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Review Summary
The Enermax D.F. 12 Revolution 850W PSU offers compact design, advanced ATX 3.1 features, and impressive performance. It’s perfect for compact builds, featuring a 115mm dual ball bearing fan with Dust Free rotation, high-quality Japanese capacitors, and a fully modular design. While it excels in efficiency and thermal management, it’s not entirely silent under heavy load.
Hours Tested: 8
Overall
-
Performance - 9.4/10
9.4/10
-
Build Quality - 9.3/10
9.3/10
-
Efficiency - 9.5/10
9.5/10
-
Value - 9/10
9/10
Pros
- Packing a beast in a tiny package!
- Aesthetically pleasing with individually mesh-sleeved cables
- Widely compatible with a huge number of PC cases
- Semi-silent fan operation with Dust Free rotation.
- Super efficient.
Cons
- 850W is very limited for future upgrades.
- Slightly noisy when the load exceeds 60%.
This is the third time we have been given the chance to review a PSU from Enermax. Though Enermax has impressed us in the past with its best-priced-to-performance PSUs, making little compromises to maintain better pricing than the competitors, it’s actually the first time we get to see Enermax has thrown away its rookie badge and dialed up the innovation level to the max 11!
With the latest and the most challenging ATX specifications from Intel for the ATX 3.X (ATX 3.0 & ATX 3.1) PSUs, very few OEMs have successfully polished and upgraded their platforms to meet those demands. One of the biggest challenges we have observed lately is that PSU brands have been left with little to no unique features as they used to boast about in their marketing materials before, due to them being 3rd or even 4th customers of the same OEM.
Key Takeaways
- The Enermax D.F. 12 Revolution 850W PSU combines compact size with high efficiency and advanced features, making it a strong choice for modern, compact PC builds.
- You should buy the Enermax D.F. 12 Revolution 850W Gold if you want a high-quality PSU that offers top performance, looks aesthetically pleasing, and is also more compact than other ATX PSUs.
- You should avoid the Enermax D.F. 12 Revolution 850W Gold if your power requirements exceed 850W or if you want a very silent PSU.
Here are the specifications:
| 80 PLUS Efficiency | Gold |
| Modular | Fully Modular |
| Cable Type | Mesh-Sleeved Cable |
| Total Power (W) | 850 |
| Input Voltage (V) | 100-240 |
| Input Current (A) | 10 |
| Input Frequency (Hz) | 50-60 |
| Fan Size (mm) | 115 |
| Operating Temperature (°C) | 50 |
| MTBF (Hours) | >100K |
| Protection | OCP, OVP, UVP, OPP, OTP, SCP |
| Dimension (D x W x H) (mm) | 122 x 150 x 86 |
Packaging & Unboxing
The power supply comes in a simple box with a very minimal design – no more flashy brand logo or aggressive styling. I personally like the cardboard with the white sleeve. It is a breath of fresh air from the other PSUs I have unboxed so far.
The back of the white sleeve follows the same pattern, and you can find all the specifications and details about the cables/connectors there. To maintain a consistent design, the overall font size and layout may look small and difficult to read at first, but it is not bad at all once you bring it closer.
Here is a much better look at the key features and the connector information printed on the box.
After removing the sleeve and unboxing the cardboard box, we were greeted with the user manual, and the PSU was tucked away in foam from all sides. This is a very good measure for protecting the PSU against shipping damages. Plus, having white fabric pouch plus white foam matches the design, which is good attention to detail.
Design
Enermax, with its latest offering from the D.F series lineup, D.F 12 Revolution 850W, came out to be just like Peter Parker after he was bitten by a radioactive spider! The only difference is that instead of gaining some muscles, Enermax shrank the size to a completely unheard and unseen 122mm in depth, making it the world’s smallest ATX standard ATX 3.1 PSU that’s going to give its users huge compatibility options for their desired smaller PC cases.
Given the small size, the 115mm fan takes up a lot of area. I am very excited to open it up to see how the size cramps up the internals. At the back, you’ll find the power button, plug connector, and the D.F. Switch.
Unlike the quieter Fluid Dynamic Bearing fans, Enermax consistently uses Dual Ball Bearing fans with a special dust-free rotation feature. Enermax is renowned for its patented Dust Free (D.F) rotation technology, which prevents dust accumulation on the fan blades. When you turn on the PSU, the fan briefly spins in reverse to shake off any dust before resuming either a silent mode if the load is below 60% or normal rotation if the load exceeds 60%.
In this model, Enermax has also included the D.F. feature via a button press, though the reasoning behind this addition isn’t entirely clear. The button is quite recessed, perhaps to maintain a clean look.
One side of the PSU has the branding with a yellow accent. On the other side, you check the power info and other regulatory specifications.
Cable & Connectors
All cables have adequate length for any ATX build. Plus, the sleeved 12VHPWR cable not only feels premium but also has an improved bent angle. The accessories include cable combs for neat management and a PSU jumper, so you don’t have to use a paperclip if you plan to jump the PSU without connecting it to the PC.
