Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro BQT P9-550W Review (80 Plus Gold)

1. Introduction2. Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 550W (Bundle and Cabling)3. Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 550W (External)4. Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 550W (Internal)5. Testing Methodology and Results6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

The Be Quiet! Power Pro BQT P9 550W power supply has been designed to appeal to the enthusiast owner who demands low noise emissions above everything else. In this regard it has succeeded, because it is one of the quietest power supplies we have ever tested, measuring around 31dBa under full load.

As a media center power supply this is certainly going to be an exceptional first choice as it is basically inaudible, even when pushed close to the maximum rated power limits. It also is suitable for someone who is building a rendering or work oriented machine for placement on a desktop within close vicinity. With an informed selection of CPU cooler, graphics card and case a powerful, yet basically silent system could be built.

Technically, the power supply is reasonably good, although it is far from class leading in a couple of areas. Noise suppression, while remaining within rated parameters falls short of the best supplies we have tested this year. The +3.3V output for instance measures 35mV and the +12V rail measures 75mV, nothing really to cause concern, but points worth mentioning.

Efficiency is excellent, although we noticed that at the lower end of the spectrum in our testing that it doesn't quite achieve 80 Plus Gold rated certification. It does however exceed 92 percent in the middle of the power range, which is excellent.

The selling point for us, is the incredible lack of noise emission. Unless you have your ear right next to the chassis, you would be hard pressed to know it was actually turned on. Many people will understandably pay extra for this … which is just as well as it isn't the cheapest power supply on the market, by a long shot. You can get it from Amazon for £124.15 at time of publication, and while it is 80 Plus Gold certified, it does cost £10 more than the Antec High Current Gamer 900W, or £15 more than the Corsair TX 850W V2, for instance.

If you need the quietest power supply which can handle a reasonable load, then this should be shortlisted.

Pros:

• Silent as a whisper
• looks very nice
• quality cabling
• switchable rail configuration is an interesting touch

Cons:

• Expensive
• Technically, has a few minor weaknesses.

Kitguru says: Its expensive, but you will never know it is on. Silence freaks will love it.

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