INTRODUCTION

   I recall a time long ago when you would walk into a computer store and the only power supply units you'd find were low-cost OEM models which surprisingly enough would last long if you were lucky. Fast forward to today and if you visit a computer store chances are that you will find yourself in front of a wall of power supply units from a very large number of manufacturers, with power outputs ranging anywhere from 250W and up to 1500W and various 80 plus efficiency certifications. Low-cost OEM models do exist even today aimed towards casual users who don't wish to spend much on one such device but today you can also find models that cost even more than a brand new laptop. Today with us however we have something more affordable and more specifically the latest offering by our friends over at be quiet! the Straight Power 10 800W power supply unit.

   be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC. be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany for five consecutive years *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions. be quiet! is awarded for five times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-known German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” underline the high acceptance of our products. be quiet! sticks to its name: Ten years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed Silent Wings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation - our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation. If you choose be quiet! you can be sure to get premium quality and second to none silent operation from the quietness experts.

   The Straight Power 10 line of power supply units actually consists out of two subcategories, one with semi-modular models and one with non-modular models (cables hardwired into the chassis) all of which are 80 Plus Gold Certified. Both lines have a total of four different models available beneath them but whereas the semi-modular line includes 500/600/700/800W models the non-modular line includes 400/500/600/700W models. Moving to the sample at hand the 800W model features a total of 4 +12v rails (can deliver just over 97% of the units total power output), 4 PCI-E connectors, 135mm SilentWings PWM Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan, ErP 2014 support, ATX v2.4 support (Intel Haswell ready), Energy Star v.6 support and a full set of electrical protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP). So time to see just how all these translate to real world performance.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is present at the front of the box along with the main product features and the company logo.

The features of the product in detail are printed in 4 different languages on the two sides of the box.

The available connectors are listed at the rear right next to the electrical table, two small pictures showcasing the unit’s size and several certification logos.

Unlike in the past be quiet! used bubble bags and cardboard to secure both the PSU and the cables.

Along with the Straight Power 10 800W the box contains the modular cables, AC power cable, 5 cable ties, 6 mounting screws and the user manual.

THE STRAIGHT POWER 10 800W EXTERIOR

The Straight Power 10 800W model features a black mate color and a semi-modular design (the 20/24pin connector is hardwired into the chassis).

The seven-bladed 135mm SilentWings PWM fan is responsible for the cooling of the interior.

Be quiet! has engraved their logo on the left side of the chassis.

Moving to the opposite side we find a large sticker with the units’ electrical table and several certification logos.

At the rear we see the usual perforation along with the company logo and the power on/off button.

As usual all of the modular connectors are both different in size and tagged.

THE STRAIGHT POWER 10 800W INTERIOR

The SIW3-13525-HF is a 135mm PWM Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan that can spin up to 2100RPM at 29.5dBA of noise.

Taking a look deeper into the PSU reveals that FSP is behind it (like many others in the market) and once again we get to see their Active Clamp Reset Forward (ACRF) topology (we've seen it in the past with other 80 Plus Gold certified units).

Aside a single capacitor on the secondary side by United Chemi-Con every other one is manufactured by Teapo (they are all certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius).

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 computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have 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 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 4.4 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). 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.

TEST RESULTS

RAIL STABILITY

Rail stability was literally exceptional, nothing more to say really.

POWER CONSUMPTION

Highest electrical consumption (instant) recorded was 803W so we did push the unit all the way up to its rated output.

NOISE LEVELS (SPL)

At 47.2dBA the Straight Power 10 800W is somewhat audible at full load but chances of that happening are very slim (if you want 800W from a PSU then you should get at least a 1KW unit).

CONCLUSION

   As far back as i can remember be quiet! has never failed us with any of their products whether we're talking about a power supply unit or a CPU cooler so whenever we test something by them we don't expect anything less. Well the Straight Power 10 800W semi-modular PSU is no exception to that rule since it produced rock solid rail stability even with its power output maxed out. The 135mm SilentWings PWN FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fan does a great job in cooling the internal components of the unit but it's audible at full load something which we didn't really expect. Of course as mentioned earlier you don't get an 800W model to use all 800W so that shouldn't really be an issue for anyone. Last but not least the updated features of the unit including ErP 2014 support, ATX v2.4, Energy Star v6.0 compliant and the set of electrical protections complete what is one of the best 80 Plus Gold Certified PSUs to ever reach our lab.

   Be quiet! usually follows a good pricing plan for their products and so with a current price tag of USD129.90 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and 129.54Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Straight Power 10 800W power supply unit is very reasonably priced. That being said 80 Plus Gold certified power supply units may not be as impressive to some people as they used to be but they do offer the best bang for your buck. Overall the Straight Power 10 800W semi-modular PSU has nothing to be jealous of from other units in the market so if 800W is more than just plenty to cover your needs then look no further. Thanks to its performance, features and very reasonable price the Straight Power 10 800W semi-modular PSU secures our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Excellent Performance Levels
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- Features (ErP 2014/Energy Star v6/ATX v2.4
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP)
- 5 Years Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Noise Levels (For Some)
- USA Availability (Current)