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The Straight Power 12 is a power supply line from be quiet! with full support for the ATX 3.0 standard and PCIe 5.0. It’s a step down from the company’s premium range Dark Power PSUs, but these more “affordable†units offer high capacities, high-quality components, and excellent reliability. If all you need is a good power supply that does the basics well, the Straight Power 12 is a solid choice if you have the budget for it.
Backed by the company’s 10-year warranty, you can use one of the available Straight Power 12 models with the latest hardware from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia. Whether it’s an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU or an AMD Threadripper CPU, there’s a PSU for just about every system configuration. 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification is the icing on this already sweet cake.
About this review: This review was written using a Straight Power 12 750W sample provided by be quiet!, and it didn’t have input into its contents.
be quiet! Straight Power 12
Solid high-end PSU
Exceptional power for system builds
be quiet!’s Straight Power 12 power supply is an ATX 3.0 PSU capable of delivering up to 1500W of power, depending on the model. With an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating, you’ll be able to power enthusiast-grade systems without an issue.
Brand
be quiet!
Output
750W – 1500W
Modular Cabling
Yes
80 Plus Efficiency Rating
Platinum
Pros
- Capacities top out at 1500W
- Support for ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0
- Quiet operation
- Reliable power delivery
Price and availability
The Straight Power 12 range starts at 750W, which goes for $200 MSRP. This makes the be quiet! PSU an expensive purchase for a system with many other 750W power supplies costing less than $100. The 1500W model comes in at $380. Although expensive, these power supplies have all the right protections in place, come with an impressive 10-year warranty, and run smooth and quiet even under heavier loads.
What I like
Plenty of power
Being ATX 3.0 compatible, the be quiet! Straight Power 12 is a very capable power supply and comes with two 12VHPWR connections. It has a single powerful 12V rail that should be able to handle just about anything you throw at it, so long as you’re not building a system that can comfortably pull more than 700W of power. I’d go with any GPU up to either an AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT or Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti with this PSU.
be quiet!’s Straight Power 12 has a single powerful 12V rail that should be able to handle just about anything.
For hooking everything up, the 750W be quiet! Straight Power 12 we have in for review has one 20+4-pin ATX, one P4+4 CPU, one P8 CPU, one 12VHPWR, four PCIe 6+2 GPU, nine SATA, and two PATA connections. Being a fully modular power supply, you only have to use the cables required by the components inside your PC, which makes it easy to create a clean system and not have to deal with excess cabling.
The single 135mm Silent Wings has an advanced fluid-dynamic bearing and 6-pole fan motor that both largely eliminate operational noise. Not only that, but be quiet! made sure this blower has a super-long life to match the decade-long PSU warranty coverage. Even the more powerful 1500W Straight Power 12 is 180mm and should fit inside most of the best PC cases available.
be quiet! makes use of over temperature protection (OTP), over current protection (OCP), over power protection (OPP), short circuit protection (SCP), over voltage protection (OVP), under voltage protection (UVP), and surge and inrush protection (SIP). So not only is the Straight Power 12 reliable under load, but it’ll keep the rest of your PC safe from damage.
Not only is the Straight Power 12 reliable under load, but it’ll keep the rest of your PC safe from damage.
I tested the be quiet! Straight Power 12 750W with an Intel Core i5-13600K, AMD Ryzen 7950X, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, and all configurations ran without issue. Even at lower loads, the Straight Power 12 failed to start up the fan. The curve seemed to kick in at around 70% demand, and it was still barely audible. The array of included cables is all you’d need for even more capable PC builds.
While we don’t have a lab setup to fully test power supplies on a micro level, we encountered zero issues when pushing our hardware beyond its limits.
What I don’t like
It’s a pricey PSU
The one complaint I have with the be quiet! Straight Power 12 is its price, which is a testament to how good this power supply is. The 80 Plus Platinum rating for efficiency, high-quality internal components, and a rock-solid 12V rail warrant a higher price than most other 750W units available. Still, I feel this would put it out of reach for many. That said, it’s easy to select a power supply that’s overkill for your current PC configuration, and the Straight Power 12 is a powerful PSU.
So long as you’re not planning to use an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or above anytime soon, this 750W capacity model will be more than enough for even overclocked systems. Moving up to 1000W and beyond really pushes up the asking price, but I’ve continued to recommend spending the most of your budget on a decent branded PSU and GPU. be quiet!’s Straight Power 12 is certainly worth considering if you want one of the best.
Should you buy the be quiet! Straight Power 12?
I’d recommend the Straight Power 12 if you’re building a new PC with the latest AMD, Intel, and Nvidia hardware. It supports ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0, so it’s only worth using with newer components due to its relatively steep asking price. There are countless other 750W power supplies available, but not all have the same level of performance and quality components as the Straight Power 12.
So long as you’re able to overlook the high price, you’ll have access to a very sturdy power supply with all the necessary protections, a massive single 12V rail for delivering power, and selected high-quality components not found on many other PSUs. The power supply is the most important component of any PC build as it’s what is responsible for converting AC to DC and safely delivering electricity.
be quiet! Straight Power 12
Solid high-end PSU
Exceptional power for system builds
be quiet!’s Straight Power 12 power supply is an ATX 3.0 PSU capable of delivering up to 1500W of power, depending on the model. With an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating, you’ll be able to power enthusiast-grade systems without an issue.
Brand
be quiet!
Output
750W – 1500W
Modular Cabling
Yes
80 Plus Efficiency Rating
Platinum
** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
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