Final Words & Conclusion
Final Words & Conclusion
The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W is a good product, in fact an evolution of the Pure Power 11 FM, with ATX 3.0 compatibility. The size is relatively compact (160 mm in length), so you won’t need a bigger chassis to make it fit without a problem. The exterior looks pleasant (in all black), but the thing is that most of the chassis nowadays have a PSU shroud, which would hide this piece of art behind a metal. You can not find the fanless mode here. The unit comes with a 10-year warranty. It’s an 80 Plus Gold certified PSU, and that’s a typical choice for even the high-end systems (maybe a bit more) from the consumer’s point of view (in terms of efficiency/price of the unit). The 850 W variant offers a massive power output that should be enough for most users, even the most elaborate gaming setups, with a single graphics card in their system. A PC like the one used in this test (i9 13900K + Geforce RTX 4090) rarely exceeds 650 W power draw.
On the quality side, all is great, and the stability tests also went well. Load regulation is very good for a mid-tier PSU, and there was no noticeable droop on the +5V and +12V rails. Ripple suppression is safely within tolerance. The 120 mm fan does well when it’s supposed to spin. It becomes audible close to 75-80% load, so there’s no reason to complain. You get typical accessories in the package, including mounting screws, a power cord, cable ties, and a manual. The provided cables come in a solid and flexible braided casing to neatly and beautifully place inside the PC case. There’s a 12-pin Gen 5 PCIe-compatible cable (capable of delivering 600W for the 750, 850, and 1000W variants, 450W for 650W PSU, and 300 for the 550W version)
A word about efficiency
Like with any other power supply, 50% of the maximum load is where the device is most efficient. The sweet spot of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W (ATX 3.0) is over 93% (at 230 Volts). In the case of this particular unit, half of the maximum wattage is 425 W. The average gaming PC with a single graphics card (at least those usually spotted in Steam hardware polls) won’t exceed this value under normal conditions. Don’t overestimate the savings (on your electricity bill) that you can make by going from 80 Plus Bronze to even Titanium. You can assume that the build quality of more expensive PSUs will be higher, but the differences in efficiency are not that significant. So, summing it up, an 80 Plus Gold PSU like the be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W (ATX 3.0) is an excellent and ultimate solution. The price is $134.90 / €139.90 / £138.99 for the 850 W variant, which is not so expensive for a high-wattage PSU.
Stability
There isn’t much to say about stability. The voltages hold, and this doesn’t change under higher loads. The 850 W version should be enough for a single GPU (who uses the dual-GPU these days, without SLI support?) like an RTX 4080/4090, even with an Intel Core i9 13900K.
Aesthetics
This be quiet! PSU looks nice with its all-black cabling. The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W (ATX 3.0) approach with modular cables lets you plug in only the leads you need, improving your build’s looks. The Pure Power 12 M(ATX 3.0) case looks nice; its finishing makes it look very solid (but it's a bit prone to scratching). Still, the PSU shroud that you’ll usually have or the compartment for the power supply at the back of the motherboard tray wouldn’t help. A few chassis will allow the appropriate presentation.
Final words
The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W retails at $134.90 / €139.90 / £138.99, which is not steep; it’s relatively good for an ATX 3.0 compatible mid-tier product designed for gaming enthusiasts. The unit looks rather attractive and has compact dimensions (160x150x85 mm). Speaking of which, it’s a pity that you won’t even see the PSU in most of the chassis, as it would be hidden behind the shroud or at the back of the motherboard tray, so in most cases, that effort wasn’t so much needed. As for the power delivery itself – there’s no reason to be worried, HEC has made the platform, and the results are more than satisfactory. The be quiet! Pure Power 12 M(ATX 3.0) offers very good acoustics despite not being a semi-passive unit (as it becomes audible only above 75-80% load) and solid build quality. According to the standards, the efficiency is like it should be for the 80 Plus Gold award. You also get a 10-year warranty, which you would expect in that price range. You also get the 12+4-pin PCIe 5.0 compatible cable for powering up to 600 W GPUs. We think this PSU deserves the “Recommended” award for the ATX 3.0 compatibility, 10-year warranty (Pure Power 11 had 5 years), and low noise under typical operating temperatures.
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