INTRODUCTION

   If you're looking to build a small mini-ITX or micro-ATX based system in all likelihood you will require three compact components including a low-profile CPU cooler, low-profile graphics card (unless you plan on using an intergrated one) and an SFX form factor power supply unit. Of course you can always build one such system in an midi-tower or one of the many cases out there which land right between mini-ITX/micro-ATX cases and midi-towers but if you plan on using a really compact PC case then there's really no way around it. Just over three years ago SFX form factor power supply units had very little to offer consumers (always compared to their full size cousins) but just like most things in the electronics industry today things have changed for the best so you can find some pretty feature-rich and powerful models in the market including the brand new SFX L Power 600W by be quiet!

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. Consistently the leader in the German PC power supply market since 2007*, be quiet! is one of the most successful PSU brands in Europe. This enduring success is largely thanks to the typical German passion for quality and precision. All product conception, design and quality control is performed in Germany. German expertise is evident the moment an idea is born and throughout the entire design and production process. be quiet! never releases a product until it meets the highest expectations. All materials used – from the smallest screws to the metals in the cases – are tested to rigorous standards. That is why be quiet! power supplies, PC cases, CPU coolers and case fans are among the most silent, powerful and reliable on the market. Innovative engineering concepts coupled with an uncompromising choice of premium materials and world-class manufacturing quality make be quiet! second to none when it comes to noise reduction. With over ten years of experience, be quiet! are truly the quietness experts.

   The SFX L Power line by be quiet! currently includes two fully-modular SFX-L form factor models (500/600W) that feature 80 Plus Gold certification (electrical efficiency up to 92%), temperature controlled 120mm fan, flat power cables, strong single 12V rail (50A), support for multiple graphics cards (four 6+2 pin PCIe connectors for both models), active PFC, high quality Japanese capacitors, and a plethora of available electrical protections including OCP (over charge protection), OVP (over voltage protection), UVP (under voltage protection), SCP (short circuit protection), OPP (over power protection) and OTP (over temperature protection). Be quiet! also offers an SFX-L to ATX mounting bracket and covers the entire SFX-L Power line with a 3 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A product picture is placed at the front of the box right beneath the company and 80 Plus Gold certification logos and above the features list.

The features list is also printed on both sides of the box in 5 different languages.

At the rear of the box we see the electrical specifications of the unit, its measurements and the available power connectors.

Be quiet! has placed the unit inside a bubble wrap protective.

Along with the SFX L Power 600W its power cord and flat cables you will also get an SFX to ATX adapter and 4 mounting screws.

THE SFX L POWER 600W EXTERIOR

 The SFX L Power 600W is a very compact power supply unit measuring just 130mm in length, 125mm in width and 63.5mm in height.

Be quiet! has used an 120mm PWM fan the speed of which is automatically adjusted according to the temperature of the unit.

A large sticker with the electrical specifications of the SFX L Power 600W is placed on the left side of the chassis.

The company logo takes up most of the right side.

At the front of the enclosure we see the 8 modular cable ports.

Moving at the rear we see the power port, on/off button and the usual honeycomb perforation.

THE SFX L POWER 600W INTERIOR

For the new SFX L Power Series be quiet! has used a 120mm PWM fluid dynamic bearing Globe Fan that can spin up to 1800RPM.

High Power Electronic seems to be the OEM manufacturer of the SFX L Power 600W model.

Rubycon is behind the single primary capacitor which is rated for up to 85 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by United Chemi-Con and are rated 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

CONCLUSION

   Although I’ve build over 50 systems so far in my life (for myself, family members and friends) only twice have I used mini-ITX cases with SFX power supplies and both of those times available space was a very important factor. If people don’t have that limitation I always recommend going for at least a midi-tower build since “regular” sized hardware components almost always outperform their more compact cousins. That being said as time goes by we see/witness many technological breakthroughs and although noone can say that the SFX L Power 600W can go up against models that cost twice as much or more still it performed incredibly well for its size (both In terms of rail stability and electrical efficiency). These are not the only things that the SFX L Power 600W does extremely well however, it’s also quite silent (at least up to 50-60% load) something which we suspect will mater a lot for people looking to build an HTPC system and offers more power connectors (especially PCIe ones) compared to many similar solutions in the market today.

   So how much will the SFX L Power 600W Power Supply Unit by be quiet! set you back? Well squeezing a good amount of goodies inside a SFX-L form factor enclosure may not be the easiest thing but still with a current price tag set at USD119.90 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and 132Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the SFX-L Power 600W is not what we’d call expensive. All said and done if you’re looking for an SFX-L form factor power supply unit and you can put up to 600W to good use then the SFX L Power 600W model by be quiet! should be at the top of your to buy list which is also why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- SFX L Form Factor
- Very Good Rail Stability
- Up To 600W Continuous Output
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- Japanese Capacitors
- Fully Modular
- 4 PCIe Power Connectors
- 3 Year Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Current USA Availability