Your PSU is faulty so return it

 

You would hope so yes, but today I received a DP 13 850w model and it has the same problem... It's a ****ty fan, that resonates inside it's enclosure making it worse. If you put some pressure on the psu case it muffles a bit, but still not great. See below:

be quiet! Dark Power 13 Fan noise

If you want a quiet PSU, I would avoid the DP 13 lineup...

 

I do have the exact same Problem. I even got a replacement from Be-Quiet. The service is very good. However, the replacement shows the exact same behavior. It really sounds a bit like an old HDD. I contacted them again about this. Let's see what they are going to do. My hopes are not that high, tbh.

 

Could they solve the Problem for you?

 

It might not be the fan, exactly, but the Hall Effect IC (that controls the fan*). In that case every single one should have it (of the first batch at least)

On a similar note, but possibly something else, a few audiophiles/silent above else users returned the previous Dark Power 12 as well for similar electrical noise.

The Dark Power Pro 12 satisfied those audiophiles (as it's made in a different factory).

 

Well I had the problem with the Dark Power 13 so I switched to the Dark Power Pro 12 only to find it has the exact same sound problem.

 

Honestly I am surprised by the number of high power PSUs from reputable makers that make what I consider unbearable noise. I have a Seasonic PX1300 in a fully watercooled build and the fan (when on in "hybrid mode") makes more noise than all of the Noctua fans combined in my case.

 

I am surprised by the number of high power PSUs from reputable makers that make what I consider unbearable noise.

As a thread aside, reverse piezo, magnetostriction, PCB flex, and other things can make truly quiet power delivery kind of tricky. However, Seasonic's history of aggressive fan curves shows limiting noise hasn't been something they're actually interested in. Seasonic has cared enough to keep a marketing curve implying some of the Primes are ~20 dB(A) quieter than they actually are on their website. That curve is reused with the Vertices but I haven't encountered credible data on what they actually do yet.

be quiet! is careful to label their figures as fan noise with 230 V mains, which is probably a marketing signal one should expect actual noise levels to be higher. The Cybenetics reports for the Dark Power 12 750 and 850 W suggest about 5 dB(A) more than what be quiet! claims, though that's at least partially explained by the use of 115 V mains with those tests. The lack of a Cybenetics report for the Dark Power 12 1000 W makes me wonder if maybe that unit had the rrrrrr and failed (don't know how Aris conducts that aspect of his business but, when I was doing similar work, we didn't publish failures).

Or is this sound profile normal for BQ DP units?

To summarize the answers here, it's undesirable but normal-ish as be quiet! doesn't seem to have taken steps to resolve the problem. That makes me suspect it's common enough to generate significant internet comment but not common enough to have much of an effect on be quiet!'s business costs. More broadly, similar issues driving fan motors are well known and often related to poorly designed or cheaped out circuitry. be quiet! and their OEMs should know better than that, so my guesses would run more towards failure to allow enough design margin for the real world range of component tolerances in production—sometimes it's the fan's mechanical assembly and not the electronics—or parts suppliers missing their specs.

I'm not quite sure what @Dogzilla07 is getting at, though. Hall effect sensors are used for monitoring fan speed and I wouldn't expect them to generate noticeable acoustical noise of their own. Partially defective sensors or excessive electrical noise pickup could confuse the fan speed control loop, perhaps causing the rrrrrr because the fan motor drive's gotten out of its intended operating range.

 

Hi there, i have exaclty the same issue on my Dark Power 13 850w. You can find 2 audio files in the zip. the pc_corsair one is my pc with my old tx650w. The 2. one is ONLY the Dark Power 13 outside of the case.

 

Thanks for the insides here. Will return my bequiet next week. Thought about a Seasonic, but maybe i will wait and use my 12 Year old very silent TX650W on my 5800x with RX 7900 XT for a while, as it runs very stable for now, and check what the Future will bring. Dark Power 13 Rev. 2.0 as otherwise it looks realy great, Corsair ATX 3.0 PSUs Reviews? How knows

Btw. here is a very nice example of the Dark Power 12 Noise. This is exactly what i see on the Dark Power 13. --> Dark Power 12 noise

 

Btw. here is a very nice example of the Dark Power 12 Noise. This is exactly what i see on the Dark Power 13. --> Dark Power 12 noise

That's a huge fail. The main reason to go AIO/full custom loop in my book is a low operating noise but this endeavor is completely ruined by such a noisy PSU.

