The Verdict
Now let me be the first to state that over the past year we've reviewed less and less power supplies as we believe our review remains somewhat subjective. For a really proper review, we'd need to have capable load testing equipment worth multiple thousands dollars. It is an investment in equipment we are not willing to take for the handful of PSU reviews we deal with each year. But you guys know and understand very well that we here at Guru3D know, understand and recognize quality when we test it, and just like its predecessor, the Revolution 85+ series is among the best we have tested.
The best real-world thing we could do was load up the PSU with really power hungry components and then stress test it in a real-world environment just like you would create at home. We feel there's a lot to be said for this method as well.
The Revolution 85+ 920W and 1020W series are amongst the most majestic products you can opt for inside your PC. The Revolution 85+ 1020W can peak well to over 1.1 Kilowatt, and that is very extreme. The fun thing is, it remains completely silent while under stress.
Now the discussion of whether or not you need a Kilowatt Power supply remains trivial. If you really need one, well then shame on you dear sir :)
But if you need one, then you better make sure you invest in pure quality. My thesis never failed me in the past; I simply like to have reserves and not once did I run into a stability issue or got an overheated PSU just because I know the PSU will never be an issue (for me). I have this feeling with the PSU as tested today, it has plenty in reserve, a lot of it really and that definitely did show. Even with multiple multi-GPU graphics cards and added PhysX card on an overclocked system the PSU barely coughed silently at best. The unit remains 100% stable, silent and doesn't seem to break a sweat. And that's the kind of gear you like to have feeding your expensive components.
Have some reserve: this means you are not 100% stressing the PSU, this is better for lifespan. Do you guys remember the old Galaxy models from Enermax? Well, we still have them in use in some test systems. These things just do not die.
By the way, can I kill off a myth here? Anno 2010 we still received questions about this. Some people are still confused and afraid that if they purchase a Kilowatt PSU, that it will actually consume a Kilowatt continuously. No-no, one more time... a Kilowatt power supply doesn't consume 1000 Watts. It will only consume it if your PC requires it. So if you use components in your PC that consume 500 Watts, then that's what you are using and paying for to the electricity company.
The Revolution 85+ series is impressive and comes with a nice design, is very very stable, quiet, modular and let's not forget... this is a highly efficient power supply rated at 85%~91% efficiency (depending on 110V/230V). More efficient PSUs will not only be a little greener to the environment, they also save you money on your power bill. My motto is simple, higher efficiency PSUs will pay themselves back in the long term, plain and simple.
There's just really nothing physically negative to report on the Revolution 85+ PSUs whatsoever, though one secret wish from my side is that I would like to see Enermax move to completely black sleeved wiring and connectors, but that's purely for aesthetic value of course.
Your one downside will be pricing. The Revolution 85+ 920W costs 259.90 Euro and the Revolution85+ 1020W will cost just 299.90 Euro. Now these are MSRPs including VAT. You will very likely find them a good chunk cheaper in e-tail but sure, it is a lot of money for a PSU. But remember, see it as an investment that lasts years and over time starts making money due to the power you saved based on high-efficiency.
The Enermax Revolution 85+ 1020W power supply is simply put an excellent choice for PCs now and in the future. If you are in the market for a product of this caliber, look no further, you've found it. Oh and Enermax backs the product up with a five year warranty, it's classified as silver, but we find that golden. It's the bulls balls man...
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