Conclusion
The Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W is the first Enermax power supply we have seen here at TheFPSReview. However, it is by no means the first power supply Enermax has produced as they have been a long-time staple in the enthusiast sphere. However, while Enermax has a long history that includes a lot of high-quality units pricing has sometimes been an issue. So, with a new REVOLUTION on our hands, has the REVOLUTION DF 850W gone the way of the world-changing revolutions that people think fondly of, or has it gone the way that oh so many more have gone and descended into chaos? Let’s see.
Build Quality
Today’s Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W starts things off with a build quality that is excellent. The finish that this unit has is exactly what we have come to expect from Enermax units over the last number of years. This includes their much more textured finish, characteristic REVOLUTION branding, and flat FlexForce style cables. The topology is very modern, and the component selection is generally very high quality. Among these components, we find Nippon Chemi-con and Nichicon standard capacitors coupled with FPCAP solid capacitors. The fan is an Enermax branded “Twister Bearing” fan. The actual integration is excellent, though some of the leads need to be trimmed, and the soldering is excellent. Lastly, this unit is covered by a 5-year warranty and decent documentation.
Load Testing
Today’s Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W provides us with excellent results overall. Indeed, we saw voltage regulation of up to 0.08v on the 12v rail, 0.04v on the 5v rail, and 0.04v on the 3.3v rail. The unit’s efficiency ranged from 86.44% to 91.68% at 120v and 84.79% to 90.52% at 100v. When we look at the 80 Plus tests, we see that the REVOLUTION DF 850W posted efficiency values of 89.24%-91.68%-87.40% using 80 Plus’s load testing parameters The voltage regulation is certainly well within the ATX12v specification limits and the efficiency is excellent by absolute numbers, but we have not seen a comparable product to date. Lastly, this unit passed our Torture Test in fine shape which is good to see from this unit given the extra constraints placed on it.
When we look at the Transient Load Tests results for the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W today, we see results that look a lot like what we saw above. When directly loaded, the 12v rail showed a peak change of ~320mV and the 5v rail had a peak change of ~60mV. During the 12v load, the unloaded 5v rail saw a peak change of ~30mV. In absolute terms, these results are very good/excellent. In relative terms, we have not seen any other 850W units here at TheFPSReview yet. However, among others on the market, this unit is easily up there with the best in this regard. So, we aren’t just seeing a passing unit today, we are seeing a very solid unit.
DC Output Quality
The DC Output Quality results for the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W were passing and, overall, excellent. Indeed, we saw peak values of just ~25mV of ripple/noise on the 12v rail, ~15mV on the 5v rail, and ~15mV on the 3.3v rail. When it comes to absolute values, these values are well within specification limits with the minor rails being the worst overall. When it comes to relative values, there are other 850W units out there that will do better than this but not by much and they are few and far between. As such, this is another very solid outing from Enermax today and we have to say “well done”.
Noise
Today’s Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W is a middle of the road, to the upper end, in capacity unit which means that quiet is normally not the name of the game. However, this unit does have a large overhead fan type that is known for being quiet and it has a very open design along with very good efficiency. Those items together mean that this unit could be quiet even though the unit is an 850W unit. So, what was the noise like?
In our testing, this unit was very well behaved. It was not until the full load tests that we could discern the fan adding noise to our load testing environment. Given the circumstances that we used to reach that noise output, this unit seems to be very nicely behaved and should work out well for most users.
Final Points
The Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W is an excellent unit today as Enermax has come out of the gate rocking a rather impressive REVOLUTION. The REVOLUTION DF 850W gave us excellent build quality, excellent voltage regulation, excellent DC Output Quality, and excellent Transient Load results while also being relatively quiet. Indeed, this unit seemed to score top marks in all of the categories we evaluate with ease! Now, that does leave us with the question of price but, let’s be honest, that isn’t as pressing as it could be since this unit did do so well.
Today, we find that the REVOLUTION DF 850W can be had for around $134.99. As it turns out, that is a very solid price. It is not the best price, mind you, but it is definitely a good price and much more competitively priced than we have seen from some Enermax products in the past. All in all, that means this unit is definitely a winner and hopefully a sign of things to come from Enermax!
