be quiet! Dark Power 12 850 W Review - Titanium Silence 30

be quiet! Dark Power 12 850 W Review - Titanium Silence

Fan Noise »

Efficiency

Using the results we gathered so far, we plotted a chart showing the PSU's efficiency at low loads and loads ranging from 10 to 110 percent of the maximum-rated capacity.




Thanks to the bridgeless APFC converter, the platform achieves high efficiency numbers in all load regions.

10%–110% Load Testing

These tests reveal the PSU's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures and show how the fan-speed profile behaves under harsh operating conditions.

Load Regulation & Efficiency Testing Data - be quiet! Dark Power 12 850W
Test12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoiseTemp
(In/Out)
PF/AC
Volts
10% Load5.254A1.962A1.961A0.991A84.955W91.711%359 RPM<6.0 dB(A)40.17°C0.802
12.058V5.095V3.369V5.045V92.633W42.94°C230.19V
20% Load11.543A2.946A2.941A1.192A169.999W94.444%362 RPM<6.0 dB(A)40.69°C0.908
12.051V5.091V3.365V5.033V179.999W43.94°C230.18V
30% Load18.180A3.438A3.435A1.395A254.999W95.269%365 RPM<6.0 dB(A)41.10°C0.948
12.044V5.088V3.361V5.019V267.661W45.05°C230.19V
40% Load24.824A3.928A3.932A1.598A340.005W95.409%425 RPM<6.0 dB(A)42.12°C0.961
12.038V5.085V3.357V5.006V356.364W46.73°C230.19V
50% Load31.119A4.924A4.921A1.803A424.851W95.245%513 RPM10.2 dB(A)42.43°C0.968
12.029V5.081V3.353V4.993V446.059W47.79°C230.20V
60% Load37.398A5.908A5.912A2.000A509.346W94.964%611 RPM14.9 dB(A)42.89°C0.972
12.022V5.077V3.348V4.980V536.359W48.86°C230.20V
70% Load43.746A6.900A6.907A2.215A594.711W94.190%752 RPM20.3 dB(A)42.93°C0.976
12.015V5.073V3.344V4.967V631.395W49.55°C230.20V
80% Load50.111A7.894A7.905A2.423A680.043W93.822%939 RPM26.8 dB(A)43.15°C0.977
12.006V5.069V3.339V4.953V724.823W50.41°C230.20V
90% Load56.886A8.393A8.394A2.425A764.973W93.400%1395 RPM36.5 dB(A)45.05°C0.978
11.997V5.065V3.335V4.951V819.032W53.41°C230.21V
100% Load63.402A8.893A8.915A3.055A849.820W92.899%1718 RPM42.1 dB(A)45.85°C0.979
11.989V5.060V3.331V4.910V914.781W55.06°C230.20V
110% Load70.512A8.898A8.925A3.058A934.580W92.505%1820 RPM43.3 dB(A)46.50°C0.979
11.982V5.058V3.327V4.907V1010.298W56.30°C230.21V
Crossload 10.117A14.003A13.999A0.000A119.414W89.077%676 RPM17.3 dB(A)42.51°C0.869
12.049V5.077V3.351V5.129V134.057W47.71°C230.22V
Crossload 270.002A0.999A0.999A1.000A853.100W93.417%1570 RPM39.8 dB(A)45.33°C0.979
11.995V5.075V3.343V5.015V913.217W55.29°C230.22V

The PSU can handle high operating temperatures, but with a full load at 46 °C, don't expect it to be quiet. That having been said, noise output is low with up to 80% load, and at up to 40% load, the fan spins at very low speeds despite high ambient temperatures.

Light Load Testing

In the following tests, we measure the PSU's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10 percent of the maximum capacity—the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures. This is important for when a PC is idle with its power-saving features turned on.

Efficiency at Low Loads - be quiet! Dark Power 12 850W
Test #12 V5 V3.3 V5 VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoisePF/AC
Volts
12.894A0.487A0.489A0.197A40.039W86.083%360 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.631
12.061V5.098V3.373V5.088V46.512W230.25V
24.120A0.982A0.979A0.394A59.989W89.581%361 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.730
12.059V5.097V3.371V5.077V66.966W230.25V
35.356A1.471A1.468A0.592A80.026W91.551%361 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.794
12.058V5.096V3.370V5.066V87.411W230.25V
46.590A1.963A1.961A0.791A100.057W92.587%362 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.836
12.056V5.095V3.369V5.056V108.068W230.24V

Efficiency levels are high with light loads, and the PSU's fan spins at very low speeds, which keeps noise output very low.

Ultra-Light Load Testing

The applied load in this test is only 10 W for PSUs with 500 W and less capacity. This is because we dial in 2% of the maximum-rated capacity for all other PSUs and only run this test with 115 V input.

Efficiency at Low Loads - be quiet! Dark Power 12 850W
Test #12 V5 V3.3 V5 VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoisePF/AC
Volts
11.216A0.251A0.253A0.052A17.062W72.475%349 RPM<6.0 dB(A)0.727
12.060V5.095V3.375V5.092V23.542W115.12V

The PSU easily breaks the 70% mark with 2% load.

5VSB Efficiency

5VSB Efficiency - be quiet! Dark Power 12 850W
Test #5VSBPower (DC/AC)EfficiencyPF/AC Volts
10.100A0.505W63.682%0.021
5.053V0.793W230.26V
20.250A1.262W72.654%0.046
5.047V1.737W230.26V
30.550A2.770W77.202%0.091
5.036V3.588W230.26V
41.000A5.019W78.742%0.151
5.019V6.374W230.26V
51.500A7.501W79.166%0.207
5.000V9.475W230.26V
63.000A14.837W78.899%0.311
4.945V18.805W230.26V


The 5VSB rail needs an efficiency boost.

Power Consumption in Idle and Standby

Idle / Standby - be quiet! Dark Power 12 850W
Mode12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower (AC)PF/AC Volts
Idle12.059V5.096V3.375V5.095V5.391W0.121
230.2V
Standby0.158W0.004
230.2V


Power consumption is quite high in standby and 230 V input.
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