ENERMAX is one of the “OG” when it comes to power supplies, with over 30 years of experience. Today, we will be looking at one of ENERMAX’s latest releases featuring Intel ATX 3.1 standards – the REVOLUTION III 850W PSU.
Product Name: REVOLUTION III 850W
Manufacturer: ENERMAX
MSRP: $99.99 (Amazon US), £80.87 (Amazon UK)
ENERMAX is one of the “OG” when it comes to power supplies, with over 30 years of experience. ENERMAX began manufacturing PSUs in 1990 and has always been a prominent manufacturer since then. Today, we will be looking at one of ENERMAX’s latest releases featuring Intel ATX 3.1 standards – the REVOLUTION III 850W PSU.
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III Series power supply units are 80 PLUS Gold certified with efficiency greater than 90%, up to 93% on standard loading. The PSU also features 100% industrial-grade Japanese capacitors, ensuring stable and consistent power delivery. The REVOLUTION III also features a fully modular cable design with premium mesh-sleeved cables. The PSU is covered with heavy-duty industrial-grade protections, namely Over Current Protection, Over Voltage Protection, Under Voltage Protection, Over Power Protection, Over Temperature Protection, and Short Circuit Protection.
At $99.99 MSRP, the REVOLUTION III 850W sits among the cheaper ATX 3.1 PSU options in the market today that offer native 12V-2×6 connectors for NVIDIA RTX graphics cards compared to offerings from brands like CORSAIR, Seasonic, ASUS and MSI. The REVOLUTION III 850W is also compact at 140mm in depth.
ENERMAX ATX 3.1 PSU Line-up
Like many PSU brands we’ve reviewed this year, ENERMAX is also updating its lineup with new models that meet the latest Intel ATX 3.1 standard, expanding its current range significantly when including existing active models. A quick look at ENERMAX’s ATX 3.1-compliant models shows that they currently offer four models, listed below:80PLUS Platinum
• PlatiGemini: 1200W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 10-year warranty
80PLUS Gold
• REVOLUTION D.F. 12: 750W/850W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, White and Black colours, Compact 122mm depth, 10-year warranty
• REVOLUTION III: 650W/750W/850W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 10-year warranty (US)/7-year warranty (EU)
• CyberG II: 650W/750W/850W, Non-Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 5-year warranty
• PlatiGemini: 1200W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 10-year warranty
80PLUS Gold
• REVOLUTION D.F. 12: 750W/850W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, White and Black colours, Compact 122mm depth, 10-year warranty
• REVOLUTION III: 650W/750W/850W, Fully Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 10-year warranty (US)/7-year warranty (EU)
• CyberG II: 650W/750W/850W, Non-Modular, 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, 5-year warranty
The REVOLUTION III occupies a mid-range position in ENERMAX’s 80PLUS Gold ATX 3.1 power supply lineup and is available in 650W, 750W, and 850W variants. The 750W and 850W models feature a 600W 12V-2×6 connector, while the 650W model includes a 450W 12V-2×6 connector. Designed for affordability and performance, the REVOLUTION III is a solid choice for building systems with the latest NVIDIA RTX graphics cards without exceeding your budget.
Features and Specifications
Features
• Integrated with Intel ATX 3.1
• Fully Modular 80 PLUS® Gold Certified
• One 600W Native 12V-2×6 Cable Included
• Industrial-Grade 100% Japanese Capacitors
• Ultra Quiet 120mm FDB Fan
• Mesh-sleeved Cables with 21 pcs Cable Comb Kit
Specifications
• 80 PLUS Efficiency: Gold
• Modular: Fully Modular
• Cable Type: Individually Mesh-Sleeved Cables
• Total Power: 850W
• Input Voltage: 100–240V
• Input Current: 10–6A
• Input Frequency: 50–60Hz
• Fan Size: 120mm
• Operating Temperature: Up to 40°C
• MTBF: >100,000 hours
• Protection: OCP, OVP, UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP
Dimensions (L*W*H)
140 x 150 x 86 (mm)
Efficiency
The REVOLUTION III 850W’s peak efficiency is at 50% load. Being 80PLUS Gold certified, the PSU delivers efficiency above 90% at all load scenarios.
