By: Aaron Lai
April 18, 2025
Recently, I went out to a Chinese hot pot restaurant. If you have not been to one before, there are often two ways these restaurants operate. One is to make it all-you-can-eat, and you will just pay a set cost per person. Then, you can order as much meat as you want while getting vegetables and other items. These usually cost a lot, but they let you choose as much and as wide of a variety as you desire. The alternative is just ordering and paying for what you want. However, the restaurant I went to has a slightly different deal. For $20, you could choose a soup base, four different meats, four different vegetables, and a certain staple like rice or noodles. At first, I thought it was an average deal, and I wondered if it would be enough. However, after I cooked and ate everything, I was satisfied. While I could have eaten a bit more, I was not feeling hungry either. You could pay to get more food, whether in quantity or variety, but there is an optimal point that balances both cost and satisfaction without overindulging. In an analogous way, many people, including myself, would not tell anyone to cut costs on the power supply when they are building a system. However, what is the optimal point that balances both cost and capability? Today, we have the be quiet! Pure Power 12 1000W. It may sit in be quiet!'s lineup of wallet-friendly options, but how does it deliver on its performance front? Will this be a solid value, or are there some hidden cut corners to this unit? Let us read on to find out!
Today's review unit of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 1000W arrived from a Newegg distribution center in Ontario, California. As you can see, this is a Newegg-branded box with the online retailer marked all over the sides. This box came with UPS and their Standard ground service. It arrived at our APH Networks location here in Calgary, Alberta in good condition. There were some compression bruises on the sides of the box, but thankfully, there was no damage internally.
Out of the shipping container, the be quiet! Pure Power 12 1000W has a very normal-looking retail box. It is fully black with the company and product name printed at the bottom. In fact, it looks just like the related be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W's box, which is not too surprising. In the middle is a scaled down image of the power supply. Otherwise, there is not much else on the front. Around back, there are some features and specifications regarding the power output of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 1000W.
Before we continue on, I have grabbed the specifications from the manufacturer's website for your perusal:
General Data
Model: Pure Power 12 1000 W
Continuous power (W): 1000
Peak power (W): 1050
Form factor: Version 3.1
Form factor EPS 12V: Version 2.92
Topology: LLC + SR + DC/DC
Voltage (Vac): 100 - 240
Frequency (Hz): 50 - 60
Input current (A): 12 / 6
Power factor at 100% load: >0.98
Modern standby: ✓
Power consumption in standby (W): <0.1
Average life time (h / 25°C): >100,000
Operating temperature up to (°C): 40
Efficiency
80 PLUS certification: Gold
Efficiency (%) at 230V, 2% load: 66.3
Efficiency (%) at 230V, 10% load: 89.2
Efficiency (%) at 230V, 20% load: 92.7
Efficiency (%) at 230V, 50% load: 92.9
Efficiency (%) at 230V, 100% load: 90.6
Fan and cooling technology
Fan: Silence-optimized be quiet! fan
Fan size (mm): 120
Bearing technology: Rifle
Motor technology: 4-pole fan motor
Max. fan speed (rpm): 2000
dB(A) at 10% load: 8.6
dB(A) at 20% load: 8.9
dB(A) at 50% load: 9
dB(A) at 100% load: 31.6
Output
12V single rail operation: ✓
+3.3V (A): 22
+5V (A): 22
+12V1 (A): 83.4
-12V (A): 0,3
+5Vsb (A): 3
Max. combined power 12V (W): 1000
Max. combined power 12VHPWR (W): 600
Max. combined power 3.3V + 5V (W): 120
Hold-up time at 100% load (ms): 17.8
Hold-up time at 80% load (ms): 22.0
Power good signal (ms): 100 - 150
Cables and Connectors
Sleeved cables: ✓
Flat cables: ✓
Maximum cable length (cm): 55
Cable length to motherboard (cm): 60
No. of cables: 8
ATX-Motherboard (20+4-pin): 1
P4+4 (CPU): P4+4 (CPU)
P8 (CPU): 1
12VHPWR cables: 1
PCI-e 6+2-pin (GPU): 3
SATA: 6
PATA: 1
Protection
OTP (over temperature protection): ✓
OCP (over current protection): ✓
OPP (over power protection): ✓
SCP (short circuit protection): ✓
OVP (over Voltage protection): ✓
UVP (under Voltage protection): ✓
SIP (Surge & Inrush protection): ✓
Casing
Dimensions without cable (L x W x H), (mm): 160 x 86 x 150
Weight (kg): 2.8
Color: Black
The be quiet! Pure Power 12 1000W's retail package opens with the flap along the bottom. You will find the power supply in a transparent plastic bag and seated in a cardboard shell. A cardboard divider separates the fixed bundle of cables held together with a twist tie. Otherwise, you will also get four screws for mounting your power supply, an AC power cable, some zip ties for cable management, and a product pamphlet.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
