be quiet! intro's Dark Power Pro 11 550, 650, 750W supplies

[CA_Steve]

Fan runs at 220-250rpm at low loads ramping to 250-300rpm at 50% and 400-670rpm at 100% load (temp and review dependant ).

Some reviews:
KitGuru
eteknix
Hardware Info
HardwareLuxx

[lodestar]

Seem somewhat over-priced in comparison to alternatives such as the SuperFlower Leadex Platinum. For example, the 550w Dark Pro 11 is retailing here in the UK at £115; the Leadex Platinum 550w is only £83. For the 650w the UK retail price for the Dark Pro 11 is £130; the Leadex costs £99.

[quest_for_silence]

BeQuiet! is always overpriced (as well as FSP is always not top notch as SF or Seasonic, performance-wise): on the other hand, cooling 550W at less than 600rpm (with a fan placed horizontally and such a long warranty!) is still rather impressive (as well as 275W at less than 360rpm, around the power draw of the most demanding contemporary gaming rigs).

Another review from TweakPC with full fan profile: http://www.tweakpc.de/hardware/tests/ne ... 50/s01.php
Google's english translation (if needed): https://translate.google.de/translate?h ... %2Fs01.php

[Smanci]

I admire the acoustic performance of these, but the only thing Super Flower/EVGA has to do to make Be Quiet obsolete is to pick a quiet FDB fan and make it run slow. I mean, a 650W G2 should stay passive until 300W AC, it's got better performance and costs 2/3.

[quest_for_silence]

the only thing Super Flower/EVGA has to do to make Be Quiet obsolete is to pick a quiet FDB fan and make it run slow.

Unfortunately, it won't happen.

I mean, a 650W G2 should stay passive until 300W AC, it's got better performance and costs 2/3.

Just take note that passive won't necessarily mean quieter (than spinning at 3-400rpm).

[Abula]

Personally i prefer PSU that are not fully passive or semi passive, i would prefer a fan spinning always but at inaudible rpms, heat is the worst enemy of electronics, over time is what really degrades the hardware, and in my experience a little airflow makes a huge difference. I really like the approach of the Be Quiet, i just wished they were easier to get a hold in the US.

[lodestar]

The main issue I have with Be Quiet! is that their basic marketing approach seems to be that Platinum-rated PSUs are a premium product, and should be priced accordingly. SuperFlower on the other hand, judging from their prices, are pursuing a 'Platinum psus at Gold prices' strategy. A good example of this is that from the same UK supplier the Dark Power Pro 550w is £115 and the SuperFlower Leadex Platinum 750w is £113 (although they do have a special this week only price currently of £103 for the black model). Used in standard fan mode the 750w Leadex is clearly less quiet than the Be Quiet! but throw the ECO Mode switch and the fan stays off until 60% of load. This would be around 430w. I note the comment about the Dark Power Pro 550w that "...cooling 550W at less than 600rpm (with a fan placed horizontally and such a long warranty!) is still rather impressive..." but according to this source even at 70% load (525w) the Leadex fan only reaches 500rpm.

I am not saying that the premium price for the Be Quiet! Platinum units is entirely unjustified, clearly there is some benefit - efficiency is a touch better than the Leadex, fan quality is maybe better. On the other hand the round cables for me would be a minus point. I assumed that the Be Quiet! Pro 11 models might have a longer warranty but having checked it, here at least it is 5 years the same as the Leadex Platinum.

[quest_for_silence]

but according to this source even at 70% load (525w) the Leadex fan only reaches 500rpm.

Sorry, I didn't understand how you interpreted the eTeknix data: would you mind to point me out?

P.S.: maybe I've understood what you said. No, it isn't as you likely thought (that's how Super Flower ECO mode works), the eTeknix graph is not a fan profile, it's likely an interpolation of progressive testing points (20%-40%-60%-80%-100%): the Leadex Platinum 750W fan starts right at ~900rpm (depending of the intake temperature).

[lodestar]

There are two graphs on that page, the first is Fan Mode (fan constantly on) and the second is ECO Mode.

[lodestar]

...No, it isn't as you likely thought (that's how Super Flower ECO mode works), the eTeknix graph is not a fan profile, it's likely an interpolation of progressive testing points (20%-40%-60%-80%-100%): the Leadex Platinum 750W fan starts right at ~900rpm (depending of the intake temperature).

