be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 550W Power Supply Review

Introduction & Packaging

It’s no secret that be quiet! make some of the best PSUs money can buy, we’ve seen time after time that they can deliver great looking and performing products. A few months ago, we took a look at one of their latest and greatest units, the Dark Power Pro 11 1200W PSU and it was certainly impressive, offering excellent power delivery, whisper quiet performance and gorgeous aesthetics, but what if you don’t need huge amounts of power for your system, but you still want a very high-quality unit? That’s where the new Dark Power Pro 11 low-wattage models come into play.

“The Dark Power Pro 11 is the most advanced high-end power supply from be quiet!. Massive power, Overclocking Key, which can switch between quad and single-rail operation, an almost inaudible performance due to a be quiet! SilentWings 3 fan and – for us – the highest efficiency certification in the form of 80PLUS Platinum are some of the features of the new Dark Power Pro-models.” – be quiet!

At our disposal today, we have the Dark Power Pro 11 550w, offering more than enough power for a single-GPU system, workstation, office system or HTPC. Don’t think lower wattage means less features though, as you’ll still find 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, semi-modular cables and premium grade build-quality throughout.

Packaging and accessories

The box is nicely designed and features the typical black design we see on all be quiet! products. What is interesting is seeing the “high-end” branded together with 550W, as lower wattage units are rarely high-end.

Around the back, a quick run-down of all the included cables and features, but we will, of course, take a much closer look at these in a moment.

In the box, you’ll find the AC power cable, user manual, OC key, fan cables and a collection of cable ties. The OC key is a nice touch, as it can be mounted in a space PCI-e expansion slot, giving you a physical switch for toggling between single and multiple rails on the PSU; not everyone will need such a thing, but it’s nice to have. The other welcome addition is the fan extension cables, as the PSU can have fans connected directly to it.