Deepcool was founded with the mission of providing the best performance and humanized thermal solutions for worldwide customers. Established in 1996, Deepcool originally produced desktop and server coolers for ODM partners. With the rapid development of personal computers, Deepcool expanded the business into desktop cooling products and laptop cooling accessories. Deepcool has built up its distribution network in over sixty countries all over the globe, by which end-users can purchase Deepcool products online or in their nearest local stores. With more and more media exposure and publication,Deepcool now enjoys a good reputation among daily computer users, gamers and overclockers. Starting with server and desktop coolers for ODMs, they expanded into the company you see today,offering up innovative designs from R&D teams based in the United States, China and Germany. These teams make sure they create unique products that deliver fantastic performance. Not only that, but they also make sure these products are RoHS and WEEE compliant. Most enthusiasts will associate DeepCool with quiet and quality computing due to their fans and heatsinks, but they have much more to offer beyond that. In fact, there will be many who read today's article that aren't even aware DeepCool is a competitor in the power supply market.Almost one year ago,we took a look at one of their units and it has been long overdue that we take a look at another. DeepCool isn't like many other companies that turn out product after product and rotate their lineup on a rapid timeline. Their units are built with quality from the start and are meant to last, which is why we haven't seen much from them in the way of power supplies since we took a look at the Quanta DQ750 750W. Their latest might just fit the bill if you've got some extra cash burning a hole in your wallet. The DeepCool Quanta DQ1250 Platinum delivers 1,250W continuous power, its efficiency is backed by the coveted 80 Plus Platinum badge.
Since DeepCool doesn't own their own PSU factory,their using an OEM platform from CWT (Channel Well Technology) for this model. Taking a look at the I/O specifications reveals that the DeepCool Quanta DQ1250 is a dual rail power supply. The first 12V rail is rated for 45A while the second is rated for 65A. These two have a combined maximum output of 1250W. The 3.3V and 5V rails are rated for 25A each with a combined maximum output of 150W. The power supply's 5VSB rail is rated for 4A or 20W. Maximum combined output for the unit is 1250W.Just as we would hope out of such a high-end unit, DeepCool makes sure the DQ1250 is packed full of features. All protections are present, including Over Temperature Protection.
Packaging & Contents
The Deepcool Quanta DQ1250 1250W power supply ships in a plain brown box with the company logo on the front, alongside some basic information on the power supply.The 80 Plus Platinum logo can be seen.
The rear of the box is more detailed, highlighting many of the buying points.
This side of the box lets us know how many connectors of each type are available for the unit.
The other side gives us the rails info for the DQ1250.
Everything is packaged well inside the box and the power supply is surrounded by at least a half inch of foam on all sides.
Inside, is a small warranty card, thin regional specific power cable,mounting screws and cables.
Quanta DQ-1250W has flat ribbon cables.
True to form, DeepCool made sure to give the newcomer as many cables and protections as possible. In other words, the DeepCool Quanta DQ-1250W has all the necessary cables and a few more besides, making it possible to create computers with a lot of storage space and dual-GPU AMD CrossFireX or NVIDIA SLI video configurations.
DeepCool provides a great selection of cables to go along with the DQ1250.Dual ATX 4+4 and EPS12V connectors are available for those who need it, though it would be nice to see one of these available as a modular connector so that excess cabling could be removed if it isn't needed. Two different types of PCI-E cables are provided. Two of them have dual PCI-E connectors while the other four feature only single connectors. Peripherals are handled via 12 SATA connectors over three cables and nine Molex connectors over two cables. There is a single FDD adapter included should it be needed.
The cable lengths(except ATX and EPS) are very good on this unit and should pose no issues even in a full tower chassis.
The PSU
The aesthetic appearance of the Quanta DQ-1250W is very distinctive, with a textured surface that exhibits a metallic-flecked paint job. The real beauty, however,lies in the functional aspect that can't be ignored, as this finish is very scratch resistant. And even if it is scratched, it isn't noticed because the speckled effect will camouflage any offending nick or smudge.
The one side of the unit have the Quanta DQ logo in a gold-mustard color.
The other side has the spec sheet with all the pertinent information you may require.
Things are pretty standard on the back of the unit with an on/off rocker switch and honeycomb mesh grill.
The modular connections are found on the front and the PCI-E connections are separate from the peripheral connections. Rail distribution is simple for a dual rail power supply. The first 12V rail provides power for the CPU, motherboard, and all peripheral connections.The second 12V rail handles power for all PCI-E connections. It doesn't get much simpler than this and is spelled out on the I/O specification label for the user. While all the native cables are fully sleeved with nylon mesh, the modular cables are of the flat ribbon type.
The unit houses an 140mm fan that provides cooling for the Deepcool Quanta DQ1250 power supply.
The usual warranty void sticker.
