Im getting either a 350W Enermax or a 450W CWT, they are about the same price.
450W would be nice, but the 350W Enermax looks nicer, anyone own any of these PSUs?
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Im getting either a 350W Enermax or a 450W CWT, they are about the same price.
450W would be nice, but the 350W Enermax looks nicer, anyone own any of these PSUs?
Would go for the Enermax,Although the CWT has more power the Enermax is a better quality PSU and is more likely of producing a true 350w
I haven't ever had an Enermax but it's worth noting that the CWT PSUs are what Antec buy in and badge as their own PSUs - the ones that Scan sell are exactly the same as the Antec Solutions series PSUs
actually cwt make the psu's for antec, antec dont just rebadge cwt's psu's and i think you will find the antecs are better. for example you wont find an antec "truepower" cwt equivilant
id say enermax cause ive used them before and still am using them and have never had a problem
da_ging - the CWT models match the exact specs of the Antec ones... Including the true powers - the CWT equivalents are:
Antec 'Solution' = CWT B series PSU
Antec 'TruePower' = CWT A series PSU
The only true power equivalent (A series) that you can buy in the UK is the 550W PSU (AFAIK Scan are the only place you can get them)
See this thread for more info:
http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=9465
Edit: I don't mean Antec Solution for the B series PSUs - I mean Antec Smart Power (doh!)... Actually the website refers to them as both so that's probably why I'm confused too...
well ok ,(knew i should have added an afaik ;) )
there still not the same as the antecs anyway or as good
http://www.hardwarezoom.com/viewcont...p?ReviewID=187
da_ging - the figures for the Antec and the CWT are well within spec - and bloody good - even at a low 4.86V it's still (just) less than 3% out of spec and the Antec and the CWT are 1% apart (4.86 = 97.2% of 5V, 4.91 = 98.2% of 5V) - and the quoted variation for both the CWT and the Antec are +/- 3% on the 5V rail so I'd say you're just as likely to find the same variation with each brand...
Also it must be an older model PSU - as mine does have the SATA plugs, etc...
I've nearly always bought evermax. From the 350 to the 550 watt, and i've never had a problem with them!
Id choose Enermax over anything else.
I have the Enermax 350w PSU, and it has worked perfectly from day 1. Rock solid stable and quiet with it, I would recommend it to anyone.
Buy Enermax!
id definatly buy a cwt 450 over a enermax 350w, not that ive used either, but i know both are good quality psus, but a 450w would be better....
i have a 550w cwt and the rails never drop atall however much load i put on it. the rails are slightly high (= good) when measured with multimeter but the mobo sensor reads them low (still within 3% though!) which is due to resistance in nf7-s rev22 mobos and the EPS12->ATX converter that has to be used with these psus (comes with them).
also i wouldnt buy a psu becuase of how it looks, may aswell get the most expensive peice of carp you can get from pcworld if thats what you want...
What I meant when I said that the Enermax looks nicer is, that the build quality looks better, with better materials, but ofcourse, I could be wrong.
Its still a tough choice, I did two of those online PSU Calculator tests, and the results from both tests said I needed atleast 380W, but I currently have a no name 330W PSU, and my system runs perfectly fine.
But since im splashing out on an Abit IC-7 G Mobo, I thought a new PSU would be fitting.
Im leaning towards the 450W CWT, its £3 cheaper. :)
how do you know the build quality is better? give me an example?
I got a 450watt CWT and its great for £30 odd quid
From variuos detailed pictures and reviews, but like i said in my eariler post, I could be wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by |SilentDeath|
my point was that noone that reviews psus or any one that uses computer acctually nows how they work and could explin each bit with the lid off - build quality therefore being based on the extras like braided cables and led fans... trust me the 450w cwt will be plenty for you, the 350w would probably be enough, though i would get a bigger one just for the added saftey (psus that are ran at there max wont last too long). tbh the 550w cwt isnt expensive, and its worth the extra (the 450w is a antec 'solutions' range, whereas the 550w is truepower - has extras like seperate rails and 3% regulation, aswell as sata cables and few more things). also its a EPS12v psu which gives you a bit of future proofing... (as more and more things start to use 12v for power)
i done a semi-detailed review of each a while ago if you can find the thread it might be worth a read
I have 450w and it has SATA power cables
Looks like the 450W CWT is is then!
I agree with silentdeath, but bear in mind that any 'future proofing' will receive a btx shaped kick in the nuts....
another reason to get the cheapest one
I would personally say it's better to pay the extra for the 550W, simply because it is equivalent to the TruePower range, so has much better voltage regulation and significantly quieter stock fans. The latter was important in my own decision as I wanted a quiet PSU without resorting to modding, since last time (with an Enhance 460W - which, in my defence, is very awkardly laid out and modder-unfriendly) this resulted in a couple of sharp reminders of the power of electricity and a dead PSU within a few weeks.
I believe that some traders at computer fairs sell certain models, and that CWT do manufacturer lower-rated A series PSUs, but I haven't visited a computer fair in years so I'm not sure if anything below the 550 is available in the UK. All the evidence points towards them being internally identical to the Antec TPs, I haven't seen anything to indicate otherwise.Interesting - I've also noticed low MBM/BIOS readings with mine, and although I've suspected it's at least in part due to inaccurate hardware monitoring, I haven't yet examined it with a multimeter (partly for reasons of personal safety mentioned above), so couldn't be sure the PSU itself isn't responsible for the readings.Quote:
Originally Posted by |SilentDeath|
Compared to my Qtec 550W, the +12v line is almost identical (averaging about 0.25-0.3v out at 1.9vcore nominal, 1.82-1.86v actual under load), but the +3.3v and +5v are out, over 3% at some times in the case of the former. This would be consistent with your claim, but I've also tried it in the 8K7A+ downstairs, and 3.3v/5v were almost spot on while 12v was out by around 0.3 again - if the converter caused the inaccurate monitoring with both boards, the other two readings would surely be lower on the 8K7A+. I suppose I'll have to try the multimeter now...
I've got the 550w CWT power supply - its awesome, the cables are LONG as hell as they can reach the bottom of my casetek case with no issues, and it is also very quiet indeed. Only thing that could improve it is more SATA power and of course neon fans in the PSU unit itself :)
Lee
the atx cable on the enermax is super stiff.. i dont like it :( good power rating though
neon fans in a psu? WHATS THE POINT!!! imo CCFLs make things look rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishe.
heh Silent - each to their own I suppose :)
It is a "classy" PSU and I might just 1 day change my fans but atm the light from the UV light and Abit red light glowing on the NF7-S looks funky enough when added with the light from my gainward FX card :)
Roll on payday so I can afford a decent cooler such as the thermaltake Sub Zero 4G and have a nice play with that.
Lee