Enermax Revolution X't 430 W
We haven’t heard much from Enermax lately. The company once had a pristine reputation though, so we wanted to check up on its status. The Revolution X't family is Enermax's second-best. Only the Platimax PSUs are a step up. Just one offering fit into our round-up: the 430 W Revolution X't, model number ERX430AWT.
This is a solid-looking power supply that makes a good impression. A rough, powder-coated surface, the piano-finish cooler, and semi-modular cabling all contribute to the sharp aesthetic. Cables are flattened, and their lengths can be considered generous. Further, the number of cables satisfies most requirements in this price class. There are two auxiliary 6+2-pin connectors for PCI Express-attached cards, an impressive eight SATA leads, and a quartet of four-pin Molex connectors.
The sole +12 V rail outputs up to 420 W, which is almost 98 percent of the rated power output. It’s also supposed to be able to deal with up to 35 A. Enermax equips the Revolution X't with five-year warranty coverage, too.
| AC Input | 100-240 V, 47-63 Hz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC Output | +3.3 V | +5 V | +12 V (#1) | +12 V (#2) | +12 V (#3) | +12 V (#4) | -12 V | +5 Vsb |
| 20 A | 20 A | 35 A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.8 A | 3.0 A | |
| Individual Output | Row 2 - Cell 1 | Row 2 - Cell 2 | 32 A | Row 2 - Cell 4 | Row 2 - Cell 5 | 9 W | 1 W | |
| Rail Utilization | Sys | Sys | CPU & VGA | |||||
| Combined Output | 100 W | 420 W | ||||||
| Total Continuous Output | 430 W | |||||||
| Peak Output | 475 W |
As usual, our first step is putting together a report of power efficiency according to the 80 PLUS specification. All PSUs in this round-up sport the Gold certification and, consequently, need to have an efficiency of at least 87 percent at 10-percent load and full output. The efficiency has to be an even higher 90 percent at a load of 50 percent.
The Revolution X’t 430 W hits those numbers almost exactly. That's not a bad thing, since the performance is good enough to qualify, but you certainly can't expect any additional headroom for higher efficiency than 80 PLUS Gold. Still, the Enermax PSU manages to do well at low loads. A reading of 83.5 percent at 50 W is certainly reasonable. This power supply gets its job done without any fuss in the other test categories as well.
Finally, we’re taking a look at ripple measurements. The curve isn’t smooth on all rails, but it’s acceptable at 3.3 and 12 V. Only the 5 V rail ends up north of the 50 mV peak-to-peak border, registering 52.2 mV. Still, this is within our measurement tolerance.
The Revolution X’t 430 W's fan is always on. Corsair's RM450 is the only power supply in our round-up with dynamic fan control. Sure, the operating noise level is a very low 32.3 dB(A) at 40 W, but it's still audible as a soft purring noise in quiet environments. This noise level also makes Enermax's submission one of the louder contenders in this comparison. At medium load, which we simulate with 200 W, noise jumps up a bit to 33.1 dB(A).
A Look at the PCB
Enermax's Revolution X't 430 W is built by CWT. As is the de facto standard in this efficiency class, it uses a DC-to-DC topology. At first glance, the PSU’s interior appears messy. But that doesn't mean the quality isn't there. The soldering work is certainly up to spec, though we do think there's room for improvement.
The input filter design is executed well. Two X and four Y capacitors in combination with two inductors and a diode provide all that’s needed. The primary capacitor is made by Panasonic and can most certainly be counted in the highest-quality category. Enermax does try to save some money with the secondary capacitors, though. The CapXon logo tells us they're of decent Chinese quality, but that’s about it.
