Enermax Liberty Eco 400W PSU Review

We are all trying to go green these days. Everyone is getting in on the action. In order for there to be a tomorrow we have to think ahead today. So everything you see on the market today has an Eco-friendly sticker or stamp on it. I personally think it’s cool that so many companies are stepping up to the plate and offering a more energy-efficient way to live. Not only does it cut back on our impact on the planet, but it saves us money on our bills. So now we have LED bulbs, low-flow shower heads, and even meters that plug into an outlet in your house and tell you how much electricity you are wasting each and every day (P4460 Kill-a-Watt meter for only $25). And lately it seems that the people leading the way for us nerds to get in on the Eco-action are the PSU manufacturers.

Enermax has delivered us the Liberty Eco line of power supplies to help us stay on Earth’s good side. Available in 400W, 500W, and 620W, these PSUs will ensure that you are actually using more electricity than you are wasting. Today I’ll be testing the 400W PSU and see how it stands up to other Eco-friendly supplies on the market today, as well as its efficiency compared to other power supplies that haven’t been branded “Eco-friendly”. Before we get started, take a look at some of the perks of owning this particular power supply:

Being certified as 80 PLUS is quite a must-have to minimizing the electricity bill, but having ENERMAX’ patented SpeedGuard fan control with the acknowledged lowest noise profile worldwide, won’t let you hear the 12cm ball-bearing fan working, while saving your money. Likewise, the patented AirGuard inlet reduces air-turbulences furthermore. The FUTURE ready! 12P socket offers upgradability for possible future CPU or GPU connectors. Being in a true ATX standard housing of only 140mm length let it fit even in most HTPC systems. An 115% capacity transformer and a special version heavy-duty Japanese main capacitor keep the output stable even at full load, while TRIPLE AC + DUAL DC EMI Filter keep the output power cleaner than others, making it 24/7 @ 40°C ready!. The 400 & 500W models with two 6+2P PEGs can power one of all available highest-end graphics cards and the 620W with four 6+2P PEGs even two.

You also get this neat little folding Enermax pouch to hold all the modular cables that you are not using at the moment. I have to say that’s a first for me. I’ve seen a couple of plastic and even fabric bags for you to shove the cables down into, but a pouch with pockets that folds up is pretty nice of these guys to throw in there. Just figured I would throw that little tidbit in there for those wondering what drawer to shove those cables into. No need.

One thing I did notice right away was that the P1 (the main mobo connector) is a 24-pin setup, not a 20+4. This is going to be fine for those of us with 24-pin connectors, but there are a few mini-ATX boards that have resistors (among other crap) stuck right beside where those other four pins would hang over. So before you invest in this PSU, make sure that you will be able to use it.

Alrighty, so I’m going to give this thing a test run and see what it can do. I’ll be testing it with a basic multimeter from Radio Shack. This is going to be put into my personal computer, which consists of the following components:

• 350GB SATA HDD 7200RPM
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 GPU
• Athlon X2 3800 (OC’d to 2.2Ghz)
• 2GB Samsung DDR2 RAM
• NZXT LCD Fan Controller
• DVD-RW DL optical drive
• 4 120mm Fans, 3 92mm fans
• GMC X7 X-Station Gaming Case (read our review)

I threw all the things in there that are always running to show the amount of electricity that is typically being used when I have my PC powered up. Most of the time I am either editing video or working on 3D modeling, which is intensive on the internal components and can seriously pull from the PSU during rendering times. Gaming is another power-sucker that I do on this PC, though not nearly as often as the other stuff.

I have to say that of most components I install regularly, PSUs are one of the quickest and easiest. A few screws, plug some stuff in, and you’re done. Testing them is a little more time consuming than most, but I guess that’s just the universe’s way of evening things out for us reviewers. Once I had the unit installed in my case and everything plugged in, I switched it on. Right away I noticed the difference in noise compared to my usual Corsair TX750 PSU (reviewed here). It has to be one of the quietest I’ve ever heard.

Another difference between my Corsair and the Enermax is the rated temperature at which it should be used. The Corsair is rated at 25C for 24/7 operation, whereas the Enermax is rated at a staggering 40C internal case temperature recommendation for 24/7 usage. A quick glance at my LCD, which has by now warmed up to its usual operating temperature, is 30C. I’m starting to think that maybe I should rethink my Corsair when I am done with this review.

Okay, I’m sure you’re all wondering what the internals of this thing are made of. So here’s what I found out about the Liberty Eco 400W. The main capacitor was born of the geniuses over at Hitachi, and rated for 330uF, 400V, and 85°C. It has a huge choke coil in there, and the main bridge rectifier is just to the right of this, toward the back of the PSU. Two separate heatsinks run down on each side of the main capacitor, rather than the one large one that we see in many PSUs today. The entire setup is crafted to fit snugly inside the casing, while still leaving plenty of cooling space. And as expected of Enermax, very solidly constructed. If the internal components are any indication, then this unit is going to perform like a dream.

Okay, so everything is connected. So far the PC has been up and running for about 25 minutes, with a solid 15 minutes of HD video rendering behind the scenes. Using the multimeter, I tested both of the 12v rails for any amount of fluctuation. On the +12V rail, I was getting between 12.10 to 11.72, which on the scales is very minimal to say the least. -12V rail gave me very nice readings as well, with -11.76 to -11.84 on the readings. This kind of fluctuation is normal, as there are always spikes and sags in a current, even DC current. On the +3.3V, I was getting a steady set of numbers, in the area of 3.36 to 3.31. The +5V line gave me mucho similar readings, with a beautiful 5.01 to 4.94 on average. Once again, these are nominal at best for a power supply. Very sturdy and steady numbers.

Using a power analyzer, I got accurate efficiency on the unit, which is rated at 80% to 85% efficiency under regular load. This is what I got:

Once again, powerful numbers, proving that this PSU does do exactly as it boasts. It can handle pressure while remaining at least 80% efficient. Impressive to say the least.

My final thoughts on this power supply are simple. If it does the job, and looks good doing it, then it’s either dependable hardware or Hayden Panettiere. Either way, I like what I see. The unit is sturdily constructed almost to the point of being weighty to say the least, but is very small which makes for easy install. It gave excellent numbers on all rails and lines and provided immense efficiency the whole time. I give this PSU two thumbs up, plus an extra one because I now have Hayden on the brain.