A Look Inside
Removing the top of this unit we quickly see that this PSU is based on CWTs platform.Double Layer EMI Filter ensures low level of electromagnetic interference to keep your electronic devices uninterrupted.
One can tell this by the two green transformers. Despite the fact, that this isn’t the youngest platform it can still be considered state-of-the art. The reason for that is,that the primary side features loss-less LLC conversion as well as interleaved PFC circuitry and on the secondary side we find DC-DC conversion, which has been placed on a daughter PCB.
Passive cooling is handled via multiple heat sinks around the unit.There isn't any fancy heat pipe cooling,but rather solid pieces of aluminum to draw the heat away.
The cooling fan is by Y.L. Tech with model number D14BM-12(140mm,1400 RPM,12 V,0.7 A).
The transient filtering stage,comes with one X and two Y capacitors right behind the AC receptacle.On the main PCB there is a pair of Y caps,another pair of X caps, two CM chokes and one MOV.The transient filtering stage is therefore very well done and complete.
Furthermore there are two large APFC capacitors from Nippon Chemi-Con,which feature 560uF capacity at 400V and they are specified for 105°C.
In order to handle the interleaved PFC circuit,there is a UCC28070 controller.
Behind that there is the LLC converter, which is using four SiHG30N60E MOSFETs.Still on the primary side, we find a thermistor,which has been place right next to the two main transformers. Having the thermistor here makes perfect sense, since the transformers demand cooling.
The monitor IC is PS229 from SITI.The 6P protection relies on it.
The electrolytic caps used in the secondary side are also from Chemi-Con.
Continuing we find three parallel rectifiers,which are GBU 1006 and they can be loaded with up to 30A.There is an interleaved PFC circuit,which actually means that there are two APFC converter working in parallel. In the case of the APFC converters we find IPW60R099CP MOSFETs as well as a CREE C3D 10060 diode. Next to the diode there is current sensing choke.The active PFC circuit uses an IC UCC28070 interactive correction control IC UCC28070.
Furthermore there is another large daughter PCB, which hosts the connectors for the cable management. Last but not least a few words about soldering quality. DeepCool OEM (CWT) is making sure, the soldering quality matches the overall quality of this unit, which means it’s very well done.
Test System
Below we report the instrumentation used in the test phase for Deepcool Quanta DQ1250.
PowerKiller 2.0. Test bench designed for power supplies up to 2185W.
Stingray DS1M12 USB Oscilloscope
PCE-PA 6000 Wattmeter
Range 1W ~ 6kW
Accuracy ± 1.5%
Multimeters
3 x HT81
1 x ABB Metrawatt M2004
1 x Eldes ELD9102
1 x Kyoritsu Kew Model 2001
1 x EDI T053
Scythe Kama Wireless Thermometer
Center 325 sound level meter.
Voltage Variance
Load regulation is excellent with all the rails holding tight, within 2%.
Cross Load
The DeepCool Quanta DQ1250 power supply delivered a good set of results in the demanding Cross load test,as shown below.
AC Ripple
Noise suppression is very good. All of the rails exhibit very low ripple and the +12v rail for instance peaks at 45mV, well within the rated specifications.
Efficiency
Efficiency is excellent, peaking at 93.22% when under 50% load. Efficiency drops to around 90% at full load which is a very strong result indeed.
Temperature
Temperatures are well controlled as the fan spins fast once load hits 800W load and beyond.
Noise Level
The DeepCool Quanta DQ1250 power supply is basically silent until around 650-700W load is demanded and the fan starts spinning up at a faster cycle. At full load,the fan is clearly audible,although not that intrusive.
Conclusion
The Deepcool Quanta DQ1250 power supply is a quality unit inside and out, there is no doubt about it. Most couldn't ask for more out of a power supply and the DQ1250 Platinum delivers where it matters most as well. I tested the DQ1250 Platinum with four Nvidia GTX 970 graphics cards, and a high end 4770k system, overclocked to 4.5ghz. It ran cool and stable showing the potential for ultra high end system builds.The finish deserves a mention again, because it is sublime and other manufacturers should take note. It is almost impossible to damage under real world conditions, doesn’t attract fingerprints and looks fantastic under specific lighting. It may seem like a minor point to make, but we are believers in the small, yet important details. The 5 year warranty for instance,is reassuring.
Internally, it is just as impressive. Soldering and component selection is first class and DeepCool use highest grade, Nippon Chemi-con capacitors throughout. Technically it is a solid design and features stable load regulation, great noise suppression and high levels of efficiency. Noise levels are low, and the quiet, yet capable fan ensures that internal cooling proficiency is without question. It also passed our cross loading stress tests with flying colours. You will be able to pick up the Quanta DQ1250 model at a price around 250 US Dollars. This power supply deserves to be in the final shortlist for a new high end system build. It is an exceptional design and one that will cope extremely well with demanding graphics cards.