Introduction

We would like to thank Deepcool for supplying the review sample.



With long history in the field because they have been around since 1996, Deepcool is a traditional manufacturer of cooling products. Nowadays their product range includes coolers and cooling accessories like cases, various consumer electronic accessories (tablet and monitor stands), and, recently, PSUs. This isn't the first time we see a traditional cooling company enter this market segment, and we definitely welcome such efforts since they increase the competition and lead to more choices for consumers. However, the PSU market is a tough one and needs careful planning, not only the re-branding of products, so all new companies have to prepare well and in advance to keep up with the pace the competition sets; that is, if they want to create a strong presence that lasts.

Today’s review will look at Deepcool’s flagship PSU, the DQ1250. Promising a long 120,000 hours Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), this unit's efficiency is Platinum, and its capacity is huge. Please keep in mind that MTBF doesn’t only reflects the reliability of electronic parts as it also deals with the reliability of such parts as the cooling fan, which can be replaced much more readily than a mosfet or capacitor.

The DQ series currently consists of three units, and with the exception of the unit we will review today, the other two feature Gold efficiency and less capacity (1000 W and 750 W). The DQ1250 uses a modern CWT platform we have come across in our Thermaltake Toughpower 1275 W review. Although it counts as in production for some years now, the platform is still considered pretty modern since PSU platforms don’t get as old as quickly as CPUs and VGAs. So while essential because they protect your system, PSUs also don't de-value as quickly, another interesting fact you may not have been aware of yet.

Specifications

The DQ1250 features a monstrous capacity and Platinum efficiency, which will keep its energy losses with even very high loads to a minimum. It also utilizes a semi-modular design with only three native cables, which, however, could have only been two since most users probably won't use the third cable. The PSU is Haswell ready because it uses DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails.

The maximum operating temperature at which it can deliver its full power continuously is 50°C, which is as the ATX spec recommends, and it comes with all available protections but OTP (Over Temperature Protection), which every PSU should have. A Yate Loon double-ball-bearing fan with a lot of throughput keeps this PSU cool. However, its control circuit employs a very relaxed profile and the fan is not engaged at all at low loads and temperatures. The unit is pretty large since its length exceeds 200 mm, and its weight is also on the high side. Back when PSU reviews were not as popular, users would judge a PSU's worth by its weight, with the belief that heavy PSUs were actually better than light ones. Thankfully, we left those dark times behind us to use more accurate methods in evaluating a PSU's performance, although weighing a PSU is admittedly much faster and less expensive than setting up Chrome! The DQ1250 also comes with a five-year warranty, which is decent, and its price looks very good for a high-wattage, Platinum-certified PSU.

With 150 W combined, the minor rails are very strong, and the same applies to both +12V rails which, combined, can deliver the unit's full power. The second +12V rail is stronger than the first because it feeds all the power hungry connectors. The 5VSB rail can provide up to 4 A maximum current output.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

There are enough cables and connectors for a high-end system. Some of you would probably like ten or more PCIe connectors, but we think that eight are enough as even a 1.25 kW PSU can't handle five high-end VGAs over prolonged periods of time. With 16 SATA and 10 4-pin Molex connectors, you can also install a ton of drives and peripheral devices without running out of connectors.

The main ATX and native EPS cables are really short. Deepcool thankfully provides two EPS extensions with the bundle, but both are only 140 mm long. Deepcool should provide such a strong PSU with long ATX and EPS cables because it will most likely go into a full-tower case. Slightly longer PCIe cables would be nice as well. The 24-pin ATX connector mostly uses 16AWG wires, and both EPS cables and cables with single PCIe connector use 16AWG wires. All other connectors use typical 18AWG wires.

Power distribution is good because the two EPS connectors draw their power from another rail than the PCIe connectors. The 12V2 rail which feeds every PCIe connectors can also deliver more power than the 12V1 rail which powers less power hungry connectors.

Packaging

The DQ1250's box looks rather dull because of its basic graphics design, which is fine with us because we don't judge a book by its cover, but its contents. At the front and in relatively small font are the model and series descriptions. In the bottom-right corner are some badges for its Platinum efficiency, double-layer EMI filtering, which is common to 99% of today's PSUs, the PWM fan, usual SLI/Crossfire support, and long MTBF of 120,000 hours.


This side of our box has a small scuff, which was made during shipping, and a scheme of it.


All available connectors are listed on this side. As you can see, the DQ1250 features a ton of connectors, which is enough for an incredible high-end system or that mining rig of yours.


The rear of the box looks empty because it only contains a brief features description inside a black frame. There are also two customer support phone numbers, one for China and another for the rest of the world.

Contents

Packing foam and bubble wrap protect the PSU inside the box, and judging by the excellent condition in which we received our sample, they do so well. Deepcool unfortunately didn't include a manual, but they did provide a warranty card.


The bundle is poor and only includes a set of fixing bolts and a really thin power cord. They should at least provide a pouch for the modular cables and some zip ties.


The AC cord is a joke for a 1.25 kW unit on even a 230 VAC power grid. We've seen PSU's with much less capacity, but thicker AC cords, and we strongly advise you to throw this one away to buy a proper one with at least 16AWG gauges.