Review: be quiet! Dark Power 12 (850W)

Conclusion

lives up to its high-end billing by producing a solid set of results in every area...

be quiet! expands its premium line of PSUs with the release of the Dark Power 12. Available in more common capacities ranging from 750W to 1,000W, hallmarks are superb efficiency, whisper-quiet operation, and a 10-year warranty providing peace of mind from an established name in the industry.

Homing in on the 850W model for review, it lives up to its high-end billing by producing a solid set of results in every area. Efficiency, as expected, is top-notch, and there's little to criticise from an electrical standpoint. That said, we're not fans of the overclocking key be quiet! persists with.

The sticking point, naturally, is cost, as the £240 asking fee is about £100 more than competitors that are only marginally behind in all-round performance. Does the couple of per cent in efficiency warrant such a premium? To most, no, but be quiet! aims this model at those building best-in-breed machines where price is of secondary concern.

Bottom line: a high-quality PSU with a premium price. If you can accept the cost, there really is not much better out there for that ultimate build.

The Good		The Bad
Excellent electrical performance 10-year warranty Very quiet Sensible capacities for Titanium		Overclocking key feels old school

be quiet! Dark Power 12 (850W)

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TBC.

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I do wonder if these very high quality PSUs (platinum- and titanium-rated) will outlast their usefulness with 12 V-only motherboards (ATX12VO) possibly becoming mainstream in maybe less than ten years.

Looked fantastic ….. until I saw the price

For that sort of money you could get a decent Platinum rated 1200W PSU. That's over-priced compared to the competition.

An interesting review, but it's missing a comparison to what I'd consider to be the titanium standard in PSUs - Seasonic. Considering that the price for this one also is higher (£240, vs $240 for the Seasonic 850W Titanium at my local brick-and-mortar), it's hard to be convinced that this one is the better option without some benchmarks showing an area where it's superior. The Seasonic also has a better 12-year warranty, and has lower power/price options at 750W ($200/£172 with VAT) and 650W ($160/£138 with VAT).

Thus my overall conclusion (not being super familiar with CWT = Channel Well Technologies?) is that there's no reason to prefer this one, unless the Seasonic is not readily available in the UK. The Seasonic is cheaper and quite possibly better if you want Titanium efficiency, and Platinum options are also available for less.

The chap who mentioned ATX12VO also has a point. By 2030, that will likely be the standard, likely considerably sooner. That impacts the value proposition of these long-lived PSUs.

Still, I don't think they are bad options. I switched to Seasonic 2.5 years ago after my previous PSU failed, and its warranty goes till mid 2030. I highly doubt it will be current then, but it will likely still be working. The replacement lifecycle is also slowing down. I expect to build a new Ryzen system in 2022, and considering my current system dates from late 2011, it's entirely plausible I'll still be using that Ryzen system and Seasonic PSU in 2030. Even if I am not, I could sell it as a whole system to someone who would still be able to get use out of it, or the PSU could be sold as a replacement to be used in someone's retro Windows 7 gaming box. For anyone who needs an ATX PSU after they are largely discontinued, these high-reliability parts would be the preference.

Tarinder, why would you call this non-pro model the DPP12… Surely it should be the DP12, with the Pro being DPP12?

Review: be quiet! Dark Power 12 (850W)

Conclusion

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