be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W ATX v3.1 PSU Review

Protection Features

Desktop power supply units (PSUs) include several protection features to safeguard both the PSU itself and the connected PC components (motherboard, CPU, GPU, drives, etc.). These protections prevent damage from electrical faults, overloads, or abnormal conditions.

Evaluating the protection features on multiple 12V rail PSUs is a pain. From now on I will combine all 12V rails into one and get over with this.

The 12V OCP triggering points are correctly set. They might look pretty high at 12V1/2, but this is because the nominal amperage is low. Look at how significant the differences are in the OCP triggering points at 12V3 and 12V4 between standard and high temperatures. These rails power the single 12V-2×6 socket.

On the minor rails, the 5V rail’s triggering points are not correctly set, since OCP is higher at high temperatures than at standard temperatures. Although the rail is conservatively set, given its nominal capacity, and the difference is low, this will still prevent me from giving the unit a recommendation badge. On the other hand, the 3.3V rail is set correctly, although 30A on this rail are not required by any modern system.

The over-power protection is correctly set, and the rest of the protection features are present and work well. My only complaint is that fan failure protection is not present, which should be standard on a high-end platform.

EMC Pre-Compliance at a Glance

Every electronic device, including PSUs, can be an EMI source, and the amount of EMI it emits can affect the proper operation of nearby devices. EMI can, in some extreme cases, even render them unusable. Some standards have been established to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise. The corresponding standards for IT (Information Technology) products are CISPR 32 and its derivative, EN 55032, which applies to products sold in the EU. In the EU, every product bearing the “CE” marking must comply with the EN 55032 standard. CISPR 32 and EN 55032 standards categorize devices into two classes: A and B. Class B equipment is intended for domestic environments. Hence, its permitted EMI emissions are significantly lower than those of A-class devices.

Our equipment for EMI readings:

• Rohde & Schwarz FPC1500 (loaded with all options)
• Tekbox TBLC08 LISN
• Tekbox TBFL1 transient limiter
• Tekbox EMCview software

Please note that the ATX spec allows a 4 dB margin for conducted and radiated emissions. This means that if a PSU exceeds the limits but stays within the 4 dB margin, it meets the corresponding ATX spec requirement (8.1 Emissions).

EMI Results

The PSU’s EMI emissions are under control.