Since the early 20th century German auto engineering has been known as one of the greatest in the world. Acute attention to detail, focus on efficient design and quality performance have all become characteristic of these products. With German PC component manufacturers becoming more visible on the international scene it begs the question, does their engineering reputation live up to expectations for consumer electronics?
We spoke with be quiet!, a renowned German manufacturer of PSUs. They have earned the country’s market leadership in this category since 2006. While their presence is relatively new in the United States, they have a solid market presence in Europe for their line of PSUs and CPU cooling products.
be quiet DARK POWER PRO 10 BN604 1000W
Quality First
From the beginning their mission has been to invest massive amounts of time and energy into the design of products that are powerful and quiet. Christoph Katzer, the head of business development weighs in on how their designs stack up against the competition:
“You will find our coolers to be ranked somewhere near the top but not necessarily at THE top. We can, of course, produce ultra-high performance products, but they will be as noisy as the rest, and a product that runs quietly only at lower loads is simply not something we can accept.”
The quality assurance efforts put into manufacturing their PSUs include a long list of rigorous tests each unit must pass. From design to production it is no less than two years, a constant process of optimization and verification. This gauntlet of testing is all in place to back up the company’s mission.
European law strictly regulates the promotional discounts a company can offer, so the pressure is on to release products that highlight features and capability over a slashed price. As be quiet! gains more traction in the US, they are looking to make waves with their higher wattage PSUs that combine efficiency with longevity. They see these as the most competitive models for the US market, where there is plenty of competition.
When speaking with Christoph about be quiet!’s future in America, he says they have already begun creating nimble designs that reflect customer feedback while still providing the uncompromising noise reduction quality the company is built on. The demands are unique, and their engineers are continually analyzing and re-working models, pushing PC component designs to new heights.
What do like best about German engineering?
