There’s no such thing as the perfect power supply. Systems that have four graphics cards and an eight-core processor require a certain kind of PSU, while home-theater PCs require a different PSU altogether. If you want to prioritize acoustics, there are fanless power supplies that are well-suited for the task. That said, for most builders the Dark Power Pro 1000W from German manufacturer be quiet! is about as close to perfect as possible.
First and foremost, the 1kW Dark Power Pro 11 is an 80 PLUS Platinumcertified power supply. To meet such exacting requirements, a PSU has to be extremely efficient under a wide range of operating conditions, and the Dark Power Pro 11 is. The power supply is 92.3%, 94.1%, and 93% efficient at 20%, 50%, 100% load, respectively.
Because be quiet! also makes an impressive number of high-quality case fans and CPU coolers, it should come as no surprise that the Dark Power Pro 11’s fan is one of its not-sosecret weapons. The SilentWings 3 135mm fan used inside the PSU has grooved fan blades designed to increase airflow, a fluiddynamic bearing with a copper core, and a six-pole motor that minimizes vibration. This amounts to a great acoustic profile. At 20% load, the Dark Power Pro 11 1000W is barely audible at 10.1dB(A), and it’s nearly as quiet at 50% load, increasing just slightly to 10.4dB(A). Only a full load moves the needle, generating 26.3dBA, but even at that we doubt you’ll be able to hear this PSU over the rest of your hardware.
The Dark Power Pro 11 is quiet, but it’s also versatile. Aside from its semi-modular cabling, the Dark Power Pro 11 has what be quiet! calls an overclocking key, which is essentially a jumper that cables to a small switch you mount to one of your case’s rear expansion slots. The switch lets you toggle between the power supply’s default 12V rail configuration—two 32A and two 40A rails—and a single 83A 12V rail. The single rail vs. multi-rail debate keeps simmering between power users, but the Dark Power Pro 11 settles that debate once and for all by giving you both in the same power supply.
The Dark Power Pro 11 1000W has more than enough juice for our build’s components, so it doesn’t have to go anywhere when the time comes to upgrade the system’s components and/or add more of them. Quiet, efficient, and flexible, this power supply delivers.
SPECS
Rated continuous: 1,000W; +12V rails: 4 (2 32A, 2 40A); +5V max: 25A; +3.3V max: 25A; SLI/CrossFire-ready: Yes; Efficiency rating (advertised): 94.1% at 50% load; Connectors: 1 20+4-pin ATX, 1 8-pin CPU, 1 4+4-pin CPU, 8 6+2-pin PCIe, 1 6-pin PCIe, 10 SATA, 7 4-pin Molex, 2 Floppy; Length: 7.6 inches (without cable); Warranty: 5 years