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home > reviews > casing & cooling > enermax "liberty" el620awt 620-watt power supply > page 2
Enermax "Liberty" EL620AWT 620-watt Power Supply

Author: Mike Wright SUMMARY: Our second PSU review today is of the high-end enthusiast friendly Enermax "Liberty" EL620AWT 620-watt power supply.
Editor: Cameron Wilmot
Category: Casing & Cooling
Published: 5th January 2006
Manufacturer: Enermax
Our Rating: 9.0 out of 10

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What You Get



After you remove the plastic wrapping and open the box, you’ll be greeted with the power supply, a power cord, a manual, mounting screws, a promotional lanyard with the Enermax logo, and a nylon pouch bulging with ... well, we’ll get to that in a bit.



The Liberty 620 has a design that we’ve seen before on Enermax units. It uses a single 120mm fan on the bottom with a simple mesh design exterior panel to get rid of unwanted heat. On this panel you have only a plug for the power cable and an On/Off rocker switch. It lacks the voltage switch between 115v and 230v since this model automatically handles the chore of figuring out which type current you are using. Just a little feature that can keep you from trashing the unit from the beginning by not paying attention to this little switch.

As far as power is concerned, the Liberty model being tested offers up a dual 12v rail like we’ve seen before. Each of the rails can handle a maximum of 22A of power draw, but both combined max out at 36A. This is still a good deal of power. Many I’ve seen have a difficult time offering up even 30A of power along the 12v rail. To round out the abilities of this PSU, the 5v rail can handle a draw of 32A and the 3.3v rail can handle 28A.

Like past Enermax power supplies we’ve seen in the past, the 620 watt rating is what the unit is rated at on a constant basis. This opens up a huge number of windows for your system, regardless if you want dual PCI-E graphics, a water cooler that runs off the PSU, or even a massive number of fans with lighting. The Liberty 620 has what it takes to handle the load you throw at it. In the event you peak out at a higher level somehow, this particular model has a peak load of 680 watts.



A quick look at the business end of the power supply shows a nice modular design. This is a nice feature that is beginning to show prominence since it allows you to keep cable clutter to a minimum. You only attach the cables that are needed for your particular system and leave the others stored away. It sure does make it easier when it comes to wrapping up the extra cabling so you can keep it out of the way of your airflow.

You’ll also be able to see that the primary power coupler coming from the back of the unit is protected by a plastic guard that keeps the wiring from rubbing the metal of the housing, possibly causing a short of the system. It is also wrapped to aid in clutter.

As far as the ports, you have more than you do cables, so you have room to grow with your system. It also has the ability to handle two PCI-E devices, but I guess we can cover that when we take a look at the cabling harnesses. Hmmm ... looks like I may have given away what was in that nylon pouch, huh?



Yes, you guessed right, that bulging nylon pouch is for conveniently carrying the modular cabling used for the power supply. Lets get them out of the packaging, though, so we can see what we have to work with.



There certainly are a bunch of these things. To total up the possibilities, we have ten 4-pin Molex, ten SATA, one FDD, and two PCI-E. This is a huge boost when compared to most other power supplies on the market! And remember, if you don’t need that many power connections, just leave the extra cabling harnesses in the pouch and store it away. That way it will be handy when you upgrade next.



For those concerned with the main power coupler, fear not. The type connection used on this Liberty model can handle either a 20-pin or 24-pin motherboard with ease. The shot above shows the extra 4 pins that can be removed on the left. This will help this power supply grow with your system.

As a side note, the 4-pin auxiliary power connection is actually a 4+4 design that handles newer technologies hitting the market. The Liberty power supply is compatible with ATX, BTX, CEB and EEB system boards, so you’re set for either home or server use.



Finally, I’d like to bring your attention to the Molex connectors used on this PSU. While it may seem simple, that curved plastic tab makes removing the connector from a device an easy task. I can think of a lot of times when I’m trying to remove a Molex and the thing is very difficult to get out. I never want to put too much pressure on it because I can just see myself pulling out the power port from the device I’m working with. This little tab allows you to just squeeze down on the top of the Molex and loosen the connector from the device, making it easier and safer to remove the power. Very nice addition here.



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