Experiences- Enermax Modu/Pro82+ 425W/525W? Are they silent?

PSUs: The source of DC power for all components in the PC & often a big noise source.

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TheMike
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Experiences- Enermax Modu/Pro82+ 425W/525W? Are they silent?

Post by TheMike » Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:21 pm

Hi, it's been two weeks since the review of the 625W version. Is anyone out there, who bought the 525W or 425W Version? Are there some experience considering noise? My system uses about 150W-160W power at full load. I guess 425W are enough!?
I heard the 525W version is more quiet then the 385W and the 625W, but what about the 425W?

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Post by toki_c » Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:11 pm

Well, I can say the Pro82+ 425W sample i got is pretty silent. I cannot hear the PSU instead being too close... There's no "buzz" as said in the 625W's review... just a slight high frequency noise. The fan starts at 480rpm, but as i got only a single chamber in my Sonata 3, the fan spins at 480-600rpm at idl. Well, I got 600rpm when my room is little too warm and no "fresh air flow" (my window is almost always ajar when it's not too cold outside). Otherwise it spins always at 480rpm at idl.
A sole thing must be noted, the cable length: I think the length should just fit a P180-2 without spare length left.

Note:
- without damping material, only the hard drive noises (spinning+seek) was the most bothering source of noises, then came air flow turbulance.
- now with dampping material, both air flow and the high frequency psu's noise are the only noticeable at quiet night time when being close enough to the enclosure.

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Post by FartingBob » Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:21 pm

My 425w mod82+ arrived yesterday and it has made a huge difference to the noise from my old PSU which wasn't ThermalTake-grade loud, but it was certainly the loudest part of my system.

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:04 pm

My first Modu82+ 425 watt unit was a bit loud and had a high beginning fan speed of 650 RPM. I returned the unit as defective and acquired another unit which met expectations. The new unit has a beginning fan speed of 463 RPM and is quiet even in a quiet computer.

edh
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Post by edh » Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:12 am

My 425W unit is definitely the quietest fan cooled PSU I've had. Fan normally runs at ~480rpm this may be due to the CPU cooler in the way raising back pressure and causing spin up.

anakintjc
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Post by anakintjc » Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:13 am

I've got a PRO82+ 425W and it's quiet. When i turn on the psu only, i can hear a tickling sound : i guess it's from the motor of the fan? Is this normal ?
Not that it bothers me because my hdd covers it up...

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Post by serpent » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:12 pm

I got the modu82+ 525 and i was all excited about it, especially after all the fuss.

It has good long cables so my first worry about the antec p180 case was for nothing
:)

So....is it silent....????

Well all i can say is, i really miss my antec phantom 500, because i dont like the new sound my pc has now. Its not easy to go from phantom to anyting else i guess, (fanless, but with a fan for safety). Modu might be better than other fan psus out there, but i kinda hate it right now. I hope it will grow on me as i get used to the noise.


Phatom FTW

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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:12 am

Hello serpent,

What fan speed are you registering for your new Modu82+?

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Post by xafier » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:21 am

My MODU82+ 525w starts off around 400rpm and increases after a while to roughly 500 - 600... for some reason the rpm goes up when the front door on my P182 is closed, not sure if the front two intake fans are causing some kinda of suction from the lower chamber which is causing it to pull harder??

anakintjc
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Post by anakintjc » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:38 am

any of you hear the motor of the fan spinning (sort of clicking sound) ?

JVM
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Post by JVM » Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:52 pm

My first reaction reading this thread is how could the number 1 rated PSU have such a varied response from owners? If it is so quiet, and I believe it was said to be quietest of all time, why are some complaining about noise?

Here I am with my "old" Seasonic S12-600 and don't hear it making any noise and have to wonder if I should go for the MODU 82+ in my new build. Perhaps I got a good sample of the Seasonic model I have, but I am extremely happy with it and getting nervous about using the Enermax in the system I plan to build.

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Post by Shining Arcanine » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:44 pm

JVM wrote:My first reaction reading this thread is how could the number 1 rated PSU have such a varied response from owners? If it is so quiet, and I believe it was said to be quietest of all time, why are some complaining about noise?

Here I am with my "old" Seasonic S12-600 and don't hear it making any noise and have to wonder if I should go for the MODU 82+ in my new build. Perhaps I got a good sample of the Seasonic model I have, but I am extremely happy with it and getting nervous about using the Enermax in the system I plan to build.
There are three possible reasons. The first is that some of us have better hearing than others, so some are more sensitive to noise. The second is sample variance. The third is that some people's computers are hotter than other people's computers, causing the fan speed to increase.

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:08 pm

I have not read many reports of dissatisfaction with the acoustics of the new Enermax units although I did exchange one defective example.

The reviews here at SPCR, Anandtech and Hard OCP have all reported best-in-class acoustics.

