bequiet! Straight Power E9 CM 680 W Power Supply Review

Conclusions

The bequiet! Straight Power E9 CM 680 W is based on the FSP Aurum Gold platform, with a few modifications. It uses a quieter fan, utilizes two rectifying bridges in the primary instead of only one, the ATX12V/EPS12V connector was moved to the modular cabling system, and it has a better cable configuration. However, the original FSP models use better electrolytic capacitors (made in Japan and labeled at 105° C).

The efficiency of this unit is top-notch, between 86.2% and 91.4%. Noise and ripple levels, although inside the allowed range, were too high during our full load test to consider this unit “perfect.” The main drawback of this unit was voltage regulation, with the +3.3 V output presenting voltage below the minimum allowed during two of our five tests. We believe that this bad performance was caused by the power supply’s high internal temperature during our tests, as the manufacturer decided to use a fan that prioritizes silence over performance.