Kolink enclave 500w review in Spanish (full analysis)

Kolink is a hardware brand based in Hungary under the management of the important German distributor Caseking. Its catalog focuses on low-cost boxes and power supplies, and although it has been expanding for years in Europe, within Spain it is still somewhat unknown. Today we'll take a look at its latest release, the Kolink Enclave, a surprising source for offering an almost unusual feature set at its low price.

Specifically, this product stands out for offering 100% modular wiring and 80 Plus Gold certification at a price of less than 70 euros. Will it be necessary to make large concessions in internal quality to be able to offer these characteristics for this price? In this review we will see it. Join us!

We thank Kolink for trusting us with this source for analysis.

Kolink Enclave 500W Technical Specifications

External analysis

The box shows the most notable characteristics of this source, such as 100% modular wiring or 80 Plus Gold certification, two aspects that we are not used to seeing in this price range.

We see how the fountain is protected by a thick layer of foam on all sides, so that it comes home safe and healthy. As for the unboxing itself, this is the simplest in the world, since we will only find the source and the wiring, not including the user manual, power cable or screws.

These absences are quite noticeable, although their relevance depends rather on the user:

• The user manual is not really necessary, but a simple paper with basic instructions on how to connect the modular cables would have been fine, since, although it is really simple (as we will see later), it could be misleading. food is a C13, or in Christian, the one used by 99% of power sources and that we should all have in our homes. (Look at this photo if it is not clear to you which one we are talking about) The screws already seem to us a reasonable absence, since all the boxes have at least 4 of the required ones (take a look at this link if you do not recognize which they are).

In summary, the lack of accessories is something that should not worry most users, but we do not like that it is going to 'catch us by surprise' as it is hardly reported.

In any case, if this lack of accessories contributes to offering higher quality for less price, it seems great to us.

We now turn to see the outward appearance of the font, plain and frugal, and no waste of money… We prefer a simple looking, good quality font a thousand times over some very nice low cost fonts on the outside but horrendous quality on the inside.

As we said, the font is 100% modular, something almost unusual in its price range. We highlight that the modular panel has no indication on which cable each socket corresponds to, but it is easy: if it enters, it is correct.

Of course, the PCIe cable could be connected backwards, since the part that would go to the components (6 + 2 pins) fits into the modular part. This does not pose a risk to the PC and you would simply have to change the order and connect it correctly, but it will surely cause misunderstandings and user reactions believing that the font does not work.

Kolink could, and we think it should, save you from that kind of trouble with a simple worksheet on how to make the right connections. We take the opportunity to show in the photo above what each group of modular connectors corresponds to.

Cabling management

The Kolink Enclave cables are entirely flat. Lacking annoying filtering capacitors, they are quite manageable, which is why we consider them to be of quality, but as always we do not enter into a discussion between “meshed vs. flat cables” since they are rather personal issues. Of course, the ATX cable has a multitude of separate cable groups that makes its assembly a tad messy.

Regarding the amount of cabling, we have expected figures in a 500W source, obviously we will not have 2 connectors for CPU but we will have the expected 2xPCIe.

Turning now to see its distribution, it is noteworthy that Kolink has opted to include only one PCIe connector per cable, instead of locating the two available connectors on a single cable. This is tremendously positive both when organizing cables and when choosing high-consumption graphics cards, as well as being something that brands do not usually take into account.

Regarding SATA and Molex cables, we would have liked that there were 2x SATA strips and 1x SATA / Molex, since less and less 4-pin Molex are used in equipment while SATA are still very necessary.

Finally, let's look at the wiring length. We can see how the ATX cable is particularly short with 500mm, which will be in any case sufficient for any semi-tower with a hole to pass the cable, and even most of full tower. The rest of the cables have a more or less standard length, so no complaints in this regard.

Internal analisis

This source uses an internal design developed by Kolink itself, and the quality control of the product is done in Europe by the brand itself, so it could be considered the manufacturer of the range, although the manufacture of the product is in other hands. We will see how is its construction quality.

Surprisingly, the platform used by the Enclave series uses a modern LLC topology on the primary side, as opposed to the “Double-Forward” that is often seen in decent sources in this price range. The LLC stands out for its high efficiency and usually implies that the efficiency graph is fairly flat between 30 and 100% load.