Packaging, Bundle, and Cables
ENERMAX has adopted a more eco-friendly approach in their packaging, replacing traditional full-colour printed packaging with recyclable paper materials and using non-toxic vegetable oil-based ink for printing. ENERMAX announced their ESG commitment to be more eco-friendly earlier this year.
ENERMAX still wraps the packaging in plastic to protect it from natural elements and moisture.
The key features of the REVOLUTION III are printed at the front of the packaging, namely the 80 PLUS Gold certification, 100% Japanese capacitors, ATX 3.1 ready, and 12V-2×6 ready.
The back of the packaging provides detailed information about the power supply unit, including a comprehensive list of features, technical specifications, cables, and connectors.
Inside the package, the PSU, cables, cable combs, and cable ties are each individually wrapped in plastic bags, with the power supply unit itself secured by a pair of protective foam inserts.
While ENERMAX appears to be making strides toward more eco-friendly practices, it is worth noting that FSP demonstrated a more sustainable approach in the packaging of its VITA GM power supply, utilising fewer plastic bags and reduced foam materials. ENERMAX still has room for improvement in this regard and could adopt similar measures to further minimise environmental impact. Nonetheless, any effort directed toward adopting eco-friendly packaging practices is a commendable and welcome initiative.
Cables
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III 850W comes with premium mesh-sleeved cables. Quite a refreshing sight to see among the affordable ATX 3.1 PSU options in the market today, it does look and feel premium compared to the flat black cables from other PSUs we’ve reviewed this year.
The 12V-2×6 cable also comes with premium mesh-sleeves except for four cables – sense 0, sense 1, pwr_stable, and cbl_pres# cables. The REVOLUTION III 850W power supply unit comes with a 600W-rated 12V-2×6 cable.
The REVOLUTION III 850W includes the following cables:
1x 20+4Pin Motherboard ATX (600mm)
1x 8Pin (4+4Pin) EPS (650mm)
1x 8Pin (4+4Pin) + 8Pin (4+4Pin) EPS (600+615mm)
1x 8Pin (6+2Pin) PCIe (600mm)
1x 8Pin (6+2Pin) +8Pin (6+2Pin) PCIe (550mm+565mm)
1x 16Pin PCIe 5.1 12V-2×6 (600mm)
3x 3xSATA +1xMOLEX (900mm)
1x 8Pin (4+4Pin) EPS (650mm)
1x 8Pin (4+4Pin) + 8Pin (4+4Pin) EPS (600+615mm)
1x 8Pin (6+2Pin) PCIe (600mm)
1x 8Pin (6+2Pin) +8Pin (6+2Pin) PCIe (550mm+565mm)
1x 16Pin PCIe 5.1 12V-2×6 (600mm)
3x 3xSATA +1xMOLEX (900mm)
The REVOLUTION III comes with two EPS cables for motherboards, two PCIe cables and a 12V-2×6 cable for graphics cards.
Closer Look (External)
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III Series power supply units are only available in black. ENERMAX does have white-coloured ATX 3.1 PSUs with the REVOLUTION DF ATX 3.1 series.Moving on, the REVOLUTION III 850W PSU has a large sticker for the specifications and certifications on the top panel.
The REVOLUTION III 850W features a simple vent design.
This PSU’s modular cable design has all the connectors on the right side.. Each connector is labelled properly to guide builders where cables go.
Closer Look (Internal)
The REVOLUTION III 850W is cooled by a 120mm FBD (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fan model S1202512M, with a 12V/0.3A output.
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III 850W power supply features 100% Japanese industrial-grade capacitors, underscoring its focus on durability and premium quality. All capacitors, from the primary to the secondary stages, are mostly sourced from Rubycon and some from Nippon Chemi-con, two of Japan’s most respected capacitor manufacturers and are known as first-tier capacitor brands, ensuring exceptional reliability and long-term performance. The PSU is also equipped with heatsinks to assist in heat dissipation.
The PSU’s primary capacitor is a single Rubycon 450V 390uF 105°C MXK Series aluminium electrolytic capacitor.
The secondary capacitors of the PSU are also Rubycon capacitors, those in black, and some Nippon Chemi-con, which are those in brown. This confirms the REVOLUTION III PSU’s 100% Japanese capacitor construction.
