be quiet! Pure Power 10 600W PSU Review

Features & Specifications

Last year we had the chance to take a detailed look at the 600W Pure Power 9. It seems like that family didn't last long though, since we're already reviewing the Pure Power 10 series. Like the previous generation, this one consists of four semi-modular members with capacities ranging from 400W to 700W. The Pure Power 10's strongest assets are its affordable price tag and quiet operation. Compared to the older units, these new ones feature DC-DC converters on the secondary side for generating the minor rails, while the platform's primary side appears identical.

FSP handles manufacturing of the Pure Power 10 line-up for be quiet!. Its Pure Power 9 offerings didn't perform particularly well, especially under loads that were unbalanced between its rails due to the minor group-regulation scheme that it used. We expect this problem to go away, since the DC-DC converters enable an independent regulation scheme. Our test results will reveal whether that's the case.

Today's review covers the Pure Power 10 600W (L10-CM-600). This is a mid-capacity PSU with a bare minimum of fixed cables (ATX and EPS). Some of us prefer complete modularity, but be quiet!, for its own reasons, insists on semi-modular designs with rare exceptions (like the Power Zone units). For a mainstream gaming system, 600W of power is plenty. However, the single EPS connector may limit the type of motherboard you can use.

An 80 PLUS Silver efficiency rating is reasonable. We'd like to see an upgrade over the previous version though, since the Pure Power 9 models were 80 PLUS Silver-certified too. It's probable that the new version is slightly more efficient, just not enough to garner a Gold rating.

Specifications

Again, the L10-CM-600 earns 80 PLUS Silver and ETA-A- certifications, so it is efficient enough for its price tag. On top of that, a LAMBDA-A+ rating means this PSU's overall noise output at 30-32°C is kept below 20 dB(A). In other words, it's very quiet.

be quiet!'s L10-CM-600 bears a 40°C temperature rating, and its protection features set is complete. Besides over-temperature protection, we also observe over-current protection on the +12V rails. Although this is a safe choice, we've seen where OCP can cause problems in the form of unexpected shut-downs if the triggering points are configured too tightly.

According to be quiet!, this PSU's 120mm fan employs a rifle bearing, which lasts longer than sleeve bearings. Given a 16cm depth, the L10-CM-600's dimensions are fairly normal. Meanwhile, the three-year warranty looks a little skimpy compared to some of the competition.

Power Specifications

The minor rails' combined maximum power is fairly high at 140W. The two +12V rails can deliver 576W, coming close to the unit's rated ceiling, while the 5VSB rail has enough capacity to cover the needs of a mid-range system.

Cables And Connectors

Only the ATX and EPS connectors are installed on native cables. It would be nice to get a second EPS connector, but be quiet! thought differently. The modular cables offer four PCIe, seven SATA, and a trio of four-pin Molex connectors. There is also a Berg (FDD) connector available for those who still need one.

The cable lengths are pretty good for this wattage range, while the distance between connectors is adequate.

Power Distribution

Since there are only two +12V rails, compromises had to be made. But we don't believe a single EPS connector should share a rail with an auxiliary PCIe power connector. It'd be better if it was on the +12V1 rail and both PCIe connectors were on +12V2.

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