Specifications

The DQ1250 features a monstrous capacity and Platinum efficiency, which will keep its energy losses with even very high loads to a minimum. It also utilizes a semi-modular design with only three native cables, which, however, could have only been two since most users probably won't use the third cable. The PSU is Haswell ready because it uses DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails.

The maximum operating temperature at which it can deliver its full power continuously is 50°C, which is as the ATX spec recommends, and it comes with all available protections but OTP (Over Temperature Protection), which every PSU should have. A Yate Loon double-ball-bearing fan with a lot of throughput keeps this PSU cool. However, its control circuit employs a very relaxed profile and the fan is not engaged at all at low loads and temperatures. The unit is pretty large since its length exceeds 200 mm, and its weight is also on the high side. Back when PSU reviews were not as popular, users would judge a PSU's worth by its weight, with the belief that heavy PSUs were actually better than light ones. Thankfully, we left those dark times behind us to use more accurate methods in evaluating a PSU's performance, although weighing a PSU is admittedly much faster and less expensive than setting up Chrome! The DQ1250 also comes with a five-year warranty, which is decent, and its price looks very good for a high-wattage, Platinum-certified PSU.

With 150 W combined, the minor rails are very strong, and the same applies to both +12V rails which, combined, can deliver the unit's full power. The second +12V rail is stronger than the first because it feeds all the power hungry connectors. The 5VSB rail can provide up to 4 A maximum current output.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

There are enough cables and connectors for a high-end system. Some of you would probably like ten or more PCIe connectors, but we think that eight are enough as even a 1.25 kW PSU can't handle five high-end VGAs over prolonged periods of time. With 16 SATA and 10 4-pin Molex connectors, you can also install a ton of drives and peripheral devices without running out of connectors.

The main ATX and native EPS cables are really short. Deepcool thankfully provides two EPS extensions with the bundle, but both are only 140 mm long. Deepcool should provide such a strong PSU with long ATX and EPS cables because it will most likely go into a full-tower case. Slightly longer PCIe cables would be nice as well. The 24-pin ATX connector mostly uses 16AWG wires, and both EPS cables and cables with single PCIe connector use 16AWG wires. All other connectors use typical 18AWG wires.

Power distribution is good because the two EPS connectors draw their power from another rail than the PCIe connectors. The 12V2 rail which feeds every PCIe connectors can also deliver more power than the 12V1 rail which powers less power hungry connectors.