A Look Inside & Component Analysis

Before reading this page, we strongly suggest a look at this article, which will help you understand the internal components of a PSU much better. Our main tool for the disassembly of the PSU is a Thermaltronics TMT-9000S soldering and rework station. It is of extreme quality and is equipped with a matching de-soldering gun. With such equipment in hand, breaking apart every PSU is like a walk in the park!


Too many screws are used to hold this PSU together, which made taking it apart more complex than I had hoped. You need to be patient and take some photos along the way in order to recall which screw goes where. The design is modern because the primary side uses a full-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter, which is essential for such high efficiency levels. In the secondary side, a synchronous design is used since FETs regulate the +12V rail while the minor rails are generated by two DC-DC converters. Internal build quality looks to be good thus far.


The first part of the transient filter begins at the AC receptacle and consists of an X and two Y caps. It continues on the main PCB with two more Y caps, two X caps, a pair of CM chokes, and an MOV. There is also an NTC thermistor for protection against large inrush currents, along with its corresponding electromagnetic relay.


There are two bridge rectifiers by Shindengen (LL25XB60). They can handle up to 50 A of current combined, which covers the needs of this PSU.


The APFC converter includes three STMicroelectronics STF24NM60N FETs and a single CREE C3D08060A boost diode. The bulk caps are by Chemi-Con (420V, 470uF each or 940uF combined, 2000h @ 105°C, KMQ), and their combined capacity looks to be enough to cover the needs of this PSU.


The APFC controller also includes an Infineon ICE2PCS02 IC that is on the solder side of the main PCB. You can see the ICE2PCS02 in the middle of the photograph above. The IC on the right is a SEN013DG, a "Zero Loss High Voltage Sense Signal Disconnect" IC. The SEN013DG disconnects the APFC converter while the PSU is in standby mode, which minimizes energy consumption in standby. The IC in the top-left corner is an LM393 dual-voltage comparator.


The main switchers consist of four Infineon IPP60R190C6 FETs in a full-bridge topology. An LLC resonant converter is used to further increase efficiency.


The LLC resonant controller is a Champion CM6901. On the same board as the switching controller is a TS358CD operational amplifier (op-amp). The primary switching FETs' driver ICs are two Silicon Labs Si8233BD-C-IS modules with support for switching frequencies of up to 8 MHz.


The FETs that regulate the +12V rail in the secondary side are on the solder side of the main PCB. In total, eight Infineon BSC014N04LS FETs are used for this purpose, cooled by the chassis and two small heatsinks right above them, on the PCB's primary side.


The two DC-DC converters that generate the minor rails are on a vertical PCB in the secondary side. The common PWM controller is an Anpec APW7159.


The filtering caps in the secondary side are by Chemi-Con and Rubycon, and all electrolytic caps are rated at 105C. These are very good caps choices, and we didn't expect anything less to be used with a high-end PSU that is priced at over $200.


The 5VSB circuit is housed on a dedicated PCB. An International Rectifier RFR1018E FET and a Power Integrations TNY279PN standby PWM controller are on this board.


At the front of the modular PCB are many polymer caps by Chemi-Con, there as an extra ripple-filtering stage. Several bus bars at the bottom of this PCB connect it to the main PCB, which reduces energy losses, especially at higher loads.


The Dark Power P11-1000 can control up to four external fans, which it does with the help of a separate sensor that electrically separates these fans from the unit's own internal fan.


This is one of the very few PSUs with a dedicated PCB for the generation of the -12V rail since this rail is usually regulated by a single diode and its filtering parts. However, be quiet! used a more advanced circuit that includes a APW7174 PWM controller instead.


Soldering quality definitely isn't among the best we have seen since we spotted several ugly soldering jobs. However, these solders won't create any performance or safety issues.


The cooling fan has be quiet!'s logo on it and belongs to the SilentWings 3 family. Its model number is SIW3-13525-HF (135mm, 12V, 0.56A, 84.60 CFM, 1800 RPM), and it is going to last for a very long time because it uses a fluid dynamic bearing. This is a silent fan, and it uses a very relaxed fan profile at ambient temperatures of up to 40 °C.