Enermax Galaxy 1000w Quad-SLI ATX PSU
Looking Inside
Published: 14th December 2006 | Source: Enermax | Price: |
As with all power supplies that pass through Overclock3D, I'll be taking a look inside the Galaxy. By doing this I should be able to get a good idea of the overall build quality of the unit and how it is likely to perform in our tests.
The inside of the Galaxy is extremely tidy and well spaced out in comparison to some of the high-end power supplies I've tested in the past. All of the cables entering the unit are bunched tightly together with cable ties to prevent any hindrance to airflow. Stretching the length of the PSU are two low profile black aluminium heatsinks. These do look quite inadequate, but with the airflow from the 135mm fan passing through them, they should be able to keep the mosfets attached beneath fairly cool.
At a quick glance we can see that Enermax has two transformers in comparison a single transformer found in most other power supplies. Studying the Galaxy's specifications we can assume that +12V1 , +12V2 and +5V rails share the first transformer, with the +3.3V, +12V3, +12V4 and +12V5 rails sharing the second. By doing this, Enermax have roughly split the 1000w across both of the transformers allowing for better voltage stability across the board.
At a quick glance we can see that Enermax has two transformers in comparison a single transformer found in most other power supplies. Studying the Galaxy's specifications we can assume that +12V1 , +12V2 and +5V rails share the first transformer, with the +3.3V, +12V3, +12V4 and +12V5 rails sharing the second. By doing this, Enermax have roughly split the 1000w across both of the transformers allowing for better voltage stability across the board.
In order to keep the Galaxy cool Enermax have adopted to use two fans. The larger of the two (pictured left) is responsible for pushing air over the internal components and heatsinks, with the smaller fan (pictured right) extracting the hot air out the back of the unit. Both fan's specifications can be seen below:
Model: Superred CHA8012DB-OA
Size: 80mm
Noise: 37dbA
Speed: 3600RPM
Airflow: 44.3CFM
Model: Globefan RL4T B1352512MB-3M
Size: 135mm
Noise: 40.4dbA
Speed: 1800RPM
Airflow: 95.8CFM
With the fans rated between 37-40dbA when running at full speed, it certainly gives the impression that the Galaxy could turn out to be a rather noisy unit. Lets hope that Enermax have implemented a decent fan controller so we don't suffer any burst eardrums during the tests over the next page.
Model: Superred CHA8012DB-OA
Size: 80mm
Noise: 37dbA
Speed: 3600RPM
Airflow: 44.3CFM
Model: Globefan RL4T B1352512MB-3M
Size: 135mm
Noise: 40.4dbA
Speed: 1800RPM
Airflow: 95.8CFM
With the fans rated between 37-40dbA when running at full speed, it certainly gives the impression that the Galaxy could turn out to be a rather noisy unit. Lets hope that Enermax have implemented a decent fan controller so we don't suffer any burst eardrums during the tests over the next page.
Most Recent Comments
That thing is huge....
Looks nice but I'd still buy a PCP&C
now thats a Power Supply!!!!
no no no get out of my head I've spent far too much already :D
Great review as always guys.
no no no get out of my head I've spent far too much already :D
Great review as always guys.
will that thing fit in a normal case lol
wheres NickS? somebody told me he liked enermax :p
wheres NickS? somebody told me he liked enermax :p
It's impressive... But To big?
1000w?! humph
*walks off in a huff*
*walks off in a huff*
Its nice having a 1KW PSU, amazingly enough hardware is coming out that can actually make use of its wattage. The size is kind of a downer, takes some finagling to get it into most cases, maybe a little Dremeling... but once its in, power problems become a thing of the past.
I had an Enermax Liberty 620W PSU, and after 3 months it popped, no rhyme or reason. Thankfully nothing else in my setup got damaged, bought a PC P&C 610W for my backup pc.
You can go cheap with some hardware, especially if reviews are favorable... but for a component that can destroy all your other hardware should something go wrong, I prefer to spend a bit more for piece of mind.
Also, I've read that modular is good, but not as good (yet) as non-modular(?) PSU's. Yes, the Galaxy is only half modular, and it is nice to be able to disconnect unused cables to keep clutter down in a case, but it's still modular. The upshot is that its less expensive than a PC P&C while still being a respectable brand name.
TJS
I had an Enermax Liberty 620W PSU, and after 3 months it popped, no rhyme or reason. Thankfully nothing else in my setup got damaged, bought a PC P&C 610W for my backup pc.
You can go cheap with some hardware, especially if reviews are favorable... but for a component that can destroy all your other hardware should something go wrong, I prefer to spend a bit more for piece of mind.
Also, I've read that modular is good, but not as good (yet) as non-modular(?) PSU's. Yes, the Galaxy is only half modular, and it is nice to be able to disconnect unused cables to keep clutter down in a case, but it's still modular. The upshot is that its less expensive than a PC P&C while still being a respectable brand name.
TJS
will that thing fit in a normal case lol
wheres NickS? somebody told me he liked enermax :p
Hehe. I saw a review on that a while ago @ JonnyGURU's site.
-- XMS, did you apply 15a * 5 at one time for a total of 75a of 12v? I wanna see what it does :D
dang :eek: thats one big fat psu :p
I have one of these beasts in a Coolermaster Stacker (massive case) and had to adapt the case for it to fit.The 120mm fan on the top will now not fit and had to bend back the alli clips so psu would fit in.Think its about 3 inches longer than a regular psu.
Once in the case it has been a sweet psu,and it is half modular but i only need one of the modular leads.Theoretically you could easilly run 2 high end gaming pc's from this psu.;)
Once in the case it has been a sweet psu,and it is half modular but i only need one of the modular leads.Theoretically you could easilly run 2 high end gaming pc's from this psu.;)
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