Final Thoughts and Conclusions
BeQuiet!’s expansion in the SFX (small form factor) arena brings two worthy additions to their power supply lineup. The SFX-L-600W proved to be a nice power supply with good voltage regulation, relatively low AC ripple, and good efficiency. The SFX L 600W PSU starts out virtually silent at low loads continues to be very quiet through mid-power thanks to the 120mm fan with FDB.
The BeQuiet! SFX-L 600W PSU is fully modular and comes with flat ribbon-style cables for easy routing and to help maximize airflow. While SFX is designed for use in small form factor enclosures, the power supply can also be used in standard ATX cases to save room via the included SFX to ATX adapter bracket; but remember the cables are made intentionally short for Small Form Factor builds.
The only down side to the BeQuiet! SFX-L 600W power supply that we noted are the relatively high cost (this is still a small but growing niche market) and the 3-year warranty. Bottom line: the SFX-L-600W is a nice power supply with good overall specs but nothing really makes it stand out from some other big-name contenders (Corsair and SilverStone) in the expanding SFX arena. While the prices for the three 600W SFX-L units from BeQuiet!, Corsair and SilverStone are roughly the same, Corsair is the only one in the group who offers a 5-year warranty versus the lame 3-year warranty offered by the other two companies.
The MSRP for the BeQuiet! SFX-L power supplies:
• SFX-L 500W $99.99 USD
• SFX-L 600W $119.99 USD
Strengths:
• 500W and 600W models available
• Small Form Factor (SFX-L) design
• Very quiet: 120mm cooling fan with Fluid Dynamic Bearing
• Good efficiency (80 Plus Gold certified)
• Very good voltage regulation with low AC ripple (±2%)
• All Japanese made capacitors
• All-modular, flat ribbon-style cables
• Safety Protections: OCP, OVP, UVP, OPP, OTP, and SCP
Minor Weaknesses:
• 3-Year warranty
BeQuiet! SFX-L 600W Power Supply
Our thanks to BeQuiet! for sending us the SFX-L 600W PSU to review.
