INTRODUCTION

   Last Friday a friend of mine called and asked if I could take a quick look at his 3 years old desktop computer since it wouldn't turn on and he had important work to do. Well we agreed for him to come by the lab/office next morning and when he did come it must have taken me less than 2 minutes to notice that his power supply unit was fried (smell gave it away really). To my surprise the moment I took off the side panel I saw something I hadn't seen for many years a cheap OEM PSU model (I seriously doubt it cost over USD30/30Euros) much like the ones I had in my systems up until roughly two decades ago (just before the first "serious" models made their appearance in the market). Unfortunately, it seems that there are some system builders around that still use such cheap OEM PSU's and people who are not into computers don't know what they are getting (fortunately just the PSU was fried). In any case the point I wanted to make is that PSU's are far more important today than 20+ years ago since today they power more advanced components so spending more for one is always a good idea. After reviewing the Pure Power 11 700W model by be quiet! last month some of you asked if we could also take a look at the CM (Cable Management) version and so today with us we have the Pure Power 11 700W CM.

   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 Pure Power 11 CM line of power supply units by be quiet! includes semi-modular models available in 400/500/600/700W outputs. In terms of features and specifications the Pure Power 11 700W CM (L11-CM-700W) model which we have here is very similar to the "regular" non-cm model we reviewed last month (aside of course its semi-modular design and flat modular cables) so both have a peak power output of 840W, are 80 Plus Gold certified (electrical efficiency up to 92%), have two 12V rails (56A total with a maximum supported power of up to 672W), support multiple graphics cards (four 6+2 pin PCIe connectors), have active PFC and DC to DC power conversion and come ready with 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). Also, just like last time be quiet! covers the entire Pure Power 11 CM line with a 5 year limited warranty.