There are three reasons to get a new power supply for your PC:
(1) The old one has failed!
(2) We want a more powerful video card that requires more Watts than the current power supply can support.
(3) The current power supply has a low efficiency rating and we want to upgrade to e.g. "Gold".
Most typical is probably scenario (2) and this s my case. The new video card requires a 750W power supply and my current 550W "bronze" will not work. With this new power supply, it also satisfies point (3).
Unpacking: The power supply comes in a generic brown box and a printed sleeve. Inside we find two custom fitted textile bags with Velcro closures, one containing the power supply, and one containing all cables and accessories. The power supply is additionally surrounded by strong fitted foam. Overall, packaging is excellent. There is also an illustrated manual in multiple languages.
One unique included item is a special test plug that puts a slight resistive loads on two pins to activate the power supply for bench testing before installing. (With nothing connected on the outputs, a PC power supply will not turn on or provide any output voltages!). With the tester mounted, turning on will first spin the fan clockwise, stop, spin anticlockwise, and stop again. Mine passed this test with flying colors, whew! During the test, the power supply was drawing about 5-6.5W from the 110V outlet.
All cables are nicely braided and easy to route to the various computer components. I have not yet installed it and will update this review if there are any issues, but I don't expect any problems. There are already detailed reviews and test results available on the internet for this exact model and the listed specification seem all valid.
There is some confusion about the actual warranty of this power supply. The Amazon page boldly claims a 10 year warranty while page 1 of the manual claims that the warranty is 5 years. that's only half!
In any case, I expect this power supply to outlive my PC. I have not had a power supply fail in the last 15 years, but have lost a few to the well known "capacitor plague" (see Wikipedia) before that.
| Brand | Enermax |
|---|---|
| Series | REVOLUTION D.F. 12 850W |
| Item model number | ETV850G |
| Item Weight | 14.52 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 4.8 x 5.91 x 3.39 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.8 x 5.91 x 3.39 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Manufacturer | Enermax |
| ASIN | B0CWPY6JN4 |
| Date First Available | February 28, 2024 |
