be quiet! Straight Power 12 1500W 80+ Platinum ATX 3.0 Power Supply Review

Conclusion

be quiet’s Straight Power 12 1500W power supply fills an important niche within the PSU market. With its high potential wattage output, this power supply is undoubtedly high-end, but it is not the highest-end PSU that be quiet offers, that’s their 1600W DARK POWER 13 PRO. What the Straight Power 12 1500W offers is a high power output at a more reasonable cost than its DARK POWER 13 PRO counterpart, delivering the power that users require without any unnecessary add-ons. 

When compared to the DARK POWER PRO 1600W, the Straight Power 12 1500W provides users with 100W less power output, is of a slightly lower efficiency class, and had a less premium overall aesthetic. The Straight Power 12 still offers features like dual 12VHPWR outputs, a single-rail design, and quiet noise levels under full loads, making this a great power supply for high-end workstations and other high performance PCs. 

The Straight Power 12 1500W is designed for users who require a large amount of power, but do not require the ultra-high-end features of the DARK POWER 13 PRO series. With the Straight Power series, users can still target high levels of PSU power efficiency, low noise levels, and get a 10-year long warranty without the additional expense that comes with the higher-end, more feature-rich DARK POWER 13 PRO series. These aspects make the Straight Power 12 1500W ideal for users who need access to a lot of power but want something on the more budget-friendly side of the PSU spectrum. 

Like most modern power supplies, the be quiet! Straight Power 12 1500W is an ATX 3.0 power supply, offering full support for PCIe 5.0 (12VHPWR) GPUs and the ability to handle huge power excursions safely. This PSU also features a single massive 12V rail, which is great news for overclockers, and his PSU also features a fully modular cables and uses high quality Japanese 105 degrees Celsius capacitors. 

The Straight Power series has a simple goal. Offer all of the features that users need without any unnecessary add-ons. be quiet’s DARK POWER PRO 13 series is designed for those who require the best of the best from be quiet, and the Straight Power 12 series is designed for more standard use cases and for users who want more bang for their buck. 

With their 10-year warranty it is clear that be quiet are confident in the stability and longevity of their PSU designs, and under full 1500W loads this power supply remained quiet, as should be expect from a be quiet! power supply. 

In terms of performance, the Straight Power 12 1500W has a simple story. This PSU’s higher-end DARK POWER 13 PRO series counterpart delivers greater levels of efficiency and lower levels of voltage ripple, but the Straight Power 12 1500W delivering strong results on both fronts but does not really excel in either. What it does deliver is a tonne of power and full ATX 3.0 compatibility at a much lower price than the DARK POWER 13 1600W, something that will make it a power supply worth considering. 

With the Straight Power 12 1500W being £100 cheaper than the DARK POWER 13 1600W, PC builders get a near 30% discount by dropping their PSU power providing capacity by 100 watts, dropping their PSU efficiency a smidge, and dropping some features that most users will regard as unnecessary. This factor will make the Straight Power 12 1500W a no brainer for most buyers, especially if they want to push more of their budget into other areas of their high-powered workstation.

There is no denying that be quiet’s Straight Power 12 1500W power supply is a beastly PSU, and that it can be the power delivery solution behind some equally bananas workstation PCs. This PSU is more than deserving of OC3D’s Performance Award, as delivering 1500 watts of power quietly is no small feat, and neither is offering the ability to power two 12VHPWR products. 

  

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