The product comes with CB, CE, cTUVus, CU, FCC, TÜV, UKCA certifications and OTP (over-temperature protection), OCP (over current protection), OPP (over-power protection), SCP (short circuit protection), OVP (over Voltage protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), SIP (Surge & Inrush Protection) features and includes Energy Star 8.0, ErP, WEEE, RoHS, and Triman Environmental directives.

The retail package of the Dark Power 14 1000watt is big, rather heavy, and according to what be quiet! uses for their power supply lineup. All Dark Power 14 series power supplies come with 10 10-year warranty, and the 1000-watt variant can be found at €274.90, making it rather expensive for a 1000-watt PSU on the market.

After removing the top cover, we can see the interior of the big box. On the right, there is the power supply, while on the left, there is the accessories box.

Opening the accessories box has multiple layers of goodies, including all the accessories: screws, cable ties and a printed manual in 10 languages (DE, EN, ES, FR, PL, RU, TW, CN, JP, KC)

The PSU dimensions are (without cables) 175 x 150 x 86 (L x W x D), (mm), and its weight is 2.20 kg, making it heavier and bigger than other power supplies; however, it still fits in most midi/big cases.

The used fan at the Dark Power 14 series comes from be quiet! and according to the specifications, it is a specially silent-optimized fan with 135mm size, FDB bearing technology, and a 6-pole fan motor. Its maximum speed is 2100rpm, and even at 100% load, the sound pressure (noise) it produces reaches 18.2dB(A), making it almost silent.

The back of the PSU includes a honeycomb design to help transfer the produced internal heat from the PSU. You will also find the power/on-off switch and 0rpm on/off switch, and of course, the OCK (overcloaking) switch to make the power supply work between the default four 12V-rail mode and the alternative massive single-rail operation.

Dark Power 14 is certified with 80 PLUS Titanium and Cybenetics Titanium for an energy efficiency rating of up to 95.57%. This provides lots of benefits for a high-end system, including less power consumption and an overall cooler and quieter operation.

A massive heat sink connects to the parts of the power supply that need the most cooling and dissipates a large portion of the heat. Even though a Titanium efficiency power supply does not generate as much heat, active cooling is required to prevent overheating issues under high load. Being integrated directly into the heat sink, this high-end fan is immune to vibrations and sits unshakably. A 6-pole fan motor and fluid-dynamic bearing ultimately make for an exceptionally long lifetime and minimal power consumption.

A button on the rear of the power supply allows switching between a balanced active cooling mode, where the Silent Wings fan spins all the time, or a semi-passive mode, where the fan does not spin under low load and only starts when additional cooling is required for more demanding operations. A post-ventilation setting keeps the fan spinning after cooling down for a short period of 2–5 minutes to prevent frequent and noisy starts and stops.

The newly developed aluminum heat sink reinforces the semi-passive cooling concept, improving component longevity with efficient heat dissipation. Furthermore, with the push of a button, you can switch seamlessly between active and semi-passive cooling, ensuring whisper-quiet operation when possible and powerful airflow when necessary.

The main connectors of the PSU are displayed below

The PSU is designed with modular cables in mind and has two types: a sleeved cable (20+4pin) and the rest are flat. The maximum cable length is 105cm (SATA+PATA cables), while the 20+4 motherboard cable is 60cm, which should be enough even for big-sized cases. We would like to have a slightly longer distance between SATA and PATA cables of 200mm. Included, you will find 10 high-quality cables

• 1x ATX-Motherboard (20+4-pin)
• 1x P4+4 (CPU)
• 1x P8 (CPU)
• 1x 600watt 12VHPWR cables
• 4x PCI-e 6+2-pin (GPU)
• 13x SATA
• 2x PATA 

be quiet! is proud of its internal design and uses only top components for its Dark Power series, high-quality Japanese capacitors that are rated up to 105°C, ensuring stability, reliability, and long operating life.

The output total 1000W is separated into four 12V rails (or a single +12V rail if you use overclocking mode), which according to to be quiet! should cover you even in high loads and scenarios, like using the latest Intel/AMD processors with the Nvidia RTX series and AMD RX series. The specifications indicate max values as follows

be quiet! offers an online psu calculator, which can help you estimate, which power supply you want for your system. For example, building a new system high-end system.