The Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1300W ATX 3.0 PSU Review: Flagship Quality, Flagship Price
by E. Fylladitakis on July 26, 2023 8:00 AM ESTHot Test Results (~45°C Ambient)
The overall performance of the Dark Power Pro 13 1300W PSU degrades only slightly when the ambient temperature is high, suggesting minimal thermal stress. The drop at heavy loads is also minimal, meaning that the components of the Dark Power Pro 13 handle the high output and the high temperatures without any significant stress. The energy conversion efficiency drops by about 0.5% across the nominal load range with an input voltage of 230 VAC, which drop is marginally smaller with an input voltage of 115 VAC. In both cases, the efficiency drop is almost entirely evenly distributed across the entire load range.
The thermal performance of the Dark Power Pro 13 is mediocre when the ambient temperatures are very high. As the control circuitry is geared toward silent operation, the component temperatures can get high even when the load is low – at least for a unit that has its fan always on. Component temperatures can reach over 100 °C if the PSU is very heavily loaded for prolonged periods of time, yet the PSU keeps coping with the adverse operating conditions and performs seamlessly without any hint of thermal stress.
The Silent Wings fan is valiantly striving to maintain normal operating conditions when the ambient conditions are adverse. It does a fine job while the load is relatively low, managing to maintain tolerable noise levels. The speed of the fan increases alongside with the load, quickly reaching sound pressure levels that would be uncomfortable for typical everyday usage, with the fan reaching its maximum speed when the load is a little over 900 Watts.
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Threska - Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - link
Sounds like a lot but amortized over that ten years it's quite reasonable.ballsystemlord - Thursday, July 27, 2023 - link
I have to admit, it looks like a great PSU and is a bit quieter, even at full fan speeds, than some of the competition.mm0zct - Friday, July 28, 2023 - link
Would you not expect a "normal" PSU to last 10 years? My old XFX Pro Core 550W is going on 11+ years now happily running my main rig several CPU generations on.ballsystemlord - Friday, July 28, 2023 - link
My "normal" PSU didn't...Samus - Friday, July 28, 2023 - link
I've been running a PC Power & Cooling 750 quad since 2006. It's been through 4 motherboards, 8 videocards (including two SLI setups) and is in its third case. The cables were internally modified by PCP&C in 2010 for EPS+ (8+4 pin) from the standard EPS (4+4) it came with, and I recently modified it for dual 6+2 pin direct from the PCB instead of using transformers to run my RTX 4080.Total draw at the wall is according to my APC UPS is 650 watts at maximum load on my 12700k during CPU burn, with furmark running at 4k, so under its 'rated' spec though like most high end PSU's the rating is quite conservative. The later silencer III 850 was based on the 750 quad design, released under OCZ.
Sure if I had a 4090 on some insane overclock going on my 12700k, I'd eclipse the 732-watt save zone of the 12v rail (as indicated by AT's review in 2007) but considering how much stress I've given this thing over nearly 20 years, with ~150,000 hours, it doesn't owe me anything and has been one of the best tech investments of my lifetime.
TL;dr if something has a 10+ year warranty and the company has been in business long enough to endorse a repair claim, you can safely assume the product is solid.
Itlotus - Thursday, October 12, 2023 - link
Last Corsair ax1200i top notch of the line lasted only 9 months, Thermaltakes are loud as f1 cars. So BeQuite sits in range where it's really quiet, delivers good power and is reliable. I hope Dark Power Pro 13 series to last at least 3 years operational, not like most corsairs which didn't lived a year.Sivar - Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - link
It is not ideal to buy a power supply now when nVidia is already shipping cards that use the replacement for the quickly-obsoleted 12VHPWR connector.PSU manufacturers that supply the video card via two standard 6-pin connectors can just replace the cable, but when the PSU has 12VHPWR on the board itself, you're stuck with it.
meacupla - Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - link
I thought 12VHPWR and 12V-2x6 were backwards compatible?Ryan Smith - Wednesday, July 26, 2023 - link
There are no official specifications on the latter yet. But yes, that is expected to be the case.Sivar - Sunday, July 30, 2023 - link
Backwards compatible yes, but you do not get the safety benefits of the new connector using the old connector. The only PSUs that can provide the benefits of the new connector are those that use two 6-pin connectors rather than a special 12VHPWR connector. These include Corsair, Seasonic, and a few other vendors.Even with those you will need a new cable, but at least not a new PSU.