Introduction

be quiet! decided to add a Bronze efficiency series to their arsenal, which, regardless of the low efficiency rating for today’s standards and in comparison to the strong competition in this price range, offers many interesting features, including Haswell compatibility, a fully modular cabling design, and the ability to directly power up to three case fans for optimal system cooling, and, since all three fans are thermally controlled, a silent operation.The Power Zone series includes four members with capacities ranging from 650 W to 1 kW, which covers the mid- and high-wattage categories. be quiet! says this series to address discerning gamers and PC enthusiasts looking for a lot of power, top performance, and a ton of features. Like all products by this German manufacturer, the Power Zone line also promises a silent operation and granite-like stability. Our tough test sessions will show whether those promises hold true.The strongest Power Zone unit will be today's test subject. It not only has a capacity of 1 kW and the characteristics we already mentioned above, which apply to all Power Zone units, but also features a SilentWings fan with airflow-optimized blades and a single +12V rail that can deliver up to 83 A of current continuously at even 50° C, and be quiet! also promises excellent voltage regulation with deviations under 2% on the +12V rail. Another interesting feature of this unit is its COOL OFF mode in which the fan runs for three minutes after the system shuts down to cool down and protect all heat-sensitive components, like electrolytic caps, and, yes, everything that prolongs a PSU’s lifetime is without any doubt interesting and useful.