The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1600 is one of the strongest ATX v3.0 PSUs available on the market, offering good performance and silent operation at light and moderate loads. Its build quality is high and its price is highly competitive compared to similar spec PSUs. If you are curious to see how it performs, read the full review!
The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1600 will be included in my best ATX v3.0 & PCIe 5.0 PSU picks article.
I reviewed the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W almost three years ago, while I was still an editor at Tom’s Hardware, and I got its successor in my hands around the start of 2023’s summer. The lab’s move to a new building didn’t allow me to finish its review faster, but since PSUs stay for a long time in the market, catching NDAs or providing fast (and usually messy) reviews are not on my to-do list. To clarify things, only if I have the time to evaluate a PSU properly will I post its review once the NDA ends, but since my sample queue list is long, this rarely happens.
The Dark Power Pro 13 promises cutting-edge technology and performance since it uses CWT’s semi-digital CST platform. The previous model also used the same platform but offered 100W less max power, and it wasn’t ATX v3.0 compatible, which is a big deal nowadays. Besides Titanium efficiency, only in 80 PLUS, there is no Cybenetics data because be quiet! doesn’t do Cybenetics. The PSU’s noise should stay low, according to its maker, because of the frameless Silent Wings fan that it uses.
I am not a big fan of multi +12V rail PSUs, and this one has six, which can be joined into one, thankfully, through a jumper switch or by using a fancier part called overclocking key, which allows users to easily switch between multi and single +12V modes, with the PSU installed into the chassis.
- Manufacturer (OEM): Channel Well Technology (CWT)
- Max Power: 1600W
- Cybenetics Efficiency: [115V] Cybenetics Platinum (89-91%) (As measured)
- 80 Plus Efficiency: Titanium
- Noise [115V]: Cybenetics Standard++ (30-35 dB[A]) (As measured)
- Compliance: ATX v3.0, EPS 2.92
- Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load): 0 – 50°C
- Alternative Low Power Mode support: Yes
- Power 12V combined: 1600W
- Number of 12V rails: 6 (1 in OC mode)
- Power 5V + 3.3v: 150W
- Power 5VSB: 17.5W
- Cooling: 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (BQ SIW3-13525-HF)
- Semi-Passive Operation: ✗
- Modular Design: Yes (Fully)
- High Power Connectors: 2x EPS (2x cables), 6x PCIe 6+2 pin (3x cables), 2x PCIe 12+4 pin (600W)
- Peripheral Connectors: 16x SATA (5x cables), 5x 4-pin Molex (2x cables)
- ATX Cable Length: 600mm
- EPS Cable Length:700mm
- 12+4 pin PCIe Cable Length: 600mm
- Distance between SATA / 4-pin Molex: 150mm
- In-cable capacitors: No
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 150 mm x 85 mm x 200mm
- Weight: 2.51 kg (5.53 lb)
- Warranty: ten years
- Street price (excluding VAT): $460
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V1 | 12V2 | 12V3 | 12V4 | 12V5 | 12V6 | 5VSB | -12V | |
| Max. Power | Amps | 25 | 25 | 40 | 40 | 45 | 45 | 55 | 55 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Watts | 150 | 1600 | 17.5 | 6 | |||||||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 1600 | ||||||||||
I have gone through two Dark Power Pro 13 1600W PSUs in the last 15 months.
The first unit, which was purchased in June 2023 when the listings in the UK went live, had problems POSTing reliably after doing a BIOS update, changing BIOS settings, restoring BIOS defaults, using BIOS flashback etc… I initially assumed this was a motherboard or BIOS issue, but after doing extensive testing with a Dark Power Pro 12 1200W and EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS PSU, it turned out to be an issue which was unique to the Dark Power Pro 13 1600W PSU. I could not replicate these issues once with the Dark Power Pro 12 or EVGA PSU.
I returned this unit with the retailer (AWD-IT) and they sent me a second unit in December 2023, which still exhibited the same issue, but to a much lesser degree. I chalked it up to some weird edge-case compatibility issue between the MSI Z790 ACE motherboard and the Dark Power Pro 13 PSU.
However a few days ago my system shut down unexpectedly and upon attempting to start the system back up, I heard a loud bang the PSU started smoking. I have swapped back to the Dark Power Pro 12 1200W PSU and the CPU, GPU, RAM, Motherboard and SSD all appear to be working fine and don’t show any signs of damage at this stage.
