be quiet Dark Power Pro 10 550W Power Supply Review

As overclockers we are often looking at the highest capacity PSUs we can find for our systems.  We do this not because we need it but because we want to make sure everything will run with adequate power. 80Plus Gold PSUs deliver on those desires and do so with less heat, better overall efficiency and more headroom.  In some cases the higher efficiency translates into better peak loading and lower overall noise.

The be quiet Dark Power Pro 10 is currently available in six sizes starting at 550w and ending with 1200w.  All of them feature 80Plus Gold or Platinum certifications for a 90% efficiency rating and a single 12v power rail designs ranging from 45A to 99A.

There are two things that define the Dark Power Pro 10 product line.  The first is silent operation and with a name like be quiet you can count on them taking this aspect seriously.  The second is a performance tuning option that allows you to bridge the four 12v power rails into a single high capacity rail.  This is done using the Overclocking Key which is either a single jumper or an expansion slot mounted rocker switch.  OCK is not completely dedicated to overclocking but can be used by anyone who prefers to use the single rail power option over the default configuration.  Normally you wouldn't need something like this but it does come in handy, especially when you are pushing the limits of the PSU and need more control over power delivery.

Overall we enjoyed the Dark Power Pro, the modular design is a nice change from the norm and the dedicated fan cables do a lot to free up the motherboard fan headers.  Keep in mind that you won't get any RPM control with these connections but when combined with properly configured cooling solution you shouldn't need it.  We would have liked to see locking tabs on the 20+4 ATX and 4+4 CPU power connectors since the +4 tends to be the exception with most modern systems.

Silent Operation
Overclocking Key, Switch or Jumper
Modular Design
Variety of Power Options
80+ Platinum Certification on Certain Models

Sleeving could extend further down the cables
Paired cables implies both will get used, not always the case.