Enermax Modu87+ 500W vs 600W

[Joe23002]

SPCR review for the 500W Enermax Modu87+

I built a PC a few months ago from the advice on this forum.

My father now wants me to build a quiet/silent PC for him, after seeing mine . The only comment I would have about mine is that the power supply fan is always audible (when ordering, I decided to save a few quid and got this one rather than the one above).

The 500W Enermax Modu87+ version is reviewed on this site (the link at the top).

At amazon the 600W version is only about £10 more expensive than the 500W version.

So, would anybody be able to advise me on whether or not the 600W is as quiet or quieter in the same spec PC than the 500W?

Also, these power supplies are expensive. Are there any cheaper ones that are still quiet?

Thankyou,
Joe

[lodestar]

The Enermax is one of the most expensive 500w PSUs around. A better value buy would be the Coolermaster Silent Pro M, which is around half the price of the Enermax Modu87+ in the UK. From some UK suppliers such as this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500w-coo ... -135mm-fan and http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w-coo ... -135mm-fan there is less than two pounds difference between the price of the 500w and 600w models of the Coolermaster. In that situation the larger capacity model is worth the fairly minor extra investment.

[quest_for_silence]

The Enermax is one of the most expensive 500w PSUs around.

It's also one of the quietest all over the world. How much does it cost a Seasonic X-560 or an X-460?

A better value buy would be the Coolermaster Silent Pro M, which is around half the price of the Enermax Modu87+ in the UK.

That CM is also far less efficient (just 80+ versus 80+ Gold) and noticeably louder at any rate.
Any rose has its thorns: it isn't cheaper for nothing, that CM. May it be quiet enough? I dunno, it might even be.
Mostly depend about actual power draw, PSU mounting and enclosure placement.

About the OP request, there's about no difference between the 500W or 600W Modu87+, just (more probably that not) some larger capacitors. But there's also no point to have a 600W over the 500W for a typical "daddy's rig". IMO, of course.

[lodestar]

As the OP has not said what spec this system will be, I assume that references to 500w/600w probably mean some form of gaming system. The Silent Pro M ought to be quiet and efficient enough provided that the actual power draw does not exceed around 50% of its nominal capacity. At the cost of an couple of pounds more than the 500w the 600w just gives a bit more headroom.

[djkest]

there is less than two pounds difference between the price of the 500w and 600w models of the Coolermaster. In that situation the larger capacity model is worth the fairly minor extra investment.

No! Why would you need 600W instead of 500W? Most general use machines use less than 200W. Look at the system in my signature- a hardcore gaming machine that uses 240W under full CPU and GPU load. Even a 500W power supply is too much, you will probably use less than 20% capacity at idle. Unless he is planning on running 2 powerful SLI graphics cards, it's a waste of money and most likely a waste of efficiency.

What could you possibly put in a system (besides an extremely powerful graphics card) that a 500W system would not be enough for? I'm sorry but this is just one of those things that irritates me because it's based on misinformation.

+ Larger Capacity you won't need
- Costs more
- Most likely less efficient at realistic power levels.

A well designed modern system can idle at 40-50W. Even a non-optimal system is going to be under 100W at idle. Most power supplies are most efficient between 20-80% of rated capacity, and efficiency is worst from 0-20% capacity. This is why it is important to not go overboard.

[quest_for_silence]

No!

You are - more probably that not - "overreacting".
AFAIK lodestar should be fully aware of actual power requirements.
Moreover any possible efficiency gap is - more probably that not - marginal (in this case).
The fact remains that going for a 600W is - more probably that not - however pointless.

[djkest]

No!

You are - more probably that not - "overreacting".
AFAIK lodestar should be fully aware of actual power requirements.
Moreover any possible efficiency gap is - more probably that not - marginal (in this case).
The fact remains that going for a 600W is - more probably that not - however pointless.

Over-reacting in that I used an exclamation point- maybe.

I still believe paying extra for un-needed overhead and possible decrease in efficiency is a poor decision.

[lodestar]

I still believe paying extra for un-needed overhead and possible decrease in efficiency is a poor decision.

It would be if this were true. But it isn't. The assumption that seems to be being made is that the CoolerMaster 600 is going to be inefficient at light loads. That's not the case. The SilentPro M 500 and 600 are both more efficient in the band up to 50% of nominal capacity, and only after than does efficiency significantly decrease.

In support of this, these are the % efficiency figures from an independent reviewer for the 600w model [1]

75W 85.21
150W 86.17
300W 86.78
450W 84.64
600W 82.02

CoolerMaster has published some efficiency figures for the 500w, which don't quite line up with the above categories but do include a full power figure [2]

103W 84.34
255W 85.55
502W 81.88

The wattage figures in both cases are DC load, so at the wall (AC input) figures would be higher. Admittedly there's not much in it, but the 600w IS more efficient than the 500w.

[1] http://www.kitguru.net/components/power ... -review/4/

[2] http://www.coolermaster.co.uk/upload/do ... Report.pdf

[quest_for_silence]

but the 600w IS more efficient than the 500w.

Please, lodestsar, no kidding.
Those numbers does mean nothing, and I think that you know already very well (not to mention that we're going deep into OT, guys).

[djkest]

The 600W would most likely have higher resale value. That's a positive right there.

Plus, if the 600W is actually MORE efficient, than that totally makes up for a couple $$ more in extra initial cost.