Other than the Modu82+, the only sources of noise in my computer are a 120mm Nexus @ 5v, a 92mm Nexus @ 5v and a suspended Samsung HD501LJ. My only identifiable source of noise is the 120mm Nexus. I cannot hear my Modu82+ even in such a quiet build.

For people with louder builds who use either active front cooling or fan cooled graphic cards or fans run at 12v, I don't think noise made by the new Enermax units would ever be an issue.

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Post by JVM » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:49 pm

First, even at my age of 101, my hearing is excellent! Secondly, while I have a front fan (92mm Nexus), it is virtually inaudible at the lowest setting on Fanmate. The other fans I have are the Scythe "D" on top of my Thermalright heatsink, and a rear case Scythe "D" with both spinning around 800 RPM and extremely quiet. If the fan in my Seasonic was making any noise, I would hear it, as I heard the fan in my previous PSU. I am quite sensitive to noise. Almost forgot, my video card is passive--no fan.

I live in the country and it just doesn't get any quieter than around here. I can tell when the mail comes because a car went by. We have more deer than people around here. So, my environment is extremely quiet. The loudest thing in my den is my DirecTV DVR that I can hear humming.

In this thread I read someone mentioning a clicking/ticking sound and the fan ramping up and down, the latter could be due to loading, but the former doesn't sound good. True, there aren't a lot of complaints and that is good. The thing that really troubles me aside from anything I read in this thread are the issues that can be caused by a PSU that is both modular and with a triple rail 12V design. One example is this from a moderator on another forum:

"The problem with modular is that you have more connection points to fail. Even if they don't fail completely they do have more resistance which can lead to premature failure, instability, heat, and wasted electricity. The fewer connection points the better."

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:13 pm

Hello JVM,

I have read criticism of increased resistance due to modular power supply connections in a FAQ by PC Power & Cooling, a supplier that has long resisted going modular (until recently).

Unbiased reviewers (maybe Paul Johnson or JonnyGuru if memory serves) say that continuity testing shows that modular connections do not have significantly increased resistance. Wasted electricity is certainly not an issue in my case. My old Seasonic SS-400 drew 71w at idle and the new Modu82+ 425w draws only 64w.

If you don't trust modular connections the Pro82+ line is an alternative to consider.

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Post by JVM » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:52 pm

Michael,

It isn't that I don't trust modular connections, or the triple rail 12V design, but rather a concern for what that moderator put forth in his comment I quoted above. I would love to know what MikeC has to say about it. In reading MikeC's reviews of modular triple rail 12V designs, I don't recall any issues of the kind mentioned above.

Perhaps the most significant things in that quote above are instability and resistance leading to premature failure. It would be very interesting to know what MikeC has to say about those issues.

What I left out in that quote above is the moderator stated if the modular PSU has at least 18 amps on each 12V rail, then it probably will be all right, but he still recommended the non-modular single rail 12V design.

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:07 pm

Hello JVM,

The negative information re modular power supplies came from a moderator on a motherboard forum who may or may not be an authority on power supplies. After discovering that I needed a new power supply, I researched SPCR articles by Mike Chin. I also looked for other knowledgeable power supply experts. Two highly regarded reviewers are Paul Johnson at Hard OCP and JonnyGuru of JonnyGuru.com. Nothing that I read by these experts advised avoiding modular power supplies.

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Post by JVM » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:48 pm

Michael Sandstrom wrote:Hello JVM,

The negative information re modular power supplies came from a moderator on a motherboard forum who may or may not be an authority on power supplies. After discovering that I needed a new power supply, I researched SPCR articles by Mike Chin. I also looked for other knowledgeable power supply experts. Two highly regarded reviewers are Paul Johnson at Hard OCP and JonnyGuru of JonnyGuru.com. Nothing that I read by these experts advised avoiding modular power supplies.
Michael,

It is not only about being modular. If you read my posts again you will see I mentioned modular -- and single rail 12V versus triple rail 12V. There are 3 12V rails on the Enermax MODU 82+ and that is also significant, although having more than 18 amps on each of those 12V rails probably eliminates the danger inherent in having less than 18 amps on each rail--this has to do with stability.

I visited three motherboard forums specific to three different motherboard manufacturers I am considering. Moderators at two of those forums suggested non-modular single 12V rail PSU as best for a system, and a few members chimed in with agreement. Apparently, from what they say, a single 12V rail design is more stable, or can be more stable than a 3 12V rail design--and modular being another factor.

The reason I have the itch for Enermax MODU 82+ is because it is rated most quiet of the bunch and has modular cables. I like the idea of modular cables to lessen the clutter and connect what I need. As for the single 12V rail versus triple 12V rail issue, I don't know how significant that is when there are 25 amps on each rail, but some say go with single 12V rail.

Signed,
Confused. :)

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:05 pm

Hello JVM,

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036

You might be interested in the power supply FAQ on the JonnyGuru web site. The link provides a lot of information re split rails and modular power supplies.

