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be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W vs Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W: Comparison
What is the difference between be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W and Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W?
Warranty is where these two genuinely part company, be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W 10 years against Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W 5 years, a 50% lead for be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W. Add wattage to that, 550 W on the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W versus 650 W on the Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W, and the pattern holds.
Who each one is for
Buy the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W for Quiet mainstream gaming builds and RTX 4060/RX 7600-class GPUs, though it is not the pick for anyone wanting fully modular cables and high-end or multi-GPU builds. The Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W suits budget RTX 4060 Ti/4070 builds wanting native ATX 3.0 and mainstream gaming PCs on a tight budget, though it is not built for anyone chasing Gold-or-better efficiency and high-wattage or multi-GPU builds. Our rating of the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W (7.8/10): A quiet, Gold-rated 550W unit that's the right call for mainstream builds that don't need full modularity. Our rating of the Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W (7.3/10): one of the most affordable routes to a native 12V-2x6 connector, at the cost of Gold-tier efficiency and acoustics.
What be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W and Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W have in common
Everything else lines up. Modularity, fan size, atx standard, form factor and single +12v rail read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 3 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W and Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W differ on hold-up time?
Yes. Hold-Up Time reads 16.6 ms on the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W versus 17 ms on the Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W.
Is the PCIe 8-pin Connectors the same on the be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W and Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W?
It is. Both are listed at 2, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- be quiet!
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Thermaltake
Wattage
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 550 W-15%
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 650 WBest
80 PLUS Rating
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Gold
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Bronze
Model Number
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Pure Power 12 550W
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- PS-SPD-0650NNFABU-3
ATX Standard
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- ATX 3.1
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- ATX 3.1
Form Factor
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- ATX
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- ATX
Single +12V Rail
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Yes
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Yes
12V-2x6 Connectors
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 1
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 0
Hold-Up Time
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 16.6 ms-2%
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 17 ms
Zero-RPM Mode
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- No
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Yes
Sleeved Cables
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Yes
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- No
PCIe 8-pin Connectors
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 2
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 2
Connector Count
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 1x 24-pin ATX, 1x EPS 4+4, 1x 12V-2x6, 2x PCIe 6+2-pin, 5x SATA, 1x Molex (all fixed)
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 1x 24-pin ATX, 2x EPS 4+4, 2x PCIe 6+2-pin, 4x SATA, 4x Molex (all fixed)
Fan Size
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 120 mm
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 120 mm
Fan Model / Bearing
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 120mm be quiet! fan, rifle bearing
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 120mm FDB (fluid dynamic bearing) fan with Smart Zero Fan
OEM / Platform
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- HEC
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- CWT
EPS 8-pin Connectors
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 1
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 2
SATA Connectors
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 5
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 4
Molex Connectors
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 1
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 4
Cable Lengths
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 24-pin 600mm, max cable length 550mm
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 24-pin 500mm, EPS 500mm, PCIe 450mm, SATA 500mm
Length
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 160 mm
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 140 mm
Colour
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Black
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Black
Fan Bearing
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Rifle
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Fluid Dynamic
MTBF
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 100000 hours
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 100000 hours
Modularity
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- Non-Modular
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- Non-Modular
Protections
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, UVP, SIP
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- OCP, OVP, OPP, OTP, SCP, UVP
Price
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 74.99 USD
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 74.99 USD
Warranty
- be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
- 10 yearsBest
- Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
- 5 years-50%
Which one should you pick?
Choose be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W if you want the higher PCIe 8-pin connectors (2 vs 2), the higher MTBF (100000 hours vs 100000 hours) and the higher warranty (10 years vs 5 years).
Choose Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W if you want the higher wattage (650 W vs 550 W) and the higher Hold-Up time (17 ms vs 16.6 ms).
Price comparison
| Retailer | be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W | Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $74.99 View on Amazon | $74.99 View on Amazon |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
be quiet! Pure Power 12 550W
7.8 / 10 Expert Rating
A quiet, Gold-rated 550W unit that's the right call for mainstream builds that don't need full modularity.
Thermaltake Smart BX3 650W
7.3 / 10 Expert Rating
One of the most affordable routes to a native 12V-2x6 connector, at the cost of Gold-tier efficiency and acoustics.