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The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 14 IO 1600W is a seriously impressive power supply and one of the strongest high wattage units we have tested in some time.
Technically it delivers where it matters. Load regulation is very good across all the rails and it handled our cross load testing without any problems. Ripple suppression is also excellent, with the +12V rail peaking at only 39mV at the full 1600 watt load. That is well inside the ATX specification and a very good result considering the enormous power output.
Efficiency is superb. We recorded a peak of 95% at around the middle of the load range and even at the full 1600 watt output the unit was still operating at 92.45%. There is really very little to complain about here.
The cooling system is another highlight. I have always rated be quiet! fans very highly and the Silent Wings unit fitted here is extremely well tuned. The power supply is basically inaudible through a large part of the load range and the fan only really starts to make itself known when you push beyond 1300 watts or so. Even at 1500 watts we measured only 32.2dBA, rising to 35.3dBA at 1600 watts. Considering the power being delivered, that is excellent.
Internally, CWT have produced a very high grade platform. The three primary Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors are rated at 105C and there is a very good selection of Japanese electrolytic and polymer capacitors throughout the design from Nippon Chemi-Con, Rubycon and Nichicon. These are the brands we want to see inside an expensive flagship power supply.
Build quality externally is just as impressive. The chassis feels incredibly solid, the finish is excellent and the individually sleeved modular cables are some of the nicest we have seen supplied with a power supply recently. It is a big unit at 200mm long however, so make sure your case has enough room before buying one.
The IO functionality is obviously one of the major selling points for this generation. As I explained earlier in the review, this isn't something I use during PSU testing as the unit is connected directly to specialist load equipment rather than a conventional Windows system. That said, being able to monitor power consumption, change rail configuration and adjust the cooling mode through software will certainly appeal to enthusiasts. The web-based interface is also a nice touch for people who don't want another application permanently installed.
Obviously 1600 watts is complete overkill for most people. Even a very powerful modern gaming system is unlikely to get anywhere near needing this amount of power. This PSU is really aimed at extreme high-end systems, heavily overclocked hardware, workstation users or someone running particularly demanding GPU configurations.
If you genuinely need this amount of power though, the Dark Power Pro 14 IO is an easy unit to recommend. It is exceptionally efficient, very quiet, electrically excellent and built with some of the best components available.
You can buy this unit from Overclockers UK for £449.99 inc VAT HERE. Like most high-end technology in 2026, it is expensive. That said, if you are building a premium system with quality components, I never recommend skimping on the power supply. Doing so can lead to stability issues and other problems which are often difficult to diagnose.
Pros
- Excellent load regulation.
- Very strong ripple suppression.
- Superb efficiency, peaking at 94.54%.
- Exceptionally quiet for a 1600W power supply.
- High quality Japanese capacitors throughout.
- Excellent build quality and individually sleeved modular cables.
- ATX 3.1 / PCIe 5.1 support with dual 12V-2×6 connectors.
- Useful IO monitoring and control functionality.
- 10-year warranty.
Cons
- Expensive at £449.99.
- Large 200mm chassis may cause compatibility issues in some cases.
KitGuru says: The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 14 IO 1600W is an outstanding flagship power supply. It is expensive and excessive for most systems, but the underlying engineering is excellent and it comfortably earns our highest recommendation.