On the secondary side, DC-DC converters that use good voltage regulation in Crossload are used, as it could not be otherwise. (when the load is centered on a single rail)

As expected, the primary filter is made up of 4 Y capacitors, 2 X capacitors and 2 coils.

To these filtering tasks, the presence of an MOV (against surges), an NTC (against current peaks when turning on the equipment) and an unexpected relay (to support the NTC) are added, in this aspect it is a complete source.

The primary condenser is a 330uF Teapo LG at 105ºC. It is a series that has the same specified durability as the Japanese competitors that we usually see in higher level sources. It should be noted the maximum voltage of 420V compared to the usual 400V, a greater margin will allow greater durability. The capacity is tight but sufficient, as we will see later in the performance tests.

For the secondary side electrolytic capacitors, we look at how all of these are from Teapo, most of which belong to the SC range. We know, however, that depending on the unit Elite capacitors can also be used. Both are the two most reputable and trusted Taiwanese manufacturers from experts.

Obviously, they do not reach the level of Japanese capacitors with better characteristics, but the company has made the best possible affordable choice, far superior to the poor quality ChengX or Jun Fu that we see in some of its competitors.

The protections are handled by an Infinno IN1S313I-DAG supervisor and a Unisonic LM393 comparator. All the necessary protections have been implemented, with the exception of OTP (overheating protection), which we miss, although we have been able to know that it is actually present, if the brand does not list it, it is probably because it has quite high limits But we can still trust your safety.

The welding quality is decent and we have no complaints in this regard.

We finish with the fan, an EFS-12E12H manufactured by DWPH. This is a fan that typically has sleeve bearings, but in this case it has been modified and houses Rifle bearings that should last for many years.

In summary, the interior of the Enclave is really surprising, since the only aspect where we can talk about "concessions" to save costs is that of the capacitors, and even so they are better than expected in a source of these prices, and surely more than fit for the source to go beyond the warranty period without problems.

Cybenetics performance tests

Cybenetics is a company born in 2017 to offer an alternative to the 80 Plus certifying tests. The company seeks to offer more stringent and demanding certifications, with a greater number of tests, covering more loading scenarios and, in short, with a more complete methodology than that of 80 Plus (which, in fact, is quite simple). In addition to the ETA efficiency certification, they offer LAMBDA loudness certification, something that 80 Plus does not offer.

In addition to all this, for all the sources that test they offer a public report and accessible to everyone with the results of a large number of performance tests that have nothing to do with certification and efficiency but are useful to know the quality and performance of the power supply.

For this reason, for several months we have included Cybenetics tests in all our reviews whenever we can, due to three reasons:

1. Cybenetics equipment, valued at tens of thousands of euros (perhaps close to € 100, 000), is light years away from the humble and too basic performance tests we can do with the web team. use the data from your performance tests as long as they are given the proper attribution. Using this data allows us to give a much better view of the quality of the source, in addition to having the didactic purpose that users understand the tests and analyze for yourself the quality of a source's performance.

Having said that, let's go with a small explanation of the meaning of the different tests that we are going to show.

Cybenetics testing explained

As the tests carried out by Cybenetics have some complexity, we explain in these tabs what is measured and what is its importance.

This is information that we will include in all our reviews with data from Cybenetics so, if you already know how the test structure works, you can continue reading. If not, we recommend you take a look at all the tabs to find out what each test is about?

• Glossary of terms Voltage regulation Ripple Efficiency Loudness Hold-up time

Let's go with a small glossary of some terms that could be somewhat confusing:

• Rail: PC sources that follow the ATX standard (like this one) do not have a single outlet, but several, which are distributed in " rails ". Each of those rails outputs a specific voltage, and can supply a specific maximum current. We show you the rails of this Thor in the image below. The most important is 12V.

  

  Crossload: When testing a power supply, the most common is that the loads made on each rail are proportional to their "weight" in the power distribution table of the source. However, it is known that the actual loads of the equipment are not like this, but are usually very unbalanced. Therefore, there are two tests called "crossload" in which a single group of rails is loaded.

