be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650 W Power Supply Review

Introduction

The German brand be quiet! is releasing today a new high-end power supply series, the Dark Power Pro 10, with models ranging from 550 W to 1,200 W. The 850 W model has the coveted 80 Plus Platinum certification, while all other models have the 80 Plus Gold certification. Let’s test the 650 W version and see if it is a good pick.

The 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W models are manufactured by FSP, while the 850 W, 1,000 W, and 1,200 W are manufactured by Seasonic.

Figure 1: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650 W power supply

Figure 2: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650 W power supply

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650 W is 7.1” (180 mm) deep, using a 135 mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan on its bottom (be quiet! BQT T13525-HF18, a.k.a. “Silent Wings 2”).

The reviewed power supply has a modular cabling system with 15 connectors: four for video card power cables, five for peripheral/SATA cables, one for the ATX12V/EPS12V cable, four for fan power cables, and one for the “overclocking” panel, which is used for selecting whether the power supply will use a multiple +12 V rail or a single +12 V rail configuration. Only the main motherboard cable is permanently connected to the power supply. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 24” (61 cm) long
• One connector with two cables, one with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, and one with an EPS12V connector, 27.6” (70 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 27.6” (70 cm) long
• Two connectors, each with two cables with one six-pin connector for video cards, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• One cable with one six-pin connector for video cards, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• Two cables, each with three SATA power connectors, 23.6” (60 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• One cable with one SATA power connector, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• One cable with two SATA power connectors, two standard peripheral power connectors, one floppy disk drive power connector, 23.6” (60 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• One cable with three standard peripheral power connectors, 23.6” (60 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• Two cables, each with one standard peripheral power connector, 23.6” (60 cm) long
• Four cables, each with one standard peripheral power connector and one standard three-pin fan power connector, 17.7” (45 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum recommended gauge. The number of connectors available is completely overkill for a 650 W product. It allows you to install, out of the box, two high-end video cards that require two auxiliary power connectors each. If you buy additional cables, you can use this power supply with up to four video cards. This is the first time we’ve seen a 650 W unit with such a configuration. Another highlight of the cable configuration is the presence of cables with lots of connectors as well as cables with a single connector. This way, you can install only the cables you are going to actually use, preventing your computer from ending up with a lot of unused cables hanging inside. For example, if you have only one hard drive, you can install the cable that has only one SATA power connector. On competing products, you would have to use a cable where two or three connectors would be left unused, occupying space inside the case.

Another highlight of the Dark Power Pro 10 650 W is the presence of four cables for powering fans. This way, you can have at least some of the fans available on your case controlled by the temperature sensor available inside the power supply.

The reviewed power supply comes with a switch for you to select your favorite configuration for the +12 V output: single-rail (with the switch turned on) or multiple-rail (the default configuration). The unit also comes with a jumper in case you want to “permanently” configure the unit as single-rail but don’t want to install the switch.

Figure 3: Cables

Figure 4: Single-rail/multiple-rail switch

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.