Epilogue
The be quiet! Dark Power 14 is a flagship Titanium series designed for users who need silent operation and the highest possible efficiency. The strongest member of the line, with 1200W max power, offers tight enough load regulation at 12V, excellent ripple suppression, good transient response at 12V and 5V, high power factor readings, and high efficiency across all load ranges. Moreover, it is equipped with an efficient 5VSB rail. On the other hand, the 3.3V rail needs tuning to improve transient response and tighten load regulation. Someone can argue here, though, that this rail is not heavily utilized anymore, so why pay extra attention? I can reply to this that at such high price points, everything needs to be top-notch. Vampire power should also be lower. Another thing I noticed is that at high loads (above 950W), the fan speed profile suddenly becomes wild, especially compared to the one at lower loads.
The unit’s overall performance is competitive, but there are lower-priced offerings with equally high performance. It all depends on the efficiency levels you are after and the output noise levels you are comfortable with. Typically, highly efficient Titanium platforms can be dead silent at light and moderate loads due to minimized energy losses.
What I need to emphasize is that the protection features in this PSU are correctly set and the only downside in this sensitive section is the lack of fan failure protection, which unfortunately is the case for the majority of desktop PSUs nowadays.
All in all, the be quiet! Dark Power 14 offers high overall performance and silent operation at light and moderate loads (up to around 950W). The multi-12V rail setup provides increased protection, but personally, I find a single 12V rail less susceptible to graphics card power-spike issues. Thankfully, there is an OCK button that lets you convert this PSU to a single 12V rail, which is what I suggest if you plan to run an energy-hungry graphics card.
Before investing in a new power supply, read my article on the Best ATX v3.x PSUs to compare all alternative PSU offerings. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the price of the product. I receive a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a significant difference for me, especially now that I am working independently, exclusively for my media, rather than for someone else.
- Delivered full power at 46°C
- ATX v3.1 and PCIe CEM 5.1 compliant
- Cybenetics Titanium rated
- Silent operation at light and moderate loads (<950W)
- High overall performance
- Properly set OCP and OPP triggering points
- High build quality
- High enough efficiency on all load ranges
- High enough PF readings
- Tight enough load regulation at 12V and 5V
- Good transient response at 12V and 5V
- Good ripple suppression
- Efficient 5VSB rail
- Alternative Low Power Mode (ALPM) compatible
- 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan of high quality
- 2x 12+4-pin PCIe connector set at 600W (overkill for a 1200W unit, though)
- Mediocre transient response and load regulation at 3.3V
- No fan failure protection
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.