According to be quiet! its new Dark Power 14 series makes no compromises in silence and performance. Well, time to put this to the test and find out if it indeed stands. Read the full review to learn more about the flagship Dark Power 14 model with 1200W max power.
The be quiet! Dark Power 14 1200W is (or will be) included in my best ATX v3.x & PCIe 5.x PSU picks article.
be quiet! has been active in the PSU market since the early 2000s and is now among the best-selling brands in Germany, especially for users who prioritize silent operation. The company’s power supply lineup is structured as follows, from flagship to entry level:
- Dark Power 14
- Dark Power 13
- Straight Power 12
- Power Zone 2
- Pure Power 13
- Pure Power 12
- System Power 11
- SFX Power
- TFX Power 3
As you can see from the list above, the Dark Power 14 models are the Alpha PSU products that be quiet! currently offers. This line consists of three models with capacities ranging from 850W to 1200W. All are Cybenetics Titanium-rated in efficiency and also have high Cybenetics LAMBDA (noise) ratings. The same certification agency also tested them against the full ATX v3.1 spec and found them meeting all requirements.
- be quiet! Dark Power 14 1200W ATX v3.1 PSU Review
- be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W ATX v3.1 PSU Review
- be quiet! Dark Power 14 850W ATX v3.1 PSU Review
The highlights of the Dark Power 14 line are the following:
- Available in 1200W, 1000W, and 850W models
- Cybenetics Titanium efficiency (up to 95.57%)
- ATX 3.1 PSU with full support for PCIe 5.1 GPUs and GPUs with 6+2-pin connectors
- Active and semi-passive cooling can be selected with the push of a button
- An aluminum heat sink to support the semi-passive cooling concept and improve the longevity of the components
- Silent Wings fan for virtually inaudible operation
- Full bridge + Synchronous Rectifier + LLC technology provides unmatched signal stability and extremely high efficiency
- Button to switch between single and multi-rail operation
- Full-mesh front with funnel-shaped air inlet upholds the high air circulation abilities
- Modular cable management for maximum convenience
- 10-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Product conception, design, and quality control in Germany
To keep the fan’s output noise as low as possible, be quiet! used a large heatsink connected to the PSU’s parts that require the most cooling. This heatsink restricts the fan’s workload, hence keeping noise output low. Moreover, the fan is integrated directly into the heatsink mentioned above, so according to be quiet! this makes it immune to vibrations. To complete the story, the fan uses a 6-pole motor and a fluid dynamic bearing.
The MSRP prices of the Dark Power 14 units are:
- Dark Power 14 1200W: $310/310€
- Dark Power 14 1000W: $275/275€
- Dark Power 14 850W: $230/230€
These prices are stiff, I know, but we are talking about the flagship be quiet! products here.
Check out our top ATX v3.1 PSU guide before purchasing your next PSU.
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- Manufacturer (OEM): CWT
- Max Power: 1200W
- Cybenetics Efficiency: [115V] Cybenetics Titanium (91.492%), [230V] Cybenetics Titanium (93.385%)
- Noise: [115V] Cybenetics A+ (15.78 dB[A]), [230V] Cybenetics A++ (14.79 dB[A])
- Compliance: ATX v3.1, EPS 2.92
- Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load): 0 – 40 °C
- Alternative Low Power Mode support: ✓
- Power 12V combined: 1200W
- Number of 12V rails: 1
- Power 5V + 3.3v: 120W
- Power 5VSB: 15W
- Cooling: 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (BQ SIW4-13525-MF)
- Semi-Passive Operation: ✓ (Selectable)
- Modular Design: Yes (Fully)
- High Power Connectors: 2x EPS (2x cables), 2x 12+4 pin (600W), 4x PCIe 6+2 pin (2x cables)
- Peripheral Connectors: 13x SATA (4x cables), 2x 4-pin Molex (1x cable)
- ATX Cable Length: 600mm
- EPS Cable Length: 700mm
- 12+4 pin PCIe Cable Length: 600mm
- 6+2 pin PCIe Cable Length: 750mm
- Distance between SATA/4-pin Molex: 155mm
- In-cable capacitors: No
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 150 mm x 85 mm x 175mm
- Weight: 2.25 kg (4.96 lb)
- Warranty: 10 Years
- MSRP (excluding VAT): $310/310€
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V1 | 12V2 | 12V3 | 12V4 | 5VSB | -12V | |
| Max. Power | Amps | 25 | 24 | 33 | 33 | 45 | 45 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Watts | 120 | 1200 | 15 | 6.0 | |||||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 1200 | ||||||||
I have the 1200w Dark power 14, Amazing psu and completely silent too all round.
The addition of a semi-passive fan mode switch was much requested for Be Quiet to implement to there psus and the Dark power 14 delivers that, now the fan doesn’t have to constantly run for complete silence at most normal loads.
My only gripe is the cables could be more flexible but that is a non issue to the performance being so excellent. I just have to wait till I can buy some replacement cables for the psu.
Which components does the aluminium radiator actually touch?
so this PSU was use main caps TK or Rubycon, on the sheet was listed Rubycon but in the photos says it was TK or BeQuiet gonna change their main caps config on a retail product so you just listed in a datasheet usinf Rubycon main caps ?
My mistake sorry. It has TK caps. I don’t know why I left Rubycon in the part analysis. Fixed that.
Since Spain is my home market i want to ask if you know anything about this power supply from a local Brand called UNYKAch. They claim it is cybernetics gold certified but couldn’t find anything about it in the database. https://unykach.com/es/consumo/fuentes-de-alimentacion/fuentes-de-alimentacion-atx/fuente-de-alimentacion-atx-atilius-3-1-750w-gold-uk213750/
Hi! They sent samples for testing to Cybenetics, but they are not tested yet.
Good to know.
Thanks for the review! We’ll see in the 850W,1000W reviews the Pure Power 13 M numbers together but if the lower wattage models are in line with this one then in some areas the Pure Power 13 M is actually better so hard to justify spending this much more for this one. Which one would you pick? Be Quiet is on the right path thats for sure and should be on buyers list performance wise but reliability matters more since we don’t want to burn down the house haha, but you can read horror stories about every brand so who knows which to pick. Hopefully my 2019 Seasonic Focus Gold will hold on for a while.
Even the cables don’t seem to be much more premium, the cables with the Pure Power 13 M are rather stiff some say, would be nice if other than the overall cable quality you would mention flexibility aspect of them, often overlooked quality.
Oh, good timing for this review ;-). Managed to order this psu, for 250€ @Alternate.
It will replace my older BQ DP 12 850W, for more future proof.