noise, and can be very loud. The exact causes are very complex, and depend on the load on the PSU. It is only a problem if it whines when your machine is running. Sometimes people will find that when they do something on their machine that changes the power draw, their PSU suddenly starts to whine.

If this happens to you when you are using your machine then you should be able to RMA the unit. Hopefully, there will be no need to. Note, if you do experience coil whine when the machine is running, RMAing the unit may not change anything. It can be the case that a certain model of PSU will always whine with the components that are in the case.

2) Mobos are rubbish at reported voltages. The Antec PSU could have had hgih voltages that were mis-reported as being OK. Or it could be the other way round. It is more likely that it is somewhere between the 2. As the machine is stable, don't stress about it. The only voltage that looks a little out of spec is the 3.3 line, the others are within tolerance.

3) Tricky one, you could try it. If you did that, you probably would get more air coming out of the back of the PSU. This would increase the airflow over the components in the PSU that are nearest the exhaust. However, what you will have done is reduce the airflow over the componets that are closest to the inside of your case. I would leave well alone TBH, if its working and quiet you have a good result.

DG · Post by DG » Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:36 am

1) I know about the whole "coil whine" thing. What surprized me was that it only had coil whine when it was NOT connected to the mobo.

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:57 am

Yeah, PSUs can be funny things. Coil whine is an example, you'll probably just have to accept that your PSU does not like not being connected to a mobo...

DG · Post by DG » Sun Sep 19, 2004 6:11 am

The problem nr. 2 is resolved: I've tested the PSU on a Abit AN7 mobo and: 3.3+ (3.27v), 5+ (5.06v) and 12+ (12.08v). Pretty good...

So my Epox was mis-reporting the voltages, as you said...

DG · Post by DG » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:08 am

One more question:

My PSU is ATX 2.0, so it comes with a 6-pin 12v power connector for the next pci-e video cards. I want to connect it to a normal 4 pin molex power connector, found on my 9800 pro card. So i need an adaptor, 6 pin to 4 pin. Does this type of adaptor exists? Where can i fin one to buy???

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:27 am

Erm, don't know much about that at all. Why not just use a molex connector and save some cash and hassle?

DG · Post by DG » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:47 am

Don't know.... Maybe because it says it has a separate rail just for the power hungry video cards?

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:57 am

Mmmm, fair enough. There is likely to be something out there somewhere, I cannot help u though

DG · Post by DG » Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:24 pm

Has anyone swap fans in this PSU? How hard it is?

Ned Slider · Post by **Ned Slider** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 4:04 am

DG wrote:1) I know about the whole "coil whine" thing. What surprized me was that it only had coil whine when it was NOT connected to the mobo.

Maybe you only get whine when there is no load on the supply. When you connect to the system there is load being placed on the supply. Don't forget these supplies are designed to work ideally within a certain load range (say 30-70%).

I have the Enermax noisetaker 375 on a ECS motherboard and the voltages are all spot on. But my Nexus 300 on my 8RDA+ (same as yours) reports low on the 5V rail (4.75V). I wouldn't trust motherboard readings for voltages especially if it's running fine.

Ned

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 11:18 am

DG wrote:Has anyone swap fans in this PSU? How hard it is?

I haven't done it myself, but ichbinleise sells kits with Papst fans to swap into this PSU. So this at least tells you normal 25mm thick fans will fit and the fan leads aren't soldered to the PCB, but use special connectors.

luminous · Post by **luminous** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 11:43 am

Why would you want to do a fan swap with this PSU. Its main selling feature is its careful thermal management. Its not like PSUs of old that just spin the fan faster then they need it to go.

I would think very carefully before pulling this particular unit apart, just imo.

DG · Post by DG » Thu Sep 23, 2004 2:22 pm

It's because i don't like the sound the fans make, when they spin at a low RPM. They don't make a smooth air sound, as i like...