INTRODUCTION

   I can't speak about where you all live but where we live we get countless of electricity spikes and blackouts during both hard winter and summer periods (due to increased power requirements) so that's all the more reason to own a very good power supply unit. Granted a PSU may not be able to withstand the worse possible electricity outages/spikes/blackouts but so far out of the countless ones we've tested under such conditions (also our PSU test bench is deliberately not plugged into a UPS) only 1 has ever failed us. So a good/high end PSU should last for a long time even if you don't own a good UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply - something we do however recommend having). One such unit is the latest Revolution87+ 850W PSU by Enermax which we've been testing for the past week with quite impressive results i might add.

   Enermax Technology Corporation is a world-renowned PC Power Supply Unit manufacturer. Since our establishment in 1990, we provide power supply products and peripherals like chassis, cooler, fan and keyboard with excellent quality and have won recognitions of consumers around the world. ENERMAX products are recommended by worldwide reviewers, and certain were granated by iF, Red Dot, Good Design and Taiwan Excellence Awards. Those are proven evidence of our top-notch quality and design competency recognized by the professionals. To develop an intensive sales network and better service customers around the world, Enermax has set up branch offices in Germany, France, U.S.A., Japan and China. We also have service offices and distributors in countries across Europe, America, Asia and Oceania. Our farsighted R & D capability is our key strength. The elite teams of Enermax always strive to come up with the best and most satisfactory PSU, thermal solution and peripheral products with cutting-edge design that meets the needs of the market and customers. We will stick to our R & D spirits of “Technology Innovation” and “Quality First” to constantly create products which transcend international standard and requirements to keep up on our product and brand value as well as competitive edge.

   Some of you may recall the quite remarkable Revolution85+ line of power supply units (80 Plus Silver) launched by Enermax almost 2 years ago, i know i do cause it really left the best possible impressions when i got to test most variants. On the other hand because the 85+ line existed i didn't really expect Enermax to launch a whole new line with 87+ (instead of the 85+). It does however make sense since there's a very thin line between the 80 Plus Silver (85%) and Gold (87%) certifications (as it makes sense to continue using a successful line such as the Revolution one) and also because Enermax had to launch something slightly less costly than their Platimax line. So this time over the Revolution87+ units feature an 80 Plus Gold energy efficiency certification, ErP Lot 6 support, Dynamic Hybrid Transformer Topology for increased efficiency and Future Proof 12P Modular design. The 850W variant we have here with us is the 2nd best of the Revolution87+ line (currently) right after the 1KW version and comes with a total of 6 PCIex connectors and according to Enermax it can deliver up to 935W for no more than 60s.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Revolution87+ series gets shipped inside a gold/black colored box with the Enermax logo at the front, the units rated output, the 5 years warranty logo and the 80 Plus Gold certification logo.

At the bottom we find two tables, one with the specifications of the entire line and one with all their available cables/connectors.

The features of the entire Revolution87+ line are explained in depth at the rear of the box right above the electrical specifications table and 80 Plus Gold efficiency chart.

Enermax has secured the unit in place with the use of cardboard while the rest of the bundle is placed on both sides and at the front.

In the box you will find the Revolution87+ PSU, modular cables, storage bag, user’s manual, 2 cable straps, AC power cable, Enermax sticker and 4 mounting screws.

THE REVOLUTION87+ 850W

The Revolution87+ series is based on the same design as the Revolution85+ models and so once again we see the same scratch-proof rugged grey exterior (this time however it's a gold/grey color combo).

The Enermax logo is placed at the center of the grill placed above the 140mm intake fan.

The product name is sprayed on both sides of the unit.

A large sticker with the unit’s electrical table is placed at the bottom.

The 2 modular connectors are not only color coded and tagged but there are also tags detailing each connector.

Cable sleeving is perfect as expected from a high end Enermax power supply.

At the rear we see the usual honeycomb perforation, the power plug, on/off button, Enermax logo and the two cordguard holes.

The 140mm Twister bearing fan is manufactured from Enermax but unfortunately we don't know its exact specifications (other than the typical 12V, 0.45A).

The interior of the Revolution87+ model looks a lot like the one from the Modu87+ and although that means it's been around for a while still it works better than many so why not.

Both Primary capacitors are manufactured by Matsushita Corporation (Panasonic-390μF, 400V) and come with a certification of 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con (1000μF, 10v) and also feature a 105 degrees certification.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY
 

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon for power supply testing is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply just by using his own computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at extreme loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.0 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after even just a few minutes.

       Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average (Idle) ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch all graphics cards from full speed to idle, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be far less.

TEST RESULTS

RAILS

Near excellent rail stability even while using roughly 97% of the units total output is not something many 800W+ units can achieve out there.

CONSUMPTION

Our test system power requirements peaked at 822W (however we did expect it to go well over 830W).

NOISE

Although we don't have the specifications sheet for the installed 140mm twister bearing fan the end result was almost excellent.

CONCLUSION

   Through the years Enermax has become synonym to excellence (for both me and most people i know) so whenever i get to test one of their products (power supply units mostly) there's no doubt in my mind that it will do great and take on pretty much everything i can throw at it. Luckily with a couple of exceptions very long ago (i wasn't even in this line of work back then) Enermax products have yet to really fail me and the latest Revolution87+ 850W power supply unit didn't either. So not only does it sport an 80 Plus Gold energy efficiency (87%+) but it has very tight rails and is almost inaudible even up to 97% of its maximum load. The design is also another great feature of the unit and thanks to its rugged, scratch resistant housing the Revolution87+ looks like it's ready for everything. Being Future Proof is a plus but we've seen such units for the past 2 years so it may or it may not be useful in the long run, however it's nice to have that option just in case.

   The Revolution87+ line may be less costly than the higher end Platimax line but that doesn't mean it comes cheap and so the 850W variant (ERV850EWT-G) will set you back around USD230 inside the USA (although currently you will have a very hard time finding one) and 180Euros inside the EU. That price tag that puts it right next to other similar solutions from leading brands in the field (P10/Strider Evo/AXPro). In the end it all comes down to personal preference (and performance although the differences with such high end units are not really large) so the overall build quality and design will play the largest part in a decision. Personally we really enjoy the rugged exterior of the Revolution87+ line (and the 85+ before that), its future proof feature and also because the performance of the 850W variant is not easy to come by we are awarding it with our Golden Award. 

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design (Rugged Exterior)
- Great Performance
- Almost Inaudible
- Future Proof Design
- 80Plus Gold Certified 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Availability (USA)