[section_title title=”Closer Look”]Closer Look
Taking a closer look at the Straight Power E9 from be quiet!, as we can see from the picture the power supply is semi modular and has an all-black finish. The be quiet! logo is embossed into the side panel and we have a ventilation cover which houses the be quiet! SilentWings 135mm fan; optimized for cooling performance whilst remaining silent.
On the flip side, we have the usual information panel which includes information including the amperage on the 3.3V, 5V and 12V sections. The total combined power output is of course 680w and that makes this power supply capable for SLI/CF configurations; the 80 PLUS Gold thumbnail also signifies this power supply conforms to the 80 PLUS Gold efficiency rating. The Straight Power E9 is also a quad rail power supply compared to some other brands which use a single rail design etc.
The be quiet! Straight Power E9 680w power supply has 7 modular outputs for additional cables which include 2 x PCIe connectors for support for 2 graphics cards (SLI/CF), 4 x drive connectors for those Molex/SATA devices and a port for the 4+4pin 12V CPU power cable. Each of the cable ends has a colour coded connector to make sure that even the most novice of builder can work out which cable goes where into the power supply.
As mentioned before, this particular power supply is cooled with a 135mm SilentWings fan but I have to say the standout point for me is the design of the metal grid; I think this looks more premium and professional than most and it is clear that be quiet! have taken their time with the design of the Straight Power E9 power supply; something I applaud. I also love the contrast of the orange ring around the inside although this is likely to be hidden inside your case as the fan acts as an intake and the last thing you want is a power supply to take in hot air from your chassis.
On the rear of the power supply, be quiet! have gone with the regular honeycomb grill which I personally think looks a little outdated and although it is effective in cooling, there are other ways to make it look more attractive; not that this is a reason to mark a power supply down for so don’t get me wrong there, this is just my personal opinion. We have the on/off switch and of course the 3 pin kettle lead input for connection to the mains via a plug socket.
Here we have a close up of the cables used with the Straight Power E9, as you can see be quiet! have gone with a regular flexi plastic braid which is quite common with most power supplies. It is designed to provide flex when the cables are bent and it obviously looks a lot better than bare multi-coloured wires which might make a build look a little unsightly.