That reference to how Super Flow ECO mode works is taken from the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550W review in 2011, so I am not sure how relevant it is to current models. eTeknix set out their testing methodology which seems reasonable to me, particularly in terms of their standardised ambient temperature. A fan starting at 60% load and hitting around 900 rpm at 80% load is not the same as the fan starting right at 900 rpm. Agreed there is a temperature component to how PSU fans operate, some of which e.g. intake and exhaust temperatures, tends to go unrecorded.

[quest_for_silence]

That reference to how Super Flow ECO mode works is taken from the Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550W review in 2011, so I am not sure how relevant it is to current models.

It is relevant: the SF Eco mode is a start/stop thing, the Golden King was just more "gentle" than current Leadex Gold/PLatinum platform.
That's another data set (I hope more contemporary, given your rather picky attitude) from TPU: fanless at 40% load / 945rpm at 50% & 60% / 1415rpm at 80% load (load tables at the very bottom of the page).

The SF are excellent and quiet PSUs, but what you said about them doesn't apply (I don't understand what you say about eTeknix, though apparently it isn't that sound).

[lodestar]

...That's another data set (I hope more contemporary, given your rather picky attitude) from TPU: fanless at 40% load / 945rpm at 50% & 60% / 1415rpm at 80% load (load tables at the very bottom of the page)...

Sorry to be picky again Luca but picky is good. That is a set of data for a Gold unit, not a Platinum. Also TechPowerUp (TPU) have always tested their PSUs in high ambient temperatures, specifically 40°C-45°C. On their graphs this is sometimes shown as 36C to 46C. The reason is claimed to be because this is closer to the micro-climate that PSUs operate in inside a computer case. Looking at the results obtained with other makes and model of power supplies I am not convinced that this does yield results that are typical of what a user would expect once a PSU is run in a system.

In terms of relying on PSU reviews, the only ones I have relied on to make purchases are those from SPCR. For example in March 2008 I bought the Enermax Modu82+ Gold 625w the day after the review came out. It was OK, one nice feature was that there was a fan RPM monitoring cable that could be plugged into a motherboard header. Mine runs at a touch over 500 rpm at idle, and any other condition including stress testing. Maybe it was a bug in the fan controller but as it was otherwise satisfactory I did not RMA it. The warranty incidentally was only 3 years, and now 7 years later the fan is becoming noisy so I will need to do something about it.

The Seasonic X-650 I have was also bought on the basis of the SPCR review and has been fine. It is rarely stressed to the level where the fan kicks in, and I find this a more satisfactory approach. So I probably lean more towards the approach that SuperFlower have taken with the Leadex Platinum range, with the bonus that there is a choice between Eco mode and a constantly on fan for those who want it.

[CA_Steve]

I'm just happy there's a variety of inaudible, efficient and well-built PSUs out there

[quest_for_silence]

...That's another data set (I hope more contemporary, given your rather picky attitude) from TPU: fanless at 40% load / 945rpm at 50% & 60% / 1415rpm at 80% load (load tables at the very bottom of the page)...

Sorry to be picky again Luca but picky is good.

No, you're not good: I've choosen the adjective "picky" in a goofy attempt to be somehow kind to you, but likely "stubborn" is more proper with reference to you, and something "worse" could be even preferable in some occurrence (but SPCR moderation won't accept any sort of light insult or name calling here, though maybe appropriate).

The TPU data set was to show you (cause you're deaf and blind to either any evidence or sound reasoning, given that you just want to be right come hell or high water) that SF Eco mode is start/stop, there's no progressive curve there (it's a stepped one, and SF was even criticized for that by some PSU german enthusiasts), and it starts right under 900rpm, as per eTeknix data, with the SF 750W Platinum there's no 500rpm spinning anywhere, anytime and anytemp. And if you were really picky, you should have looked for the GlobeFan/Zaward Corporation RL4Z 1352512HH fan datasheet, where it's stated that the starting voltage of that 1800rpm fan is 6V (hint: half of 12V).

What you says then going on is more probably that not just either arguing that black is white (or "clutching at straws", or"tilting at windmills"), or going off topic (maybe because you've nothing relevant to say about hybrid/semi-passive fan controllers): the eTeknix testing methodology was called into question not to say it's wrong, it's not my point, just to show you (though it was pointless) that there's no fan data point at 50% of the rated power (figures were recorded just at 40% and 60%).

Have a nice time (to you too, Steve).