Enermax Triathlor FC 700w Review

Enermax have experienced great success with their Mod82+ series of power supplies over the years. Today we are looking at a model in their latest range, the Triathlor FC. The Traithlor FC 700W is the highest rated supply in the new range, a modular design featuring 80 Plus Bronze Certification and ErP Lot 6 2013 ready compliance. I have to admit, the 'Triathlor' naming threw me for a minute when I was initially offered a sample for review. Someone in the company was obviously watching the London Olympics and wanted to suggestively associate their new power supply range with the multiple-stage sporting event. As far as power supply naming goes, it's certainly corny, but the company are clearly focusing on the durability of the design. Product overview: 80 PLUS® Bronze 84 to 88 percent efficiency at 230V and 20 to 100 percent load. 80 PLUS® Bronze certified. ErP Lot 6 2013 ready! Help systems to meet the latest EU eco-design directive ErP Lot 6 2013 (< 0.5W in standby mode*) due to an improved, high-efficient 5V standby (+5Vsb) circuitry. DC-to-DC Design The secondary voltages (+5V and +3.3V) are generated by the primary voltage rails (+12V). Positive effect: Higher efficiency, clean output voltages (low ripple & noise) and a perfect voltage regulation at all loads. Full GPU & CPU Power Massive 12V rails to power high-performance processors and graphics cards. More than 98 percent of the total power of the PSU can be delivered by the key rails only. Multi-Rail Design Safe power supply thanks to two rock stable 12V rails, each with separated over current protection (OCP). Zero Load Design Stable voltage output even at 0W load. In this way, Triathlor supports the energy-saving functions of modern CPU and graphics cards (C6 State/Hybrid Mode) and prevents compatibility issues. T.B.Silence inside! Smooth running 12cm T.B.Silence fan with patented Twister bearing (100,000 hours MTBF) and powerful Batwing blades for very effective and silent cooling. Future ready and flexible All-round modular cable management. 10/12P sockets for possible connector changes of upcoming high-performance CPU and graphics card generations. SpeedGuard Ultra silent and powerful cooling performance due to the advanced and intelligent fuzzy logic fan speed control with virtually inaudible 500 or 900 RPM between 0 and 50 percent load. AirGuard Patented air-intake with optimal aero-dynamical design reduces noisy air turbulences. SafeGuard Leading Enermax protection circuitry of OCP, OVP, UVP DC, OPP, OTP, SCP & SIP. The Enermax Triathlor FC 700w ships in a white box with an image of the product showcased in the central section. The box artwork is simple, but we think effective. The power supply is protected underneath the accessories. Enermax include a regional specific power cable, user manual and literature, felt cable ties and storage pouch. The Enermax Triathlor FC 700w is not a pure modular design. There are several hardwired cables extending from the chassis, which are sleeved. The modular cables are all a flat/ribbon style to improve airflow. Above, an overview of the 550/650 and 700 Watt Triathlor FC power supplies. The 700W power supply ships with four 6+2 pin PCIe connectors split across two cables. The Triathlor FC 700w is a nicely finished power supply, much as we would expect from Enermax. The paintwork is deep and the subtle design will fit into any windowed system build. A large fan is hidden behind a black grill with the Enermax logo showcased in the middle. One side of the power supply has a large vent to help with airflow. A power connector and button is positioned at the other side. The company logo is visible here. The hardwired cables emerge from the chassis at the side. The hole is rubber protected to ensure fraying wont be a long term issue. The modular cable connectors are colour coded and labeled for ease of installation. Enermax Triathlor FC 700w DC Output +3.3V +5V +12V1 +12V2 -12V +5Vsb Max Output 24A 24A 30A 30A 0.5A 2.5A Total Power 140W 696W (58A) 6W 12.5W 700W The supply can deliver a total of 58A to the +12V lines. Enermax are using a semi transparent 9 blade 120mm fan which is rated 0.30A at 12V. This T.B. Silence fan with patented Twister bearing has the company 'Batwing' blade fans for silent cooling. The rated life of the fan is said to be 100,000 hours MTBF. The company claim that this fan only spins between 500 and 900 RPM in this unit up to 50 percent load. The design of the Enermax Triathlor FC 700w is very clean and there are several rows of black heatsinks to ensure cooling isn't a concern. This unit adopts a DC to DC design, which is normally seen on more expensive units. This design can improve voltage regulation and reduce energy losses. The 3.3V and 5V secondary rails are generated through the 12V rail which can help to save space on the PCB and to improve air circulation. The power supply uses high grade Japanese capacitors throughout the design and the primary capacitor is rated 470 uF 400V @ 85c. The secondary capacitors are rated at 105c. The cables are sleeved well into the chassis and tied into place. The rubber mount ensures protection from fraying against the naked metal. On this page we present some super high resolution images of the product taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source. Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price. Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions. We use combinations of the following hardware: • SunMoon SM-268 • CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs) • CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4) • Extech Power Analyzer • Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter • Extech digital sound level meter • Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC) • Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA 12V output is combined for our testing DC Output Load Regulation Combined DC Load +3.3V +5V +12V +5VSB -12V A V A V A V A V A V 174W 3.27 3.37 3.26 5.06 11.55 12.13 0.76 5.07 0.12 -12.06 352W 7.54 3.36 7.56 5.05 23.08 12.11 1.52 5.06 0.25 -12.07 525W 11.26 3.35 11.30 5.04 34.53 12.08 2.26 5.05 0.37 -12.07 700W 15.05 3.34 15.07 5.03 46.64 12.05 3.0 5.04 0.50 -12.08 The Enermax Triathlor FC 700w delivers solid load regulation across all the rails, holding steady. Enermax Triathlor FC 700w Maximum Load 772W We managed to squeeze 772W from the power supply before it would shut down safely. Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly. Combined DC Load +3.3V +5V +12V -12V +5VSB A V A V A V A V A V 590W 1.0 3.35 1.0 5.04 48.0 12.04 0.2 -12.03 0.5 5.03 190W 18.2 3.33 20.1 4.99 2.0 12.10 0.2 -12.02 0.5 5.02 Crossloading results are very good, as the Enermax Triathlor FC 700w holds well across the complete range of load. We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide. ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance Output Ripple (mV p-p) +3.3V 50 +5V 50 +12V1 120 +12V2 120 -12V 120 +5VSB 50 Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard. AC Ripple (mV p-p) DC Load +3.3V +5V +12V 5VSB 174W 10 15 20 10 352W 10 15 25 15 525W 15 20 35 15 700W 15 20 45 15 Ripple suppression is very good, and the unit comfortably passes the tests - peaking at 45 mV on the +12V output. The other rails peak between 15mV and 20mV, well inside the tolerance parameters. Efficiency (%) 174W 84.34 352W 87.76 525W 86.82 700W 85.77 The efficiency figures are very good for an 80 Plus Bronze rated unit, achieving around 88 percent efficiency at 50 percent load. This drops to just under 86% efficiency at full load. Great results. We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635. Today to test the power supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself. As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels. KitGuru noise guide 10dBA - Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves 20-25dBA – Whisper 30dBA - High Quality Computer fan 40dBA - A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator 50dBA - Normal Conversation 60dBA - Laughter 70dBA - Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer 80dBA - City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal 90dBA - Motorcycle or Lawnmower 100dBA - MP3 Player at maximum output 110dBA - Orchestra 120dBA - Front row rock concert/Jet Engine 130dBA - Threshold of Pain 140dBA - Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range) 160dBA - Instant Perforation of eardrum Noise (dBA) 174W <28.0 352W <28.0 525W 30.8 700W 33.2 This power supply is almost silent until around 450W load, when the fan spins up a little, becoming barely audible. At 550W the fan spins up further to compensate for rising internal temperatures. At full load the fan can be heard in a quiet room, although it is likely to be drowned out by chassis fans in a system. Temperature (c) Intake Exhaust 174W 36 41 352W 38 45 525W 40 51 700W 43 55 The large 120mm fan helps to keep temperatures well in check in the last 30% of output, rising to a 12c above ambient figure at full load. Maximum load Efficiency 772W 84.8 We measured the efficiency beyond the rated limits of the supply and recorded 84.8% at 772W. Its not a real world everyday rating, but interesting regardless. The Enermax Triathlor FC 700w is a very capable power supply which the company have released at an extremely competitive price point. Enermax have a very good track history of releasing quality power supplies normally in the higher end of the market. The release of a new price conscious 80 Plus Bronze modular unit will surely attract the attention of a wide audience of enthusiast user. Aesthetically, the Triathlor FC 700w is very nicely constructed with deep paint which proves resistant to rough handling. The colour coded modular connectors are well designed and intuitive for inexperienced users. While this isn't a 'pure' modular design, the hardwired cables are necessary for an enthusiast system build so it isn't really such a negative point. Technically the Enermax Triathlor FC 700w is a great little power supply, strong in all areas. Load regulation is excellent and it coped with our intensive cross loading test without a hiccup. Efficiency is excellent for an 80 Plus Bronze unit and ripple suppression is also well within the rated industry parameters. The large 120mm fan hardly spins at all under 50% load, meaning for most people this unit will be almost silent. In the last 20% of load the fan spins harder to compensate for a rise in ambient temperature, but it is still reasonably quiet to all but the most sensitive of ears. This power supply can be bought from SCAN in the United Kingdom for £79.99 inc vat. At this price it really is difficult to fault, If I was picking holes I could say that the primary capacitor is only 85c rated, but all the capacitors in this unit are high grade Japanese made, so quality should not be a concern long term. The Enermax Triathlor FC 700w is ideal for all but the most demanding Crossfire or SLI gaming systems. It is true that some power supplies in this price sector are 80 Plus Gold certified, although the Triathlor FC 700w is an extremely well balanced unit with no discernible weaknesses or compromises in construction quality. Pros: excellent load regulation. good efficiency modular design. good ripple suppression. quiet in operation. Cons: A lot of competition at this price. Kitguru says: An excellent unit from Enermax, and at great price too.