  On the one hand, we have the CL1 that leaves the 12V rail unloaded and gives 100% at 5V and 3.3V. On the other, the CL2 that 100% loads the 12V rail leaving the rest unloaded. This type of testing, of limit situations, truly shows if the source has a good regulation of voltages or not.

The voltage regulation test consists of measuring the voltage of each source rail (12V, 5V, 3.3V, 5VSB) in the different load scenarios, in this case from 10 to 110% load. The importance of this test lies in how stable all voltages are maintained during testing. Ideally, we like to see a maximum deviation of 2 or 3% for the 12V rail, and 5% for the rest of the rails.

What does not matter so much is 'what voltage is it based on', although it is a fairly widespread myth, it should not matter to us that the 11.8V or the 12.3V are around for example. What we do demand is that they be kept within the limits of the ATX standard that governs the correct operation rules of a PSU. The dashed red lines indicate where those limits are.

Vulgarly, it can be defined as the "residuals" of alternating current that remain after the transformation and rectification of the household AC into low-voltage DC.

These are variations of some millivolts (mV) that, if they are very high (being able to say that there is a "dirty" energy output) can affect the behavior of the equipment components and in some cases damage fundamental components.

A very guiding description of what a source's ripple would look like on an oscilloscope. In the graphs below what we show is the variation between peaks like the ones seen here, depending on the source load.

The ATX standard defines limits of up to 120mV on the 12V rail, and up to 50mV on the other rails we show. We (and the community of PSU specialists in general) consider that the 12V limit is quite high, so we give a "recommended limit" of just half, 60mV. In any case you will see how the majority of sources that we test give excellent values.

In the transformation and rectification processes from household alternating current to the low voltage direct current required by the components, there are various energy losses. The efficiency concept allows quantifying these losses by comparing the power consumed (INPUT) with that delivered to the components (OUTPUT). Dividing the second by the first, we get a percentage. This is precisely what 80 Plus proves. Despite the conception that many people have, 80 Plus only measures the efficiency of the source and does not do any quality testing, protections, etc. Cybenetics tests efficiency and sound, although it altruistically includes the results of many other tests such as the ones we showed you in the review.

Another very serious misconception about efficiency is believing that this determines what percentage of your "promised" power the source can deliver. The truth is that the "real" power sources announce what they can give at the START. In other words, if a 650W source has 80% efficiency at this load level, it means that if the components demand 650W, it will consume 650 / 0.8 = 812.5W from the wall.

Last relevant aspect: the efficiency varies depending on whether we are connecting the source to a 230V electrical network (Europe and most of the world), or to 115V (mainly the US). In the latter case it is less. We publish Cybenetics data for 230V (if they have it), and since the overwhelming majority of sources are certified for 115V, it is normal for 230V to fail to meet the 80 Plus requirements advertised by each source.

For this test, Cybenetics tests the PSUs in an extremely sophisticated anechoic chamber with equipment worth tens of thousands of euros.

It is a room isolated from outside noise almost entirely, suffice it to say that it has a 300kg reinforced door to illustrate the great isolation it has.

Within it, an extremely accurate sound level meter capable of measuring below 6dbA (most have at least 30-40dBa, much more) determines the loudness of the power supply in different load scenarios. The speed the fan reaches in rpm is also measured.

This test basically measures how long the source is able to hold on once it is disconnected from the current while at full load. It will be a few crucial milliseconds to enable a safer shutdown.

The ATX standard defines 16 / 17ms (according to test) as a minimum, although in practice this will be more (we will not always be charging the PSU at 100% so it will be greater), and there are usually no problems with lower values.

We recommend you take a look at the test report published by Cybenetics:

Link to full Cybenetics report Cybenetics official website

Voltage regulation

The regulation of voltages on the 12V rail is more than decent, with just 1.6% deviation. Being a DC-DC source we do not observe large variations in crossload (and in the Enclave price range you see group regulated sources that go beyond the ATX limits in Crossload)

Regarding the minor rails, the 5V and the 5VSB have an acceptable but not stellar behavior, with around 3% in both cases. The regulation at 3.3V is not very good at 4%, but it is still within limits and this rail is quite irrelevant.