In reading online, this doesn’t seem to be an uncommon problem, there are reviews on Scan, CaseKing and others that mention exploding PSUs, knocking out fuses and general poor quality control issues for these Dark Power Pro 13 units.
https://www.galaxus.at/en/s1/questionandanswer/die-dark-power-pro-13-hat-massenhaft-ausfaelle-gibt-einen-ganzen-reddit-thread-dazu-bei-mir-ist-nun–648236
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/9vw47y87
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/be-quiet-dark-power-pro-13-1300-w-power-supply-pc-32987592
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/1300w-be-quiet!-dark-power-pro-13-fully-modular-pcie-5080plus-titanium260asilent-135mm-fdb-fanatx-30
https://www.caseking.de/en/be-quiet-dark-power-pro-13-power-supply-80-plus-titanium-atx-3.0-pcie-5.0-1600-watt/NEBE-233.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1azk72a/3_times_exploded_psu_be_quiet_dark_power_pro_13/
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/17dy06b/be_quiet_dark_power_pro_13_knocked_out_fuses/
https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/16xilci/beware_bequiet_dark_power_13_psus/
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/PSUBQT900500/be-quiet-Dark-Power-Pro-13-1300W-ATX-30-Power-Supp
I do not believe these Dark Power Pro 13 units have very good quality control.
there was an issue indeed with these units, which be quiet! informed me that it fixed.I think I was confused with the Dark Power 12, since our Dark Power 13 1600W unit is fine. I will look though at what you mention in your post, with both be quiet! and CWT.Interesting, when I messaged be quiet back in September and December 2023, they said there were no known issues.
Is there anyway of verifying which units are fixed via serial number?
Hi, very good article! Thank you very much, it must have taken you a lot of work to do it xD.
Would you consider the be quiet! BN517 Straight Power 12-1200w as a good purchase option?
I just received an Be quiet! 12v-2×6 90 degree cable, I tested it with multimeter, the pinouts are NOT pin to pin like other 12vhpwr cables.
So does Be quiet! have their own 12vhpwr pinouts?
they could yes, but it sounds weird.
I also bought the angled 12V-2×6 – 12V-2×6 cable from be quiet! and tested the pinout on the included 12VHPWR – 12VHPWR cable, and the paths do seem really weird.
But if it works I guess there’s not really anything for me to worry about?
be quiet! is a big and respectful brand. It wouldn’t offer something that could harm its good reputation.
Just received the 1300w version.
I have no idea what connectors are inside. I shall email them and ask them I guess.
I will reply add a comment when I get confirmation.
After contact through messaging the BeQuiet people told me there is no change of the connector on the PSU side and that the change is only on the GPU side.
I would not feel fair by saying that they just try to hide that their newer serials do have the new conenctor. I could bluff and tell them that a friend of a friend got one with the new connector but apart from Aris’ mention of it I have not seen it anywhere else.
After spending 1000s of hard earned euros on BeQuiet products, I feel a bit cheated on how they address themselves regarding this, since it could potentially be a hazard as well, knowing nothing about future compatibility with newer hardware in the future. They insisted that we cannot and should not speculate as customers and just buy whatever is available now. Which I found rather rude to be fair. A 450eu PSU is not something that belongs to your open market shopping list, but something you research about and hope to have for at least 8 years. So speculation plays a huge part in such a purchase.
Seriously thinking about returning it and getting either the PX or TX 1300 atx3.0 Seasonic one.
Their execs should change the company name to “be loud!”. Company employee which market quiet as their slogan, should deliver quiet even at > 1000 watts.
31 dBa is very audible (like a conversation), and for me with my bat-ears, loud and annoying (commented on the Cooler Master V750i Gold PSU review).
I got myself the fsp hydro ti pro 1000 watts you tested here, and I can hear the “dead low” 13 dBa from 2.5 meters away at evenings or night, but not the fan, only the shoveled air circulating; the psu delivering maybe 100 watts.
Though (obviously) I must say this is very silent, like a very quiet whisper, no problem at all, and the noise is drowned out the moment any cpu- or graphics card fan kicks even at 600 rpm.
It’s less than half as loud as my previous seasonic tx 650 watts. The psu is even smaller than the seasonic; very laudable achievement!
So whoever has bat-ears as myself, and wants a super silent or inaudible build, I recommend the fsp hydro ti pro.
Users should be aware that my dark power (non pro) 13 1000w exhausted an oil/chemical like smell for over a week. Eventually did burn off. Also made me sick half a week later. Or could of been something else. Interesting timing though. Mo other issues than that. Has been rock solid for my gpu can cpu and system in general.
As always Aries, very nice review and thank God it is a decent PSU given its price (even in Euros).
It’s a very quality PSU, from packing to accessories, and it works well.
I bought it a few days before you released this review, believing it would be good enough considering its low (for a 1600W PSU) street price, and your post was such a relief.
Alternatively, the GF3 1650W is really affordable for those who won’t push the PSU to its limits (working around 40-60% load) and can withstand the increased noise output. You can’t have it all in most situations, it a fact in all aspects in life.
Of course, with this lower cost, some things aren’t perfect compared to the completion, but it’s a very affordable and performant PSU.
Thank you once again for the detailed and quality review, and may God bless you all in your new endeavors in the biggest Greek island (Cyprus, of course!) and fully self-employed situation, Cyprus helps a lot new businesses to flourish compared to mainland Greece.
May the Lord bless all over there!
Thank you Xaris for your kind words!!!