Final words and conclusion

The new DarkPower P6 line from Be-Quiet is surely a very good competitior in the high grade power supply unit market. Entirely silent and very stable, it does deliver the goods. The high efficiency and reliability, paired with a 3 year warranty, are enough to put your mind at ease. The mirrored black color of the unit is aesthically appealing and the golden grills add a nice touch of class to the unit, that said we would like the unit to be modular as well, since the many and long cables can cause a substantial cable clutter. To be fair the cables are twisted, so the clutter is reduced to a certain extent.

The unit also has an array of secondary features, like the fan speed control, the ECASO system and the enhanced cables for sensitive devices, which add to the overall value. Concerning heat, the unit amazingly remained only warm to the touch even after hours of running at 100% load. This is particularly impressive as the cooling system is set up to be quiet at all times and therefore not very powerful ... this indicates that the efficiency of the P6-470 is very high indeed. So let us sum up:

Pros:

• Good aesthetic design.
• Silent operation.
• Stable voltage lines.
• Long power cables.
• Very efficient.
• Load of secondary features (fan speed control, twisted cables, enhanced cables, etc).
• 3 years warranty.

Cons:

• Long power cables can cause cable clutter or be a problem inside small cases.
• The rather high retail price might make many people reconsider their options.

Considering the above, I believe that the DarkPower P6-470W is a unit worthy of our Heavenly Hardware Gold Award. It is one of the most silent power supply units we have tested in the Driverheaven labs and also is strong enough to keep any system stable.

The average retail price of the P6-470W DarkPower unit is 100€ in EU at the time of this review.

My thanks to Dorothee Renger (Listan DE) for providing us the unit for this review.