Conclusion

It isn’t hard to rave about the Enermax Pro82+ after its stellar performance in each and every single one of our tests. To begin with its efficiency was right up there with some of the best we have tested in the past months and seemed to completely live up to its 80Plus certification. Voltage regulation was also top notch as was ripple suppression but where this power supply really shines is in the noise output department. Not once did the noise produced by the Pro82+ rise above a faint whisper so we can definitely see this unit or its modular brother being a favorite with both quiet PC aficionados and HTPC enthusiasts. Add to this a price of about $120 and Enermax’s new 625 watter looks all the more appealing to even people on a shoe-string budget.

While the performance of the Pro82+ wins us as undying fans, a power supply isn’t all about performance and it is in other critical areas where this unit falls flat. Indeed, the love affair with this new budget Enermax unit ends with the completely unintuitive way which Enermax has laid out the cables. We have seen our fair share of sleeving jobs gone awry here at Hardware Canucks so the lack of sleeving all the way to the connectors is somewhat forgivable. What isn’t forgivable is sleeving all four PCI-E cables together in one giant piece of mesh so there isn’t any way of hiding the unused cables discretely in your case. If you want to use only one PCI-E connector, the other three have to come along for the ride. It is a pain in the butt yet believe it or not, this is the only major caveat we had with this power supply.

Special mention also has to be given to the warranty available with Enermax’s power supplies since quite a bit has changed in the last year or so. With the backing of a streamlined customer service department, Markham-based Comtronic is now handling all Canadian RMA requests for Enermax power supplies. Let’s be honest here; nothing brings piece of mind like knowing us Canadians can RMA a product without worrying about shipping to and from the States. Gone are the exorbitant customs charges that are sometimes accompanying a shipment and we can only applaud Enermax for giving us a local option for product service. While a 3-year warranty certainly isn’t ground breaking, I’d gladly trade in a few years of warranty coverage for potentially quick RMA turn-around times.

The Pro82+ has proven that you don’t have to spend megabucks to get a stable, quiet and efficient power supply and because of this it gets our Dam Good Value Award.


Pros:

- Good performance
- Extremely quiet at all loads
- 80Plus certification
- RMA stays within Canada


Cons:

- PCI-E cables sleeved together
- Glossy black finish is prone to fingerprints and scratches