Which motherboard forums have warned against split rails, etc?

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Post by widowmaker » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:19 pm

I'm particularly interested in hearing about any complaints on buzzing on this psu. I have a Corsair HX520 and I've done a fan swap on it so that fan noise is no longer an issue (zero rpm). The new issue is the electronics buzzing in the psu. It's currently the most audible (dare I say loudest?) source of aural agony. I'm thinking of sticking it into my second computer and getting a Modu however if the buzzing is still present, i'll have wasted my money.

Celoth
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Post by Celoth » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:28 am

Up until my Modu82+ 625W died on me last night after only three days, I was very happy with the noise levels. I basically couldn't hear it, even when I had my system under load. I didn't put my ear right up against it while it was running, but from 50 cm it was pretty much silent, and that was with the side panel off.

It was supplying power for an overclocked E8400 (4.2GHz @ 1.393V), an Asus Rampage Formula mobo, and an EVGA 8800GTS 512 SSC (factory overclocked) as well as 2 HDs, a pump and 4 undervolted fans.

It died on me during an overnight session of Memtest86 after I had lowered some voltages in the bios. But the acoustics were great. Of course, now it's dead-silent...

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Post by NeilBlanchard » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:53 pm

Hello,

In your other post, you mentioned a power outage had caused the failure -- it is only fair to mention it here, as well.

Celoth
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Post by Celoth » Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:42 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hello,

In your other post, you mentioned a power outage had caused the failure -- it is only fair to mention it here, as well.
Nono, the PSU caused the power outage in the apartment, not the other way around. I guess power outage isn't really the right word for it though, because the power was still on for the other circuits in the apartment and everyone else in the area. The PSU blew the 10A fuse as it died. I guess I didn't make that clear enough. The HFI-relay (fault current protection circuit) protects from bad current from the outside and will shut off if that happens, but no one else but me was affected by this. Only the 10A circuit the computer was on blew a fuse, meaning it was an electrical device on that circuit that caused it. I asked around and was told by people in the know that it was caused by a faulty electrical device on that circuit, in this case the PSU.

I did have a couple of other devices on and running on the same circuit, but only the PSU died, meaning the fuse did its job and took the hit.

I sure hope it was just a single bad PSU, because I'd hate if the replacement did the same number on me. It really is a very quiet PSU, making my intake and outlet ducts kinda pointless.

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Post by walle » Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:35 am

I never though the day would come when I would consider a unit other then a Seasonic ditto, but before I commit getting one I would also like to hear about possible complaints with buzzing noise. Anyway; no such issues was raised in the SPCR review (if I recall) and I’m wondering if that meant that there were no buzzing noise or if it simply was not taken into consideration, thus perhaps missed? I think it would be great to add that aspect in future power supply reviews, so apart from fan noise also buzz noise (present or not present) would be listed.

Added; I’m fully aware of other components possibly being the culprit, yet it would be nice to have it mentioned.


Cheers

Michael Sandstrom
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Post by Michael Sandstrom » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:04 am

Hello walle,

The Modu82+ review does mention buzzing stating that the noise only becomes audible at 6 inches. In another Modu82 thread Mike Chin stated that all power supplies buzz to some extent.

walle
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Post by walle » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:25 am

You beat me to it Michael, I rechecked reading the review but was to slow with editing my post, but no point bothering with it now though.:)

Still, thank you for pointing it out, much appreciated.


Cheers

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Post by edh » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:41 am

If I can get hold of a better microphone I could stop all of the other moving components in my system and record the sound, then analyse it's spectra and see what frequencies it makes. If it comes out with a dominant frequency of 100Hz then that's obviously a mains power buzz (2x50Hz). Someone with 60Hz electricity would then find a 120Hz buzz.

anakintjc
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Post by anakintjc » Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:43 pm

Third time, good time i hope...

I've got a PRO82+ 425W and it's quiet. When i turn on the psu only, i can hear a tickling sound : i guess it's from the motor of the fan? Is this normal ?
Not that it bothers me because my hdd covers it up...

figment
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Post by figment » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:58 am

I finally got my Modu82+ 525W installed and running.

Mine is really quiet. Now, I don't have one of the Corsair HX's to compare it to, but it is by far the quietest PSU I've seen. The PSU fan spins at about 450rpm and I was not able to hear any clicking or buzzing over the (quiet) sound of air turbulence from a nearby Slipstream (@920rpm). It's overpowered for the system, but even through stress testing, it never needed to spin up any faster than idle.

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Post by andyb » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:08 pm

I have a 385W model, I have only been able to test it at my work place so far which is not quiet.

It emits a higher than normal (standard fan) noise, but it is very quiet indeed.

I will update this later, when I have the chance to test it at home, in a quiet environment.

I am happy so far.


Andy

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