Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

The Straight Power power supply series has reached iteration 11, again an incremental update that places focus on improved, yet mostly internal, efficiency, aesthetics and offering a PSU that is very silent. With the 750W model we tested, all bases are covered. It is efficient and silent. Next to that, a big important factor these days are the looks, and yeah the Straight Power 11 looks great in its black design, a bit stunning even. A huge plus is a totally modular design with nice all black cables and connectors. It is a PSU series designed for the high-end PC DIY builders who want a bit of extra over a regular power supply, the guys with an X or Z370 based system and say a fairly high-end processor combined with a nice high-end to enthusiast class dedicated graphics card. The efficiency of series 11  seems spot on, next to the modular design this, without doubt, is a very aesthetically pleasing PSU series. 

A word about efficiency

As with any power supply, half the maximum load rating is the point of equilibrium, the sweet-spot where it'll be the most efficient and in this case that is 92% efficiency (at 230 Volts). As such, the 300~350 Watt range is actually a sweet-spot as your average gaming PC with one dedicated (yet high end) graphics card would consume roughly that during a hefty gaming session. Let's assume 175 Watts for the GPU + 100 Watts for CPU and cooling and then add to that the mobo chipset and your connected devices.

So how much money do you actually save each year if you have a gaming PC compared top all these efficiency certifications? Well, Let's create a showcase. Ranging from Bronze too platinum you can buy more efficient power supplies. Over the years, it has become a bit of a marketing thing really as differences a few percent really is the margin what we are talking about here. That's also the same percentual difference in your electric bill.

So above you can see a quick chart I created. Let's say you game 3 hours per day, 5 days a week for a full year. During gaming, you'll consume 350 Watts (= high-end setup with perhaps a bit over overclocking right?). We assume you pay 20 cents for each KWh of energy (the average going rate in the EU). As you can see, from Bronze to Platinum the difference really is to give or take 6 euros at best for over a thousand hours of gaming. That's a full year calculation.  Overall, my advice, go with silver, maybe gold if priced nicely, the Platinum power supplies often carry a big price premium. I do want to state though that efficiency also says something about build quality. Follow your instinct I'd say. Now, this chart was based on gaming, of course, if you'd have your PC active 24/7, you'll want an efficient as possible PSU!

At a price of, give or take, 139 EURO the product seems a bit on the pricey side, street prices always are a bit lower though. Especially when you can purchase say other 750 Watt Gold rated PSUs a €100,- range. Granted, looks, acoustics, and quality matter and you do receive a very nice 5-year warranty. As far as the ODM goes, Listan / beQuiet! designs these power supplies themselves and then outsources production, this unit definitely has an FSP origin.

Stability

Stability wise we have very little, actually nothing, to complain about as at half load, say 350 watts, voltages remained to drop dead in sync. But we'll trust that some other reviews will offer you some ripple tests yet have no doubt the product will come out totally clean. Kick-ass is obviously the option for four rails, the tested 750W model has enough power to handle two fairly high-end graphics cards. 

Aesthetics

The Straight Power 11 series looks great with its dark accents and all black cabling. The PSU sticks to a proper ATX length at 17 cm. The cables are delivered in a dark black coating including all dark connectors, which is nice to see. Modular designs are the way to go. You use what you need in terms of wiring, keeping the innards clean and tidy, plain and simple. And overall it is a great looking power supply.

 Final words

The higher power supplies go into efficiency, the more expensive they get. Within that mindset, the table I created at the top of this page should be your guideline. For a gamer, gaming a few hours per day you need to wonder if you need Gold, Platinum or even a Titanium power supply as the price premium might be way more then what it will cost you in energy. Looking at it from the other side, the less power you consume the better, of course. Also if you have a PC that is powered on most part of the day, here I'd advice a more energy efficient power supply as well, the volume in usage hours is pretty much the deciding factor if you ask me. The price might be a notch high for the Straight Power 11 model as tested, you do receive a proper 5-year warranty with this PSU though, that is worth something as well. Other than that there's very little wrong with the Straight Power 11 series that we can see or measure. The design is good, this PSU looks incredible, the stability was lovely, the efficiency levels measured are above what we expected and it is just an overall really silent product. When we zoom in on the intricate stuff, it's all good there as well including nice long cables that have plenty of reach in even the highest PC cases. As stated, the price might be a notch higher then I had hoped for, however, beQuiet! does have a near perfect track-record with their power supplies, ergo that might justify the price. That fact alone aside, we certainly can recommend the be quiet! Straight Power 11 series, as this is lovely hardware, inside and out.

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