be quiet! Dark Power Pro 14 IO 1600W PSU Review
Power Efficiency and Voltage Ripple
Voltage Ripple and Efficiency Testing
When reviewing new power supplies at OC3D, we use our dedicated SunMoon PSU Tester, one of the most expensive (if not the most expensive) tools in the company’s arsenal. Here, we can see exactly how well a unit functions. We look at both a PSU’s efficiency and power stability. To do this, we utilise bespoke PSU testing equipment to give us an in-depth look at each power supply’s performance. This kind of data collection is impossible when using a PSU with standard PC components.
For this PSU, it is worth noting that the maximum sustained load we can safely test is 1200 watts. As such, for 100% loads on this PSU, we will test 1200W, the maximum load our testing unit can handle. For 1200W and lower PSUs, we will test their maximum rated capacity.
Power Efficiency
Across our testing, the be quiet Dark Power Pro 14 IO delivers efficiency levels between 92.8% and 94.5%, making it one of the most efficient PSUs we have ever tested. While the last-generation Dark Power Pro 13 delivered slightly higher efficiency levels at 1200W, the Dark Power Pro 14 delivered higher efficiency levels at 20% and 50% loads. With this in mind, the Dark Power Pro 14 should be more efficient during general workloads, and marginally less efficient at 1200W loads.
In one respect, it is good to see that be quiet! has maintained its PSU efficiency levels despite adding IO data analytics features.
Voltage Ripple
Consumers often overlook voltage ripple. It is best described as the stability of specific voltages that the PSU delivers. A PSU with high ripple will see voltages vary much more. In extreme cases, this can damage components or shorten their lifespans. Voltage ripple stability is one of the many reasons to choose a high-quality power supply. That means buying from a reputable brand and avoiding anything that isn’t 80+ certified.
An important thing to note here is that none of the PSUs in this graph is going to kill your PC. Even units with the highest ripple in our charts, like the original Corsair RM1000 (from 2014), are usable. We used this power supply in one of our main workstations for years without any trouble. As we said before, only extreme levels of voltage ripple are dangerous. Regardless, we feel these results matter, as we don’t want to see PSU manufacturers moving backwards on this metric. We do not want to see the return of PSUs with high levels of voltage ripple. It’s easy to build a “gold-rated” PSU today, but it’s hard to build one with excellent ripple performance.
The ATX standard calls for less than 120 mV of voltage ripple on its 12V rail. Since the ATX standard is ancient by today’s standards, and modern PCs can consume much more power, we believe that lower ripple levels are a must. Feeding your PC a stable voltage means all your components won’t have to work as hard to stabilise their power. That results in greater component longevity and better voltage control when overclocking.
be quiet! Dark Power Pro 14 IO 1600W Ripple performance
be quiet’s Dark Power 14 IO 1600W achieves voltage ripple levels of between 14mV and 18.2mV during our testing. In our view, voltage ripple below 30 mV is good, below 20 mV is great, and below 15 mV is phenomenal. With this in mind, the be quiet Dark Power Pro 14 IO 1600W is a great PSU.
