By: Jonathan Kwan
March 6, 2026
My hometown, Hong Kong, is known for a lot of things. It has an outsized cultural and economic influence in the world for a city of its size, some of which include having the ninth most traded currency in the world, the busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, and the most completed skyscrapers at 569 as of March 2026. What is interesting is if someone in Hong Kong tells you they live or work on the 50th floor in one of these skyscrapers, chances are that they are not literally on the 50th floor. In fact, they are probably physically only on the 35th floor. The reason is due to a mix of superstitions between western and eastern cultures, the 4th, 13th, 14th, 24th, 34th, and the entire range from the 40th to 49th floor are likely skipped altogether. Naming is also important. I have a friend who lives in a residential tower complex called The Coronation, which is not as crazy as it sounds until you read the Chinese name, which translates roughly to "royal gold, country peak". Such is quite common in Hong Kong. I am not superstitious myself, but when I got the Dark Power 14 power supply from be quiet!, I still laughed. Not only does it have the number 14 that is considered unlucky in the east that replaces the number 13 that is considered unlucky in the west, I have also found the "Dark Power" name to be kind of funny, as it unintentionally evokes a sense of evil ability. All these combined makes me wonder what it means to have a "Dark Power 14" running inside your PC. If you are wondering as well, I decided to find out. The be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W we are reviewing today is an ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant Titanium-grade PSU built by the renowned OEM CWT. Will this be a force of evil, or will it be a force of good? We took one apart to find out.
Our review unit of the be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W came in a medium-sized brown corrugated cardboard box from Newegg's warehouse in Ontario, California, USA. Everything arrived in excellent condition to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for our review today using UPS Standard.
The retail packaging of the be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W has a consistent color selection with the rest of the company's products I have seen in the past. The predominantly black color scheme is contrasted by white text. A photo of the power supply in three-quarter view occupies majority of the real estate in front. At the top right corner, you will find be quiet!'s logo. The name of the product is printed at the bottom, which is "Dark Power 14", and the 100W rating. There is also an 80 Plus Titanium and Cybenetics Titanium badge at the top left corner. More information about the brand, specifications, and certifications is found at the back of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Model: DARK POWER 14 | 1000 W
Continuous power (W): 1000
Peak power (W): 1100
Form factor: ATX 3.1
Form factor EPS 12V: Version 2.92
Topology: Full bridge + LLC + SR + DC/DC
Digitally controlled: ✓
Voltage (Vac): 100 - 240
Frequency (Hz): 50 - 60
Input current (A): 7
Power factor at 100% load: >0.98
Modern standby: ✓
Power consumption in standby (W): <0.15
Average life time (h / 25°C): >100,000
Operating temperature up to (°C): 40
The be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W's retail package can be opened by a flap along the bottom. Upon opening the box, you will find the bundle is reasonable with few extras. What you will get is the be quiet! Dark Power 14 1000W itself between two foam brackets, modular cables, AC power cable, five standard screws, six zip ties, ten Velcro straps, and a product manual in various languages.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
