Be Quiet! Pure Power 9 CM 600W Review

Performance Analysis

The all-important +12V rail, or rather rails in this case, remain completely stable up to maximum load, never deviating from the ideal value by more than 1 percent.

The efficiency results are where you'd expect – the Pure Power 9 600W is better than the Fractal Design Integra M 650W, a Bronze rated PSU, but can't keep pace with any others, which are all at least Gold rated. At lower loads, there's very little difference between this and Fractal's PSU, but it begins to pull away as the stress increases. The most efficient load level was 400W.

The low load efficiency tests are decent, with a particularly good result in the 20W test. However, in the 40W and 60W tests, even Fractal's PSU is a little better.

The ripple values are spot on – the highest we observed was 36.3mV, which was at maximum load. This is more than fine for any conceivable use for a PSU of this calibre.

The cooling system is quieter than the previous generation, and for an 80 Plus Silver PSU with a 120mm fan it's surprisingly quiet at full load.

Conclusion

If one thing is clear from this review, it's that the Pure Power 9 is an improvement over the outgoing Pure Power L8. The quieter fan, semi-modular design, all-black cables and improved efficiency are all pleasing to see, especially as these modernisations come at no additional cost.

Our testing didn't throw up any worrisome results. In fact, this is a very solid PSU in all areas, although it doesn't really excel anywhere either. This is a shame, as middle of the road PSUs these days need something to help them shine, since competition is so fierce in this segment. £75 for this PSU still feels like a little too much when you consider that the EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W is only £5 more but has an 80 Plus Gold rating, a longer warranty, a 50°C ambient rating a fully modular design and a larger fan with a proper hybrid mode. As such, while the Pure Power 9 is a logical progression from the previous model, and a solid PSU in and of itself, pressure from its competitors just pushes it out of award territory.