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A steal !!
Review Summary
The Enermax Revolution III S 1000W blurs the line between mid-tier and high-end power supplies by offering 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency and top-quality Japanese capacitors at a highly competitive price. While its unconventional design placing all modular connectors crammed on one side and a slightly loud 120mm fan at full load might annoy some builders, its phenomenal voltage regulation, solid ripple control, and massive 1450W transient spike tolerance easily make up for those minor quirks. Backed by an unheard-of 13-year warranty, this PSU stands out as a rock-solid, long-term investment for gamers who want top-tier reliability on a budget.
Hours Tested: 1 Week
Overall
-
Performance - 8.8/10
8.8/10
-
Build Quality - 8.8/10
8.8/10
-
Efficiency - 8.9/10
8.9/10
-
Value - 8/10
8/10
Pros
- Quality components
- 13 Years Warranty
- Efficient
- Embossed cables
Cons
- Modular connectors spacing
- Small Fan
- Audible fan noise at high loads
Enermax Revolution series comes right after their high-end enthusiast lineup Platimax which we reviewed earlier here at Tech4Gamers. Now surprisingly (but luckily for the end-users) there’s very little difference between Enermax’s high-end and mid-tier PSU category in terms of quality, reliability and performance as Enermax treats both of these tiers/lineups almost the same – with zero compromises!
If you don’t believe me (I didn’t too at first tbh) then how’s the “13 Years Warranty” for both their Platimax & Revolution lineups sounds to you?
Enermax Revolution III S 1000W that we are taking a look at today comes in both Black and White. The new design iteration in the Revolution III S has moved all the power connectors on one side. Now I can sense that this new layout might have surely helped the PCB design engineers in routing all the required PCB traces and vias without getting much into the primary side and this might also be due to the cost savings. But this surely isn’t going to benefit the end-users because of crammed cables all on one side. A traditional fully spread-out modular connectors are too convenient especially when you want to either plug in the cable after the fact or when you want to troubleshoot by plugging out the cables.
Here are the specifications:
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| 80 PLUS Efficiency | 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Modular | Fully Modular |
| Cable Type | Mesh-Sleeved Cables |
| Total Power | 1000W |
| Input Voltage | 100–240V (200–240V for China only) |
| Input Current | 15–8A (8A for China only) |
| Input Frequency | 50–60Hz |
| Fan Size | 120mm |
| Operating Temperature | 0~40℃ |
| MTBF | >100,000 Hours |
| Protection | OVP, OPP, OCP, SCP, OTP, UVP |
| Dimensions (D x W x H) | 140mm × 150mm × 86mm |
Packaging & Unboxing
Design
Cable & Connectors
This is where yet again Enermax’s attention to detail comes into play! Unlike many other PSU brands, Enermax is using a much better quality and rugged 12V-2×6 connector. It looks to be gold-plated (can not confirm) but it surely looks way better than the silver colored/coated connector we normally see in almost every other PSU.
| Connector Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Motherboard cable (24-pin) | 1x [ 1x 60cm ] |
| CPU / ATX 12V connectors (4+4-pin) | 2x [ 2x 65cm ] |
| PCI-E 12V-2×6 connector (12+4-pin) | 1x [ 1x 60cm ] |
| PCI-E 12V-2×6 to PCIe adapter (6+2-pin, 2 connectors) | 1x [ 1x 60cm ] |
| PCI-E connectors (6+2-pin) | 2x [ 2x 60cm ] |
| SATA connectors (3 connectors per cable) | 3x [ 3x 45/15/15cm ] |
| PATA / Molex connectors (4-pin) | 3x [ 3x 45/15/15/15cm ] |
Enermax Platimax II 1200DF comes with premium embossed cables that have much superior rubberized texture which greatly helps in routing them as per your needs without worrying bending them with a permanent dent/flex.
Teardown & Component Analysis
Enermax Revolution III S 1000W is designed in collaboration with RSY, a well-known OEM famous for value-driven PSUs.
At first glance we get to see the similar velvet Red accented aluminum heatsink for the primary side components, like we previously saw in Enermax Platimax II 1200DF PSU.
This heatsink is responsible for cooling all the primary side components – a single Bridge Rectifier, 2x APFC MOSFETs and their single Boost Diode and lastly 4x MOSFETs for LLC resonant converter switching (making Full-Bridge LLC topology).
I am surprised to see a single Bridge Rectifier here for a 1000W Platinum rated PSU bolted onto a single primary side heatsink. All the PSUs these days are marketed for both 120V & 220V region, and 120V exerts a little more pressure (current) on the bridge rectifier (the lesser the voltage the more current analogy).
Using two bridge rectifiers in parallel evenly distributes current and heat.
Though the brand of the MOSFETs aren’t something to write home about, not that they are bad or anything, it’s just that the top-tier MOSFETs that I am used to seeing are not present here. The same is the case for many other reputable brands, most likely the Chinese/Taiwanese MOSFET manufacturers have caught up with the reliability.
Again, the warranty claim says 13 Years so I wouldn’t worry at all!
