Voltage Regulation
To test voltage regulation we load the power supply to five different load scenarios that give an equal spread of load across every single rail. So that means 20% on all rails, 40% on all rails and so on. We then calculate the average deviance of each rail from its expected voltage.
Enermax didn’t promise to keep within any particular levels of voltage regulation but we saw extremely high levels of voltage regulation, within 1% average on all rails. In fact on some rails we saw improvements as load increased towards 100%.
Power Efficiency
Power efficiency is measured by calculating actual supplied wattage divided by the wattage drawn at the wall/plug, multiplied by 100 to give a percentage. We then compare that to the particular 80 Plus certification the company claims to see if it meets that. You can see the 80 Plus certifications below, we always test 230v power supplies.
Strangely the Enermax Platimax 850W doesn’t quite reach 80 Plus Platinum standards. This could be down to product variations but in reading reviews by other reputable websites we can see that the Platimax does actually fall a tiny bit short of 80 Plus Platinum in most tests. That said it still boasts an extremely high level of efficiency.
Power Factor Correction
Power Factor Correction is the ratio of the real power flowing to the load, to the apparent power in the circuit. The aim of PFC is to make the load circuitry that is power factor corrected appear purely resistive (apparent power equal to real power). In this case, the voltage and current are in phase and the reactive power consumption is zero. The closer the number to one the better as this allows the most efficient delivery of electrical power (Source – Wikipedia).
The Enermax Platimax 850W delivers an extremely high level of PFC throughout all load scenarios and is highly competitive with rival units.
I’ve only heard good things about Enermax PSU’s but their existence over here is akin to finding chicken’s teeth.
Looks like an awesome product. And backed by the promising 5 year warranty would help it in every way.
And it have eared 80+ platinum for some justified reason as well. ;)
And at last Ryan, another awesome review!!
Very cool organization and layout. They should do all PSUs this way.
enermax is the most expensive brand of all.. be quiet! dark power 10 850w seems much viable choice. and isnt audible even at 100% load.