Testing Methodologies & Results
15-Day UsageWhile this wasn’t mentioned in previous reviews, we would like to highlight that power supply units we’ve reviewed have been used for a least 15 days in our testing setup for casual use and gaming. During this review period, I had the opportunity to play Battlefield 6 with the test PC powered by the REVOLUTION III 850W, and there were no abnormalities experienced in terms of power supplied to the computer. The test PC configuration is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
Cooling: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS EXTREME X
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC
Memory: ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5-8000 2x16GB Kit
Storage: ADATA Legend 960 Max 1TB
Cooling: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS EXTREME X
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3070 EAGLE OC
Memory: ADATA XPG Lancer DDR5-8000 2x16GB Kit
Storage: ADATA Legend 960 Max 1TB
Efficiency Graph
Like most PSUs, the REVOLUTION III 850W’s efficiency peaks at 50% load.
Voltage Regulation Testing
We test PSU voltage regulation using a multimeter alongside a high-precision wattmeter and power analyser connected to the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V output rails. Three +12V lines are measured separately: one from the PCIe cable, one from the EPS cable, and one from the peripherals cable. A system-wide wattmeter is also used to record total power draw. A combination of different software and additional hardware, like cooling fans, has been used to generate different wattage loads.
Results
Voltage Regulation
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III 850W delivers exceptionally tight voltage regulation across varying loads, maintaining deviations within roughly ±1%. This performance reflects the PSU’s solid engineering and build quality. Equipped with industrial-grade Japanese Rubycon and Nippon Chemi-con capacitors, it ensures stable and consistent power delivery, exactly the kind of reliability you’d want in a high-quality power supply.
Acoustics
The REVOLUTION III 850W operates with impressive quietness. At low loads, our sound meter recorded peaks of 49 dBA. The PSU’s fan is non-PWM, thus it will constantly run at this surprisingly quiet speed. Despite lacking a zero-fan mode and PWM control functions that are typically found in higher-priced models, its cooling fan manages airflow efficiently, keeping noise well within comfortable limits.
Conclusion
The ENERMAX REVOLUTION III Series is among the affordable 80PLUS Gold-rated ATX 3.1 power supply unit options available in the market today at $99.99, surprisingly cheaper in the United Kingdom at £80.87 at the time of this writing. The REVOLUTION III 850W may be positioned as an entry-level power supply unit, but it offers several standout features. Its premium mesh-sleeved cables add a high-quality touch, elevating it above standard flat black cables from most PSUs. Inside, the use of 100% industrial-grade Japanese capacitors delivers impressive voltage regulation, with exceptionally tight performance across the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V rails under varying loads.
The REVOLUTION III 850W is not the most affordable 850W Gold-rated PSU we’ve tested this year; the MONTECH CENTURY II 850W comes in at around $10 less while also carrying an 80 PLUS Gold certification. Both models include a 10-year warranty in the United States. However, the REVOLUTION III is only backed by a 7-year warranty in Europe. On the other hand, the REVOLUTION III 850W comes with a 600W 12V-2×6 cable, while the CENTURY II 850W only comes with a 450W 12V-2×6 cable, allowing the REVOLUTION III to support higher-end graphics cards. More importantly, the REVOLUTION III 850W displayed superior voltage regulation over the CENTURY II, which is arguably the most critical factor in PSU performance.
If you’re building a new PC with the latest NVIDIA RTX graphics card requiring a 12V-2×6 connector, the ENERMAX REVOLUTION III Series is a compelling choice, especially for budget-conscious builders. It delivers all the essentials at an accessible price, while its 100% Japanese capacitor construction and premium mesh-sleeved cables add exceptional value for the money.
Pros
+ 100% industrial-grade Japanese capacitors
+ Strong +12V PCIe/CPU Rail.
+ Tight voltage regulation
+ Fully modular cable design with premium mesh-sleeved cables
+ 10-year warranty (US)
+ Wide availability
Cons
– 7-year warranty (EU)
+ 100% industrial-grade Japanese capacitors
+ Strong +12V PCIe/CPU Rail.
+ Tight voltage regulation
+ Fully modular cable design with premium mesh-sleeved cables
+ 10-year warranty (US)
+ Wide availability
Cons
– 7-year warranty (EU)
Learn more about the ENERMAX REVOLUTION III Series power supply units and other ATX 3.1 units at the ENERMAX website.
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