INTRODUCTION

   Due to a wide range of power outputs and features picking up the right power supply unit to cover your needs may not always be easy and between NVIDIA finally unveiling their brand new GeForce RTX lineup (2080Ti/2080/2070), Intel updating their CPU roadmap and AMD releasing the 2nd generation of their Threadripper CPU chances are that quite a few of you will be looking for a brand new model sooner rather than later. On top of power outputs and features add the amount of manufacturers in the market currently and things just couldn't get much more complicated than that. Luckily the number of PSU manufacturers with proven track records over the years is far from large and today's review is about a product released by one such manufacturer and to be more precise on our test bench we have the Straight Power 11 1000W power supply unit by our friends over at 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 brand new Straight Power 11 1000W power supply unit by be quiet! (available in 450/550/650/750/850/1000W variants) is an 80 Plus Gold certified (up to 93% electrical efficiency) and fully-modular (future-proof since later on you can just swap cables if a new type gets introduced) power supply unit that features a peak power output of roughly 1170W, four +12V rails (2x22A & 2x30A) capable of delivering up to 999.6W, strong minor rails with a total output of 150W, 135mm Silent Wings 3 PWM Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan, high-quality Japanese manufactured capacitors, ErP and Energy Star v6.1 ready, EPS v2.92 and ATX v2.4 support and a full set of electrical protections including over-current, over-voltage, under-voltage, short-circuit, over-temperature and over-power (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP). Last but not least be quiet! covers the entire Straight Power 11 line of power supply units with a limited 5-year warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like most recent products by be quiet! at the front of the box we see a product picture along with their logo and the main product features.

The product features are listed on both sides in 4 languages.

All available modular power connectors are listed at the rear right next to the features list in 2 languages and above the unit’s electrical table.

Be Quiet! has placed the PSU inside a piece of cardboard while the rest of the bundle is placed around it.

Contained inside the box is the Straight Power Pro 11 1000W PSU, modular cables (held together by two cable straps), power cord, 5 mounting screws, 4 cable ties and the user manual.

THE STRAIGHT POWER 11 1000W EXTERIOR

Unlike other models the Straight Power 11 1000W comes with round braided cables (not flat ones).

The black matte enclosure of the Straight Power 11 1000W measures 170mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

A 135mm Silent Wings 3 PWM FDB fan placed at the top (bottom when inverted) keeps interior temperatures in check.

The be quiet! logo is located on the right side of the enclosure while on the left we find a large sticker containing the units electrical table.

At the front we find 11 modular connectors all of which are tagged and different in design to avoid possible accidents.

The rear features the typical honeycomb perforation along with the power port and the on/off power switch.

THE STRAIGHT POWER 11 1000W INTERIOR

Be quiet! has used a faster Silent Wings 3 135mm fan for this model (compared to what we've seen in the past) and although we don't know much about it we do know that it can reach speeds of up to 2600RPM at 32.1dBA of noise.

Although the layout of the unit is not the cleanest we've ever seen the lack of wiring should help increase airflow (FSP seems to be the OEM behind the Straight Power 11 1000W).

The two primary capacitors in our sample are manufactured by Hitachi (HU series) and are rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by United Chemi-Con and Rubycon and are also 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 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 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

   At first glance the Straight Power 11 1000W PSU by be quiet! has it all, solid rail stability, high-quality components, 80 Plus Gold certification, fully-modular chassis and an assortment of electrical protections which have your back just in case something goes wrong. Ontop of that add the 5 year limited warranty which applies for the entire line and you have an excellent choice in your hands. Still there’s but two things some demanding users may not like about the Straight Power 11 1000W such as its four +12V rails (it’s no secret that many gamers and enthusiasts favor single powerful ones – this however can’t be considered as a drawback) and noise levels at full load. Of course needless to say that it will be next to impossible for anyone to push the Straight Power 11 1000W to its full output but the fact of the matter is that its Silent Wings 3 135mm fan is quite a bit noisier compared to what we’ve seen recently (still not the fastest/loudest one ever used - for comparison purposes the Dark Power Pro 1000W came with an 1800RPM/26.3dBA fan while the Power Zone 1000W had an 2900RPM/37.1dBA model – although this specific model never reached its advertised speed during our tests).

   So how much do you have to spend to get your hands on the latest Straight Power 11 1000W Power Supply Unit by be quiet!? Well currently the Straight Power 11 1000W model retails for USD199.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 199Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which places it right in the middle of several 1KW units with both 80 Plus Gold and Platinum certifications. Overall I can’t say that we have a problem with the price tag be quiet! decided to attach onto this model but when there are 80 Plus Platinum models at roughly the same price point some consumers may look at them more favorably. All in all the Straight Power 11 1000W PSU by be quiet! is a high quality and performance model and although not exactly perfect it still ticks enough boxes to get our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Solid Rail Stability
- Fully Modular (Future Proof)
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- Features (ErP/Energy Star v6.1/ATX v2.4)
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP)
- 5 Years Warranty

CONS

- Price (Compared To The Competition)
- Noise Levels