When you see brands’ warranty figures reaching or exceeding 10 years figures, you know for sure they are using top of the line Japanese Electrolytic and Polymer capacitors! Same is the case in Enermax Revolution III S 1000W.
The main Transformer uses a non-traditional planar design which I have started seeing more lately as this new flat copper tabs technique significantly reduces overall size and greatly helps dissipate heat. Though if not designed with utmost precision, this may lead to excessive voltage ripple, so have got to keep an eye on that in our voltage ripple test.
4x MOSFETs can be seen adjacent to the main transformer whose job is to generate 12V rail. Separately mounted in a pair of two will help in heat management. The PCB layout has all of its components soldered on the top layer which not only significantly reduces cost (in production assembly) but also helps PSU run cool as all the heat gets out of the PSU from exhaust instead of radiating the heat out into the case from its back.
A small vertical daughter board is used for 5V and 3.3V minor voltage rails.
Unlike Enermax’s flagship models that get the premium DFR (Dual Fan Rotation) fan, Enermax Revolution III S 1000W uses a typical FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fan from Globe Fan. Usually most of the PSU manufacturers use 135mm fans in this ATX form factor PSU, a 120mm fan is kind of odd!
PSU Load Testing
Voltage Regulation
| Load in % | 12V Rail | 5V | 3.3V |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | 12.05 | 5.03 | 3.28 |
| 50% | 11.98 | 5.00 | 3.25 |
| 70% | 11.94 | 4.98 | 3.23 |
| 90% | 11.96 | 4.97 | 3.22 |
| 100% | 11.90 | 4.97 | 3.22 |
Enermax Revolution III S 1000W performed really well in terms of maintaining its 12V rail to as close as the initial 12V value even at max 1000W load.
PSU Efficiency
| Load in % | Efficiency | Power Factor |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | 93.24% | 0.931 |
| 50% | 93.63% | 0.974 |
| 70% | 93.30% | 0.979 |
| 90% | 92.59% | 0.981 |
| 100% | 92.08% | 0.98 |
The overall efficiency easily matches Platinum rating and remained above 92% in all of our 20%-100% load variations.
The PSU triggered its OPP (Over Power Protection) when he put an excessive load of 1450W which clearly indicates that the PSU can handle massive transient spikes without breaking a sweat.
Voltage Ripple Performance
| Load in % | 12V Ripple |
|---|---|
| 20% | 9.6 |
| 50% | 13.6 |
| 70% | 16.8 |
| 90% | 22.4 |
| 100% | 29.6 |
This is the most challenging test to excel especially for the mid-tier PSUs and Enermax Revolution III S 1000W PSU surely wasn’t going to surprise me, that I knew for sure.
Now 29.6mV is not bad at all, more notably for a mid-tier PSU. It is still considered a very good and controlled voltage ripple performance.
Temperature
Because there are no components soldered on the back, the hottest point remained fairly cool and only hit 34.6C. Max exhaust temperature at max load was noted at 39C.
The fan only kicked in when the load reached 450W and it became very loud at max 1000W. Due to its small size of 120mm, the fan has to work a bit harder and this causes a slight audible noise.
Should You Buy it?
Buy It If
✅ You want a mid-tier budget king: Enermax has made a serious effort to win the hearts of mid-tier gamers by offering a highly efficient Platinum-rated PSU at a truly great price point.
✅ You value quality and utmost reliability: Built with top-tier components and backed by an incredibly generous 13-year warranty, this PSU is a one-time investment that will easily handle your future hardware upgrades.
Don’t Buy It If
❌ You need a little more “umph”: If you are an overclocking enthusiast rocking a fairly high-end gaming PC, the Enermax Revolution III S 1000W might lack the maximum rated capacity you demand. You would be better suited paying a little extra for the Enermax Platimax II 1200DF instead.
My Final Thoughts
Enermax has impressed me once again with how they are targeting even a mid-tier PSU market with such an impressive performing PSU, Enermax Revolution III S 1000W!
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[Errors Troubleshooting Expert]
Arsalan Shakil (aka GuyThatDoesEverything on YouTube) is a PC Tech Enthusiast and Electronic Geek. With over 10+ years of experience in Electronics, he then decided to explore Software Engineering to design embedded products and automate existing hardware solutions.
When he started tearing down old cameras to understand how they worked, he was shocked (literally, when he got zapped by a flash discharge capacitor), giving him the power (debatable) to fall in love with videography/photography. He also started making some fun videos that later became YouTube tech reviews.
Skills:
- 10+ years of experience in Electronics design, embedded solutions, and prototyping
- Majored in Software Engineering
- Research paper publication in IEEE for Embedded Military Uniform & LoRa WAN wireless technology
- Specialized in IoT Solutions
- PC Enthusiast & PC Modder
In his local region, he’s known to expose cheap PSU brands, often claiming fake certification or false claims on the box. He’s a true nerd and needed some friends in his life. Then he met some guys who work at Tech4Gamers, and they also came out to be equal nerds who suggested he join Tech4Gamers as a Hardware Expert.
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