Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The similarities between this and the be quiet! Pure Power 11 FM 1000W are pretty clear with its physical appearance. First of all, we have the same all-black finish on the SECC steel enclosure. The label and stamped company logo are both facing upside-down in this orientation, which signals to users that they should be pointing the fan downward. For its physical size, the Pure Power 12 M 1000W is reasonably small for the wattage, with a standard ATX form factor and 16.0cm length. Again, this is quite similar to the previous generation of Pure Power PSUs. Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units by a centimeter or two, as the extra length is needed to accommodate its connector board at the back. In standard ATX or eATX chassis, this length should not be much of a problem. In smaller cases that still can hold standard power supplies, a shorter length will be advantageous, especially when you consider this is fully modular.
At the top, you can see the aforementioned fan has metal bars over the intake to prevent cables or fingers from entering this area while still allowing air to flow freely here. This grille can be removed with the removal of the four screws in the corner, although I am not sure why anyone would do so. The 120mm fan underneath generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over the internal components to keep them cool. Exhaust heat is then able to leave out the back of the power supply through the other opening on this power supply. Four screws around the power supply keep the whole unit enclosed, with one screw having a warranty seal. This means you cannot open the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W without voiding its 10-year warranty.
On the back of the power supply, we have a typical honeycomb-style grille. We also have a horizontally aligned male connector for power input on one side of the unit with an on/off switch beside it. Interestingly, we do not have a zero RPM fan mode switch here, as we have seen on many power supplies. According to be quiet!, the fan should be quiet enough in every day loads such that it does not create too much noise when rotating. Otherwise, this ventilation area is important to allow heat to flow out of the back. Most modern power supplies have an automatic full range 110V to 240V AC line voltage selection, so there is no need for a manual switch, as seen on older power supply units without active PFC.
Like many power supplies we cover here at APH Networks, the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
As for the rear cable connection panel, everything is clearly labeled and in the correct orientation. Similar connectors are grouped together and laid out in a logical manner. Starting from the left, we have a motherboard 24-pin split into two plugs. Immediately to the right of that are three plugs for drives, which includes peripheral headers like SATA and Molex. Underneath, we have one set of 12-pin connectors for PCI Express connections. There is a second set of 12-pin connections on the bottom right corner, but in between these two is a 16-pin 600W 12VHPWR PCIe 5.0 plug. Finally, the top right side shows two 10-pin connectors labeled for the ATX/EPS 4+4 pin outputs. As this power supply offers two 12V rails, each output is labeled to indicate which rail is used by which plug. One thing I do like is the fact it is quite tricky to accidentally plug the wrong cable into the wrong port, as none of them share the same physical plug as each other. This is a generally reasonable array of outputs in correspondence to the number of connectors on each modular cable, which should be sufficient for most users.
Overall, the build quality of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W is generally good. The panels fit well together with minimal gaps while the edges are nicely finished off. Plugs fully plug in in stay in place. The only thing that I might note is the fact the black paint on the exterior easily shows scratches, which might look a bit less than ideal over time. Even so, I think this power supply is built well considering it mainstream target.
The voltage specification label is located on the outer panel of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 22A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 72.6W, while the 22A on the +5V rail brings the output to 110W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 120W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, two +12V rails delivers up to 46A and 42A individually, or 552W and 504W. Together, the two 12V rails will deliver a maximum 83.4A or 1000W. Overall, the combined power output for the whole be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W is an unsurprising 1000W. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. I have seen higher power outputs in the +3.3V and 5V rails for similar rated units like the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 1000W and Antec Signature Platinum 1000W, but the overall distribution is still reasonable for a 1000W power supply.
The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of eight modular power cables are included out of the box. All modular cables, other than the ATX 20+4-pin cable and 12VHPWR, are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. The other two aforementioned cables on the other hand are sleeved rather than flat. 16 AWG wires are found on the ATX 24-pin and PCIe 6+2 pin bundles. Everything else is 18 AWG, which is standard and to be expected.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 55.0cm
- 1x ATX 4+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 1x EPS 8 pin, 60.0cm
- 1x 12VHPWR PCIe 12+4 pin, 60.0cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x SATA/Molex, 4 connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x SATA, 4 connectors, 50.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
These are specified measurements from the manufacturer. Most users should have no problems with be quiet!'s Pure Power 12 M 1000W in modern cases. The minimum standard is around 50cm to the first connector, which is met or exceeded by all of the modular cables provided with this power supply.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
