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Published: May 1, 2008 | Source: Be Quiet! | Author: James Napier

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 650w ATX PSU

Introduction & Specifications
 
Be Quiet! Dark Power PROFounded back in 2002 by parent company Listan, Be Quiet! started life as a modest company, manufacturing items such as noise dampening mats. With one clear goal in sight: to reduce the level of noise output by the modern PC, it wasn’t long until Be Quiet! decided to take on one of the biggest noise-makers of all – the power supply. While many of us, especially UK readers, will probably not have come across this slightly humorously named manufacturer until now, Be Quiet! has an extremely strong presence in the rest of Europe and indeed the world, with PSU sales figures often exceeding 30,000 units a month.
 
At present, Be Quiet! has two main PSU product lines, namely the Dark Power PRO and the Straight Power (no jokes please!). While the Straight Power series offers top performance with fixed cabling, the Dark Power PRO is now in its second edition, and offers modular units ranging from 450w to 1000w. Today we’re going to be taking a look at the middle-road 650w  Dark Power Pro model, and the specifications taken from Be Quiet’s website can be seen below:
 
First Class Level
Dark Power Pro is the high-quality power supply for perfectionists: powerful due to its highly-developed technology and extremely high degree of efficiency – unique in terms of service and quality.

With its cable management system (18 cables), every user is ideally set up for the future. ECASO thermal technology protects the PC components from overheating and guarantees a long service life. The special be quiet! fan technology plays a decisive role in ensuring that the award-winning brand runs quietly.

Dark Power Pro is also a big winner in a small package – it fits into any standard case.

Top level convenience, top level performance, top level quietness. Dark Power Pro provides everything you expect from a first class device.

First Class Technology
• Powerful, with 650 Watt
• Top quality components
• ECASO thermal technology preserves and protects components, and controls up to 4 case fans connected to the power adapter
• Only small amount of heat development due to extremely high efficiency of up to 88%
• Exceptionally stable due to 4 12V cables assigned to the components
• Extremely quiet due to be quiet! fan technology

First Class Connectivity
• Future-proof cable management with the highest possible degree of compatibility with all mainboards and graphic cards
• 18 cable sets, of which 16 are removable
• 2 x PCIe 6+2-pin
• EPS 6-pin server board adapter
• No adapter needed. Non-interchangeable due to intelligent connection concept

First Class Service
• 3 year full guarantee and therefore 1 year more than the legal requirement
• Service hotline +49 40 736 76 86 – 44 (English speaking)
• Email Support [email protected]

 
Probably the most impressive specification listed is the 88% efficiency rating. While this is most likely only achievable under ideal conditions (240v mains, clean voltage and high load levels), only a small fraction of PSU’s tested here at Overclock3D have managed to reach 85% efficiency – so 88% would be a new all-time record.
 
The Dark Power PRO also comes with a 3 year “full” warranty. While the website doesn’t explicitly state what kind of warranty this is (return to base for repair, or swap-out), the inclusion of an English speaking service hotline and easily accessible support email address certainly makes it easy to arrange an RMA of your unit should it develop a fault.
 
Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 650w Specs
A quick look at the specifications sticker on the side of the PSU reveals the distribution of power around the unit. Keeping in mind that we’re looking at the 650w version here, the unit features a total of four +12v rails capable of delivering 20 amps each, with a maximum load across all rails of 52amps. The +3.3v and +5v rails are equally well equipped with 26amps and 30amps respectively.
 
There is no mention of peak power output on the unit or in the specifications, but after speaking with Be Quiet! we have been told that it is 680w.
 
Overall the specifications are actually quite respectable, considering the capacity of the rails actually exceeds that of a recently reviewed 700w unit here on Overclock3D.
 
 
Now that we’ve got the boring stuff out of the way, let’s see what the Dark Power Pro has in store for us in other areas…