INTRODUCTION

    Every strong PC build starts with a power supply capable of feeding the system without hesitation. It’s the part that keeps voltages steady, protects against irregularities, and ensures your hardware performs the way it should. With today’s GPUs and CPUs pushing higher limits, the PSU has become a strategic choice rather than an afterthought. be quiet!’s Power Zone 2 1200W released yesterday steps into that landscape with a design meant for demanding machines.

    We are the German premium brand manufacturer of quiet hardware components for gaming, workstations and desktop PCs. Since our foundation in 2001, we are proud to have more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Our goal from the very beginning has been to develop products of the highest quality that are not only quiet, but also extremely powerful. With a wide range of power supplies, PC cases, water and air coolers and fans, we have established ourselves as a leading manufacturer in this field.

    The Power Zone 2 line now includes 4 power outputs (750/850/1000/1200W) all of which are fully modular, ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 compliant and 80 PLUS Platinum certified (up to 94.3% efficiency). The 1200W output model was officially released yesterday and it features two 90 degrees angled 12V-2x6 power connectors, three 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, single +12V rail (100A) capable of delivering 100% of the units’ total power output and has a total power output of no less than 1338W (peak should be up to 2676W for up to 100ms - once again however this is not something I can test). Other features and specifications of the Power Zone 2 include LLC topology with synchronous rectifier and DC to DC module design, active PFC, semi-passive zero-RPM fan mode for the 140mm fan (starts spinning after a specific load), quality capacitors certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius and a full array of electrical protections including over-current (OCP), over-voltage (OVP), under-voltage (UVP), short-circuit (SCP), over-temperature (OTP), surge and in-rush (SIP), and over-power (OPP). Finally, be quiet! covers the entire Power Zone 2 line of power supply units with a generous 10-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

be quiet! uses the same package as usual so at the front we find their logo, certifications, output and a product picture.

At the rear we find the electrical table, several certifications and warnings, output and a few words about be quiet!

The unit is placed in a formed piece of cardboard.

Along with the Power Zone 2 1200W its modular cables and power cord inside the box you'll also find 5 cable ties, 5 mounting screws and the user manual in several languages.

THE POWER ZONE 2 1200W EXTERIOR

What stands out about the modular power cables of the new Power Zone 2 1200W model are the two 90 degrees angled 12V-2x6 cables.

The Power Zone 2 1200W output model is medium sized measuring 160mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

Unlike other similar sized models, the Power Zone 2 1200W comes with an 140mm Pure Wings 3 fan.

On the right side of the enclosure, we find a large sticker with the unit’s electrical table, numerous certifications, country of manufacture and serial number.

The company name is placed on the left side of the enclosure.

All 10 modular ports are different in size/type and tagged.

At the rear of the enclosure, we find the on/off power switch and the power port.

THE POWER ZONE 2 1200W INTERIOR

be quiet! is using a rifle-bearing 140mm Pure Wings 3 fan (2100RPM/25.5dBA).

The OEM behind the Power Zone 2 1200W model seems to be the Taiwanese HEC/Compucase.

Primary capacitors are manufactured by the Taiwanese Teapo and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured again by Teapo and Nippon Chemi-Con and are also certified for use up to 105 degrees.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions, but it comes really close and is in fact much closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

   Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate, nor realistic for that matter). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

* After well over 10 years of testing PSUs the Intel Core i7-920 CPU of this rig failed and so we replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (we also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    A new system built around demanding hardware needs a PSU that won’t flinch, and the Power Zone 2 1200W lands exactly in that territory. Its rail stability keeps voltage swings in check even when GPUs spike, giving the system a steady foundation under heavy loads. Noise levels stay quite restrained (although not quite as low as with other be quiet! models) making it a strong fit for workstations or gaming rigs that run for hours. The 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency certification is another clear strength, reducing wasted energy and heat while keeping performance consistent. Combine that with the sheer power output of 1.2KW, and you get a unit that feels ready for anything a modern setup can throw at it. The two 90 degrees angled 12V-2x6 power connectors bring peace of mind into the equation and will almost certainly draw in potential buyers. As for downsides the use of Taiwanese Teapo capacitors may not reduce the lifespan of the unit in any serious way (perhaps not at all) but they are not quite as good as capacitors by well-established Japanese brands, something I’ve pointed out in past reviews.

    The Power Zone 2 1200W 80 PLUS Platinum power supply unit by be quiet! was officially released yesterday for USD229.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 238.24Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de), so it’s priced a tad higher than expected. Cost aside however the brand-new Power Zone 2 1200W model by be quiet! delivers everywhere that matters from rail stability and power output, to noise levels and overall quality and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Solid Rail Stability
- ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 Compliant
- 80 PLUS Platinum Certified
- 1200W Output
- Two 90 Degrees Angled 12V-2x6 600W Connectors
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/SSP/OPP/UVP/OTP/SIP)
- Silent Wings 3 140mm Fan
- 10 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Teapo Capacitors (For Some)
- Price (For Some)