Epilogue
The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1600W is an enhanced/improved version of the Dark Power Pro 12 1500W, offering better performance, 100W more, and the highly desired ATX v3.0 compatibility. It comes with two 12+4 pin connectors, so it is future-proof. Since you will probably ask me in the comments section, my sample came with 12VHPWR sockets, not the newer 12V-2×6 ones, but I got an early sample. According to my sources, CWT has already started using the new connectors in its PSUs, so if you get one of the more recent production units, you might get the new connector. Unfortunately, there is no way to know which 12+4pin connector your PSU will have.
The new Dark Power Pro 13 is a solid PSU, not far from competing offerings in overall performance, and sold at a very good price point. At the time of the review, I could find it on Amazon at 460 dollars, while the Seasonic Prime ATX 3.0 TX-1600 and Seasonic Prime ATX 3.0 PX-1600 were listed at $610 and $510, respectively. Is it worth paying 150 dollars more for the TX-1600 for a 1.9% higher overall performance and a lower overall noise output? That is up to you. From the moment the be quiet! unit honors its name at light and moderate loads, is a good choice given that it won’t empty your wallet. Only if you plan to push it to the limits noise might trouble you, so if you plan to apply high loads for prolonged periods, you should think of the TX-1600 option, which manages to remain dead silent at up to 1000W loads, exceeding 40 dBA with loads higher than 1540W, while the DP Pro 13 exceeds 40 dBA at around 1440W.
be quiet! chose not to make significant changes to CWT’s CST platform to keep the cost down. This means that it isn’t the best performer in this category, but thanks to the fair price tag, the Dark Power Pro 13 1600W achieves a high performance per dollar ratio, which is what most users seek. If you don’t care about noise output and don’t have a problem with the increased energy losses of its platform, the Thermaltake GF3 1650W is the most affordable high-capacity ATX v3.0 PSU, currently sold at $260. I should warn you that the PSU mentioned above cannot get a Cybenetics noise rating because its average noise output exceeds 45 dBA, so you should buy it after you talk it over with your family and possibly your neighbors!
To check all alternative PSU offerings, read my Best ATX v3.0 PSUs article before investing in a new power supply. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the product’s price. I get a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a difference for me, especially now that I am on my own, working exclusively for my media and not for someone else.
- Good price given its performance and specs
- Delivered full power at 47°C
- High enough performance
- ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0 ready
- Within 122% OPP
- Tight load regulation on the minor rails
- Good ripple suppression
- High build quality
- High PF readings at 115V
- Long hold-up time
- Alternative Low Power Mode (ALPM) compatible
- Low inrush currents
- Low vampire power
- Fully modular
- 2x 12+4 pin PCIe connectors (600W)
- Quality FDB fan
- Long enough cables
- Ideal distance between the peripheral connectors (150mm)
- Ten-year warranty
- Efficiency needs boosting, especially at light loads
- Load regulation should be tighter at 12V
- 12V rail’s voltage level drops low during the 200% transient response test
- Not efficient 5VSB rail
- PF needs boosting at 230V
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!!!