Here is the list of all connectors:
| Cable Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Motherboard 24 (20+4) pin | 1 |
| CPU 4+4 Pin | 2 |
| 12V-2×6 12+4 pin | 1 |
| PCIe 6+2pin | 3 |
| SATA | 8 |
| 4P Molex | 4 |
The Enermax D.F. 12 Revolution 850W is equipped with the latest 12VHPWR connector, now referred to as the 12V-2×6 H++ connector, which is an upgraded version in terms of both safety and current handling capabilities.
Teardown & Component Analysis
I have tested countless PSUs, and God knows how much I look forward to seeing something fresh, something different, unlike almost 60% of the PSUs that we have reviewed, use the exact same or similar platform from the same OEM. But thanks to Enermax D.F 12 Revolution 850W, I am delighted to see a new OEM (for us at least) RSY, that has also been an OEM for other major well known brands in the past.
RSY has done a superb job designing this platform, shrinking it to a small but very clean looking PCB layout, having adequate room for all the space saving vertical daughter boards for even cleaner and cooler operation.
In smaller size PSUs, we often see a single block of aluminium heatsink residing all the Primary side components including Full-Bridge MOSFETS that drive the main transformer, RSY has separated all such components (Bridge Rectifier, APFC Boost Circuit’s MOSFETs and a Boost diode, Full-Bridge MOSFETs for LLC converter section and lastly 4 +12V MOSFETS) into separate sections with their own aluminium heatsinks.
This can greatly reduce thermal load even at the maximum load; we will check this later in the review. Lastly, we see a small daughter board for 5V and 3.3V minor rails.
Enermax must have surely emphasised using only high-quality components, and that’s exactly why we see top-of-the-line Japanese electrolytic and polymer capacitors for both the primary and secondary sides. There are two bulk electrolytic capacitors from Rubycon that seem to be more than enough for an 850W capacity PSU.
PSU Load Testing
12V & Minor Voltage Rails Regulation
| Load in % | 12V | 5V | 3.3V |
| 20% | 12.13V | 5.01V | 3.32V |
| 50% | 12.09V | 4.99V | 3.30V |
| 70% | 12.05V | 4.98V | 3.28V |
| 90% | 12.01V | 4.96V | 3.27V |
| 100% | 12.00V | 4.95V | 3.26V |
Voltage regulation is good for 12V rail. Though we only nudge minor voltage rails, keeping both 5V & 3.3V fixed to 25W, we still see them drooping slightly.
PSU Efficiency
| Load in % | Power Factor | Efficiency |
| 20% | 0.931 | 92.64% |
| 50% | 0.972 | 93.61% |
| 70% | 0.973 | 93.09% |
| 90% | 0.974 | 92.14% |
| 100% | 0.974 | 91.67% |
Shorter length PSUs seem to mostly perform poorly in this test unless an OEM puts a great effort in designing a transformer having better electrical characteristics; RSY has surprisingly done the exact same, resulting in very good voltage ripple performance. This tiny PSU holds bigger potential to easily handle even the most demanding hardware of the current generation.
Voltage Ripple Performance
| Load in % | Voltage Ripple |
| 20% | 7.2mV |
| 50% | 11.2mV |
| 70% | 13.6mV |
| 90% | 15.2mV |
| 100% | 17.6mV |
I was again very surprised to see the efficiency results as they have very clearly exceeded not just my expectations but also my exceptionally exceeded Gold rating. Enermax & RSY gotta be very proud of what they have cooked!
Temperatures
850W of output power in a tiny package requires better thermal management, which, thanks to separate aluminium heatsinks for power delivery, components have been managed really well, with a max hottest point on the back reaching temperatures up to 32.9C only!
Enermax should definitely look into tuning down the fan profile in an effort to decrease the fan noise. Though the fan only kicked in when the load reached at 475W but still I think the noise was quite (not quiet) audible.
Should You Buy it?
Buy It If
✅You want the latest, greatest, and smallest PSU: Enermax D.F 12 Revolution 850W can easily handle any current generation system builds, thanks to its ATX 3.1 specs that allow it to handle power excursions up to 235%.
✅You prefer an aesthetically pleasing PSU: Available in Black and white with matching-color premium mash-sleeved cables, which can be even further managed via included cable combs – the PSU definitely nails the looks.
Don’t Buy It If
❌You are after more power: 850W is considered a rookie number these days when you have RTX4090 paired up with 14900K (both in stock), which are easily going to devour close to 800W of max sustained load! Who knows what Nvidia & Intel is going to come up with next?
❌You want dead-silent operations: Though Enermax D.F 12 Revolution comes with a Semi-silent fan mode where it remains completely silent when under 60% of load, sadly, if you’re using any latest spec PC, you’re easily going to exceed this 60% threshold anyway, causing the fan to stay kicked in most of the time.
My Thoughts
Enermax D.F 12 Revolution, being the smallest ATX PSU, checks all the boxes for the best performer, best looking, and easy to install in various PC cases.
This PSU performed exceptionally well in our tests. Its latest ATX 3.1 specs, improved 12V-2×6 GPU connector, Cybenetics Platinum certification, and Cybenetics ATX 3.1 Pass make it hard to pass.
Coming Next: Enermax Revolution D.F.2 1200W Review
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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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