1200W PSU Roundup 2014

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 1200W Review

Manufacturer: Be Quiet!
UK price (as reviewed): £229.99 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): $319.99 (ex Tax)

Be Quiet!, a German brand of considerable reputation in its home country, sent us a representative from its top model line-up, the Dark Power Pro series. Ours comes rated at 1,200W and is one of the two PSUs rated at 80 Plus Gold rather than Platinum. Together with Antec’s offering, it’s the only model featuring multiple rails, with a combined maximum of 99A on the 12V rails. However, thanks to Be Quiet!’s OC Key feature, you can switch to a single rail set-up, which we think is rather neat. Another noteworthy feature is the possibility to connect case fans directly to the PSU and have their speed be regulated by the PSU’s temperature. It’s 194mm deep and has a 135mm fan.


If you want to hook up a lot of peripherals, this Be Quiet!’s definitely what you want, as it has not just nine standard Molex connectors but also a frankly mind boggling 17 SATA connectors, as well as eight 6/8-pin PEG connectors and, curiously, one additional 6-pin PEG plug. All of the cables are long enough, with the CPU-power cable measuring 74cm and the SATA cables coming in at well over a metre, or 108cm to be precise.

The Dark Power Pro performs quite well, with a stable 12V voltage that only dips slightly below the nominal value at 1,100 and 1,200 watts of load, and very acceptable ripple values. It has no problems delivering its rated power and while it produces only 34 dB(A) under load, every other model here is even quieter.

The average efficiency is about one percent lower than the worst Platinum rated models – nothing that will make a difference to the end of the year’s energy bill. Nevertheless, despite “only” having an 80 Plus Gold rating, it costs almost £220 at a minimum, making this PSU the most expensive of the round-up. As such, good performer though it is, it’s too expensive to recommend as a first choice.