Shortly after the release of the new Nvidia graphics cards with 12VHPWR connection, which should establish itself with PCIe 5.0, be quiet! adding it to the Dark Power series, among others. After ATX 3.0, a new connector is followed by new requirements, which the Dark Power 13 850W also meets in the test.
Table of contents
- 1 An ATX 3.0 power supply without compromises
- New cable, old price
- Comparison of key technical data
- Ten year manufacturer's guarantee
< li>Comparison of scope of delivery and appearance
- Comparison of cable equipment
- Key data and components
- Efficiency with MOSFET bridge rectifier is expensive
- Synchronous rectifier now fully equipped
- 12VHPWR connector with fixed power coding
- Efficiency
- Voltage regulation
- Residual ripple
- Protection circuits
- ATX 3.0 Power Excursion on the 12VHPWR connector
- Backup time, ErP & Standby efficiency
- A very good ATX 3.0 power supply
- It also works without ATX 3.0
New cable, old price
The gains in efficiency formerly seen in the Dark Power 12 series have come with a higher MSRP. In the new iteration, be quiet! not big steps in this regard and stays at roughly the same recommended retail price for the two smaller models in the series. With the 12VHPWR connector, however, the manufacturer can now ensure direct compatibility with PCIe 5.0 and the ATX 3.0 standard without the need for a replacement cable.
With ATX 3.0, the 12VHPWR connection is not only standardized mechanically, but also electrically. Based on the problem of rapid load changes in current graphics card generations, Intel follows the need to make requirements in this regard, which are referred to as “power excursions” in the test methodology. An excessive voltage drop or shutdowns due to overly sensitive protective circuits have been typical problems caused by the dynamic loads up to now. ComputerBase tests the new requirements according to the standard using load peaks with a duration of 100 µs to 100 ms.
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The details of the test methodology, the test station used, the electrical measurements and the sound pressure level measurements can also be read separately in this case in the article Power supply tests: Methodology, structure and equipment. The power supply ranking list with a list of the best provides a constantly updated overview of recommended power supplies.
Comparison of key technical data
Since the Dark Power 12 power supplies, be quiet! switched to a new case design, with which the case has shrunk to a depth of 175 mm with the same fan diameter of 135 mm. The nominal efficiency has also been raised to a higher level with 80Plus Titanium.
For more effective overcurrent detection, the current on the output side was divided into four 12-volt rails. Otherwise, as usual, there is the full protective circuit package from undervoltage protection to overheating protection.
Ten years manufacturer's warranty
With a ten-year guarantee for the Dark Power 13 series, be quiet! same with many other manufacturers in this regard. In principle, it is also an advantage for German customers that national borders do not have to be crossed for repairs or exchanges. An express exchange service within 48 hours in the first year after purchase also covers a usage period that is critical for the probability of failure and can speed up any RMA process.
Comparison of scope of delivery and exterior
Instead of a fan grill made of metal struts, as be quiet! for the time being as the ideal solution from an acoustic point of view, a honeycomb grille adorns the top of the Dark Power 13 850W. It is not stamped out of the sheet metal case, but was added to it as an extra element. The straight edges make the case look minimalistic and simple, and its high stability makes it look high-quality.
With a power cord, screws for mounting, cable ties and a manual, all typical accessories are included in the scope of delivery. There is also a switch called the “OC-Key” that can be mounted on the system housing as an IO panel. This makes it possible to switch the power supply to single-rail mode in order to transport currents outside of the specifications via one connection.
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be quiet! Dark Power 13 850W
Without having to look at the manual, the connection panel already provides information about the assignment of the 12-volt rails. Accordingly, 12V3 and 12V4 can each be assigned two 8-pin PCIe connectors. In addition, 12V3 and 12V4 can also supply a 12VHPWR connector together, so that the equivalent of single-rail power can flow at 70 A without having to forego the slightly finer multi-rail protection. 12V2 is exclusively assigned to the EPS plugs – all other currents on the 12-volt rail flow via 12V1.
Comparison of cable equipment
The Dark Power 13 850W adds a native 12VHPWR connector on the power supply itself. Compared to the predecessor, two 12-pin PCIe sockets had to give way, via which two additional 8-pin PCIe connectors were implemented. There are now only four of them. With two EPS connectors, however, there are otherwise large reserves for performance-hungry high-end CPUs. With regard to the supply of the peripheral devices, be quiet! the variety of connections thinned out. With only two 4-pin Molex connectors and no floppy connectors, the manufacturer orients itself towards today's times, in which even SATA connections are used less and less.
The lengths of the cable strands are sensibly dimensioned for an ATX case, since most devices can be reached at around 60 cm, even if a cable management system specified by the mainboard tray is used.
The bundling of the individual lines sets be quiet! as usual with a sleeve, with which the individual cores are compactly bundled without losing flexibility. The only exception is the 12VHPWR cable harness, which with its 14 wires, 12 of which are 16 AWG, is very taut and requires more force to bend. With the background that the power connection of the graphics cards of the Ada Lovelace generation is typically placed on the side and there is not much space to the side panel of the case, the cable must be bent by the user before installation so that the connector system is not unnecessarily overloaded load – a problem that affects all 12VHPWR cables in general. Because the sleeve only starts 2 cm behind the plug, bending is still easy.
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Fine tuning under the hood