Packaging

The box is large, and at its front is a photo of the PSU with its modular panel exposed. The series name is given in large letters, and right below it is a brief multilingual features list.


Both sides of the box go over the PSU's features in different languages.


The rear of the box details all the cables and connectors and their lengths. You will also find the PSU's dimensions on this side, and the power-specifications table has been put into the bottom-right corner.

Contents

The contents are well protected and on a sheet of foam at the very top is the user's manual; it will be the first thing to greet you after you've opened the box.


A quite large box contains all the modular cables and accesories.


The bundle includes several Velcro straps, two set of screws, one of plain screws and another of thumbscrews, the jumper wire for permanently enabling single +12V rail mode should you not want to use the overclocking switch, and the modular cables.


This is the overclocking switch that will allow you to toggle between multi- and single-rail mode.

Exterior

This PSU's externals are really nice, and the quality is superb. The only problem is that the finish is glossy, which makes it a fingerprint magnet. be quiet!'s characteristic external design with the fan grille consisting of wires that are installed in parallel create a nice, unique look. be quiet! installed the small power switch right next to the AC socket at the front.


The labels on both sides depict the unit's model number and are of very high quality, which shows that be quiet! is aiming for the very top of this category in terms of quality. be quiet!'s warranty sticker is on one of these sides, and you will have to tamper with it if you want to crack this PSU open, which you shouldn't since it would void the warranty and likely your life if you don't know what you are doing and the unit is still connected to the mains.


The PSU's edges come with rubber bumpers, there to kill any vibrations that could otherwise increase or cause noise.


The modular panel at the rear is covered in connectors, including a white one for the overclocking key or jumper. As you can see, the native cable is sleeved all the way back into the PSU's housing, and a nicely designed grommet protects it from the casing's edges. We wouldn't mind if this cable were modular as well, which would have been a great help during our photoshooting session. At least the PSU is black and not white, which made any Photoshopping unnecessary as it sets itself apart nicely against our white backdrop.


The Dark Power Pro 11 is quite large, so you should make sure your chassis can accommodate a PSU that is longer than 19 cm. It not only looks nice as you will also immediately notice its high build quality after taking it into your hands.

Cables

The cables are neither all-black nor flat, which looks odd with such a high-end unit. However, during CES 2016, be quiet! informed us that the new Dark Power Pro 11 batches will come with all-black wires. If you bought one of the older units with colored wires, you should ask be quiet! whether trading them in for all-black ones is an option.


Cable and sleeving quality is moderate. We would like sleeving to go all the way up to the connector, or get much closer. It wouldn't look as bad with dark gauges, but as it is, the colored wires immediately caught our attention.