be quiet! makes some excellent PC hardware with a focus on quiet operation. Whether it's a power supply or CPU cooler, you can expect to enjoy a premium experience and create a killer PC. The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 is the latest flagship PSU from the company with full support for ATX 3.0 standard and the latest, most power-hungry graphics cards. There's the trusty 12VHPWR connector for delivering up to 600W of power, though you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference compared to the outgoing Dark Power Pro 12, at least in terms of design.

This line-up of power supplies, much like any other PSU that costs more than $300, was essentially over-engineered for most PC builds. be quiet! hasn't had to change too much with the Dark Power Pro 13, though it's capable of delivering up to 1300W of total power with a Titanium 80 Plus rating for efficiency. If you're looking for the best power supply for a class-leading CPU and GPU, look no further than this PSU from be quiet! It's efficient, reliable, and extremely powerful, though all this comes at a cost ... more than $380.

About this review: be quiet! sent XDA a Dark Power Pro 13 for this review but had no input to its contents.

Price, specs, and availability

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 range of power supplies consists of two models. One has a 1300W capacity and the second has a 1600W capacity. We're reviewing the 1300W Dark Power Pro 13 here, costing $420 at MSRP. The 1600W model is slightly more expensive, and I would recommend the 1300W for even a PC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. It has ample capacity and a superb internal configuration for reliable and stable power delivery.

Design and features

Sleek-looking with a subtle design

be quiet! packages its Dark Power Pro 13 range of power supplies inside its usual premium cardboard box with a paper sleeve. There's ample internal foam to keep everything safe during transit with the main unit and a small box of accessories. Unlike "normal" power supplies, this unit comes with an IEC C19 power cable to handle the additional loads it can support. Various cable combs are included, alongside cable ties and straps. The entire PSU is modular, allowing you to use only the cables required by your PC.

The entire PSU is modular, allowing you to use only the cables required by your PC.

And for cable connections, we've got a single ATX 24-pin, 2 EPS 4+4-pin, 1 EPS 8-pin, 2 PCIe 5.0 (12VHPWR), 6 PCIe 8-pin, 16 SATA, and 5 Molex. Every cable aside from the two 12VHPWR cables is individually sleeved for a cleaner look. Using the included combs allows one to create a custom look with standard cabling, a nice touch I've seen and appreciated with be quiet!'s more expensive PSUs. The aluminum casing for the Dark Power Pro 13 measures 200 x 200 mm, which may not fit inside smaller PC cases.

One side of the PSU has the model name and be quiet! branding, the top is completely free of anything, and the other side has the necessary information on the specifications.

Power and performance

Designed for overclocking and PC enthusiasts

The be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 has six virtual 12V rails, which can be coupled for overclocking and drawing more power through a single connection. I would recommend leaving it as it is for an average PC build and only making the switch should you encounter issues with the limited power potential across multiple rails. Keeping everything cool is the single frameless 135 mm Silent Wings fan, a similar blower to what be quiet! includes inside its cases and CPU coolers.

Through long gaming sessions and a few stress tests, the Dark Power Pro 13 1300W performed superbly.

To test this power supply, I used an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an M.2 PCIe SSD. Even with such a capable setup, I was still far below the maximum capacity of this power supply. Overclocking the 7950X and 4090 slightly did increase power draw yet the PSU was still able to handle the load with the fan spinning at a low speed. It's truly a marvel of engineering how such a component is able to convert and safely deliver such levels of power.

For protection, be quiet! has OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, UVP, and SIP implemented to shield your PC from damage. Through long gaming sessions and a few stress tests, the Dark Power Pro 13 1300W performed superbly. It's an expensive option for powering your system, but if it somehow fits into your budget, you'll be using one of the best power supplies around. This is a dream for an enthusiast with the goal of overclocking their AMD or Intel system.

Competition

There aren't too many power supplies with the ability to reliably deliver up to 1600W of power. This isn't a premium PSU but an enthusiast-grade product. The MSI MEG Ai1300P is another fine power supply cutting the be quiet! PSU in price, but only manages an 80 Plus Platinum rating. Another Platinum-rated power supply is the Corsair HX1500i, which comes with not one, not two, but three EPS12V connections. The EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT is more affordable and, as such, comes with an 80 Plus Gold rating for efficiency.

The best-looking 1000W+ power supplies would include the mighty Asus ROG Thor 1200W Platinum II with its stunning RGB lighting and metallic design elements. It even has an OLED panel that shows power draw in real-time. There are a few to choose from, but they largely offer a similar experience outside a few features here and there. It's efficiency where the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 is king. For those with tighter budgets, I'd recommend something like the be quiet! Straight Power 12 for a gaming PC.

Should you buy the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13?

You should buy the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 if:

• You want one of the best power supplies available.
• You have powerful hardware inside your PC.
• You have a GPU with a 12VHPWR connection.

You shouldn't buy the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 if:

• You don't want to spend more than $300 on a power supply.
• You don't need anywhere near 1300W of power.
• You want to build a budget-friendly PC.

Having the budget to cover the cost of the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 would allow you to install one of the most powerful and reliable power supplies available. It's overkill for most PC builds, including those with an RTX 4090 GPU, but it's an excellent choice for overclocking and enthusiast usage. It's a sleek-looking unit that will look the part in most build themes. The build quality is incredible, as should be expected with the be quiet! brand and this hefty asking price. $400 for a 1300W PSU is a tough sell for most PC gamers.

It's a superb PSU with the capacity to handle just about anything you can throw at it.

Where this power supply shines is with its 80 Plus Titanium rating for efficiency. This is excellent for any power supply, let alone one capable of handling between 1300W and 1600W. The 135 mm Silent Wings fan is capable of keeping internal temperatures low even with heavier loads. You won't notice it spin at all unless you have the hardware (and power demand) to put this PSU to the test. We don't have the necessary equipment to test such a power supply adequately, so we're reviewing it from a consumer view, inside a powerful PC.

I would typically recommend a 500W power supply for an average PC build and perhaps an 850W unit for a gaming PC with a more powerful GPU, such as the RTX 4090. A power supply such as the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 only makes sense when overclocking the processor, graphics card, and other parts of the system. If you're drawing near 1000W through the PSU, having an 80 Plus Titanium rating can make a notable difference in how efficient the system is as a whole. It's a superb PSU with the capacity to handle just about anything you can throw at it.