Today, we’re putting the new be quiet! Straight Power 12 1500W power supply on our test bench, the flagship of this series. The company is mainly known for its PSUs (+ chassis/fans), and we recently reviewed the Dark Power 13 1000W and the Pure Power 12 M 850W. The BQ offer of ATX 3.0 power supplies in three main series (Dark Power/Straight Power/Pure Power) is now complete/updated.
We reviewed the predecessor; be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum in 650W variant back at the beginning of 2020 (it earned the “Recommended” award), and the Straight Power 11 Gold in 750W variant in 2018 (also “Recommended”). Like in the other, be quiet! PSU series - the main difference is the full ATX 3.0 compatibility. What does it mean in practice? Mainly, it’s the implementation of the PCI-Express 5.0 generation’s power connector. These new power supplies carry the latest 12VHPWR power connector designed to deliver up to 600W of raw. The 1200 and 1500 W variants have two 12VHPWR cables. Compared to ATX 2.X, which supports high load peaks but does not define a maximum above the nominal power of the power supply, ATX 3.0 represents clear target values - specifically, the PCIe connection for the graphics card must allow load changes of up to three times the power consumption. Additionally, all Straight Power 12 models offer four “traditional” PCIe 6+2 connectors for complete compatibility with the graphics card.
Under the hood, we have a be quiet! platform with the highest quality and reliability that distinguishes this brand. Straight Power 12 1500W (ATX 3.0) is an ATX power supply without a semi-passive mode. This time, it’s a 1500 Watt model (in black) with an 80 PLUS® Platinum certificate, which means that it’s 92% efficient at 50% load @ 115 V and 94% efficient @ 230 V (be quiet! is stating efficiency up to 93.9%). It is crucial because less consumed energy goes to waste (at least not in a significant amount), and that should affect your energy bill. It is essential in these wicked times, where energy prices skyrocketed recently. Speaking of the fan – it’s a 135 mm FDB unit (from the Silent Wings series) with PWM control that allows lower noise and keeps thermals in check.
be quiet! Straight Power 12(ATX 3.0) is a fully modular PSU; even though the motherboard connectors are not permanently attached to the housing, you still have to use most of them. Nearly all cases have a power supply shroud now (at least ATX-sized ones do), so the unit and the cables (with ribbon design for enthusiasts) will be hidden in most scenarios. There are no color variants; the only one available is black, but that’s typical for this kind of product.
There are also 750, 850, 1000, and 1200-watt versions. The 1500 Watts available in the reviewed unit should be practically for 99%+ users; even the heavily overclocked Intel Core i9 13900K combined with the 600W capable Geforce RTX 4090 won’t be a problem. Be quiet! Straight Power 12 (ATX 3.0) is built with 100% Japanese capacitors and other premium components to achieve 80 Plus Platinum Certification, thus enhancing reliability and durability. Peak power output is no less than 1671W.
Okay, let’s check out this PSU from Be Quiet! Shall we? The unit is rather compact (for the provided 1500 W), measuring 180 mm x 150 mm x 86 mm.
Straight Power 12 is available for:
• €159.90 / $189.90 / £149.99 (750 W),
• €179.90 / $209.90 / £174.99 (850 W),
• €219.90 / $259.90 / £215.99 (1000 W),
• €249.90 / $274.90 / £249.99 (1200 W),
• and €349.90 / $379.90 / £349.99 (1500 W)
A 10-year warranty backs Be Quiet Straight Power 12.