Curly

The ripple remains at acceptable levels, although it is close to our maximum recommendation with high loads, but it is still far from the limits set by Intel.

Efficiency

Efficiency is a strong point of this source if we put it in context with its competition in the same price range, since most competitors have efficiency levels of 80 Plus Bronze or less. Also, using an LLC internal topology, rarely seen for this price, the efficiency curve is quite flat so there are hardly any differences between 30% and 100% load.

In any case, it is true that in context with other 80 Plus Gold sources the efficiency at 230V is somewhat lower, some models reach 93%.

Fan speed and loudness

The ventilation curve is reasonably relaxed, with an initial 800rpm and an initial noise of 15dBa at an ambient temperature of 30-32ºC, while the fan remains more relaxed at lower temperatures as we will see later.

From 60% load, the source can be considered noisy, although it will hardly make more noise than the rest of the PC.

Hold-up time

Hold-up time Kolink Enclave 500W (tested at 230V)	20.40ms
Data extracted from Cybenetics

The hold-up time is surprisingly very high, far exceeding the minimum levels of 16 / 17ms required by the ATX standard, so there is enough time to "warn" the board of a power outage, or to make a transition between the electrical network and the battery of a UPS without the equipment turning off.

Our experience with Kolink Enclave fan control

Cybenetics data corroborates that this is a silent running font, and so has been our experience. In the case of a 120mm fan, the initial speed of 700rpm is more than reasonable and the fan hardly generates any noise. In different tests of several hours, with the conditions of a real team, the fan has always been close to those 700rpm, sometimes less, sometimes more.

As we saw, we do not have any kind of “zero RPM” mode, but we consider that a good active mode is always better than a bad semi-passive one, keep in mind that of the few semi-passive sources that exist for this price, in all cases work poorly since doing a good implementation is quite expensive.

Final words and conclusion about Kolink Enclave 500W

The Kolink Enclave is a perfect example of how any brand, no matter how small, can do things right. This model has surprised us with very good levels of quality at a price well below 70 euros, without forgetting that it is almost impossible to find a good source that combines 100% modular wiring and 80 Plus Gold certification in this range of prices.

And is that the price is perhaps the most differential aspect of the Enclave: its RRP is 64.90 euros for the 500W model, € 69.90 for 600W, and € 79.90 for 700W. In the case of 600W and 700W they are not too special prices, but the 500W seems really interesting to us, and can even be seen for only 60 euros in stores such as the Portuguese Globaldata. If the 500W model arrives in Spain at a price equal to or less than its RRP, it would be perhaps the best source for value on the market.

All this is achieved without giving up aspects such as quiet operation, good internal construction, a decent fan or adequate protections, with a 3-year warranty, which, although somewhat scarce, are reasonable for the price.

We recommend reading our updated guide to PC power supplies.

Where we do see disadvantages is the lack of accessories such as the power cable ( the one that goes to the plug ), the screws or a small sheet that indicates the modular connections, these issues can be problematic for some users, but not for most, Since almost everyone has leftover standard power cords at home, modular connections are straightforward and screws are included in the vast majority of boxes.

In summary, anyone with a tight budget for the power supply and looking for a 100% modular model that does not compromise on quality and efficiency, has the Kolink Enclave as a perfect ally. What did you think of you? Do not hesitate to leave your opinion in the comments.

Advantage

• 80 Plus Gold certification.Really low PVP, and price in some stores even below the PVP (in Portugal), we hope that it will come to Spain at these good prices. 100% modular wiring. Distribution of PCIe connectors in separate cables (in the 500W model), a very good practice not seen in most higher-end sources. Good internal construction, with decent and reliable components. Silent operation, not the best in the world, but outperforms much of the competition.

Disadvantages

• No power cord (most have spare at home, but others don't) or screws (all boxes bring enough, still) SATA / Molex Cable Strips Layout, we think more SATA and less Molex should have been used 4-pin.

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product.

Kolink Enclave 500W

INTERNAL QUALITY - 86%

SOUNDNESS - 86%

WIRING MANAGEMENT - 86%

CYBENETICS PERFORMANCE - 86%

PROTECTION SYSTEMS - 86%

PRICE - 90%

87%

The cheapest 100% modular and 80 Plus Gold source on the market.