 

Now I returned both DP 13 units, I was looking at the new Seasonic vertex PX/GX lineup, but PX is not released anytime soon and in general I see a lot of negative feedback regarding fan noise with Seasonic units.

First video spotted of a Seasonic GX unit with 'noisy' fan:

I find it difficult to find a unit that fits my needs: Sillent, ATX3.0, >= 1000w

When I looked in the Cybenetics (atx v3.0) database, the FSP Hydro Ti Pro 1000W looks promising:
Cybenetics Labs – PSU Efficiency & Noise Level Certifications (Link to report is janky)

But I can't find much info about this unit, only this table with ready in Q4 22 on this page: FSP UNVEILS THE LATEST ATX 3.0 PSU RANGE READY TO HIT THE SHELVES SOON

 

Now I returned both DP 13 units, I was looking at the new Seasonic PX/GX lineup, but PX is not released anytime soon and in general I see a lot of negative feedback regarding fan noise with Seasonic units.

Forget the Seasonic PX, I have a PX-1300 and it is incredibly noisy when the fan is on under a "normal" gaming load. I measured ~ 34 dB measured two feet from the case.

I find it difficult to find a unit that fits my needs: Sillent, ATX3.0, >= 1000w

When I looked in the Cybenetics (atx v3.0) database, the FSP Hydro Ti Pro 1000W looks promising:

I am not familiar with the FSP but I am also looking at power supplies to replace the aforementioned noisy unit. My conclusion seems to be that the AX1600i is still the best PSU out there in terms of pretty much everything, including noise, in the class of high power PSUs. Not ATX3.0 officially but it can handle the mandated power excursions just fine and one can just get new cables for the new motherboard and GPU connectors. I will probably get one when I can find a good deal.

 

Same problem with three 1000w units I tested.

I also send my second tested unit back to Be Quiet - great customer service by the way, quick and efficient. They had GLS pick up the package directly from my home, then send me my replacement the next day after not even having received my package. (GLS picked up the package on a thursday, and I got my replacement delivered to me that monday)

They personally tested my replacement unit, and said it was good. Sadly the replacement had the exact same fan issue..


Dark Power 13 - Unit 1.mp4 - First unit I received, recorded with the fan up.

Dark Power 13 - Unit 2.mp4 - Second unit I received in it's normal position with the fan down.

Unit 3 - Hand tested replacement unit from Be Quiet, a little quieter, still not quiet enough.


They offered me to send it back again, which I declined.
Instead I took out the 'silent' wings fan, and replaced it with a NF-A14 Noctua fan.
It's a tight fit, and you have to route the cable out to connect it to the mobo, but it fits surprisingly well.
Too bad I had to go through so much trouble for the PSU to actually 'Be Quiet'.

Hopefully they can fix their next production batches. It's a shame for a brand like that to have, what is essentially a small issue in the production process, be such a let down for the product as a whole.

 

Same problem with three 1000w units I tested.

I also send my second tested unit back to Be Quiet - great customer service by the way, quick and efficient. They had GLS pick up the package directly from my home, then send me my replacement the next day after not even having received my package. (GLS picked up the package on a thursday, and I got my replacement delivered to me that monday)

They personally tested my replacement unit, and said it was good. Sadly the replacement had the exact same fan issue..


Dark Power 13 - Unit 1.mp4 - First unit I received, recorded with the fan up.

Dark Power 13 - Unit 2.mp4 - Second unit I received in it's normal position with the fan down.

New video by Johan Rozendaal - Hand tested replacement unit from Be Quiet, a little quieter, still not quiet enough.


They offered me to send it back again, which I declined.
Instead I took out the 'silent' wings fan, and replaced it with a NF-A14 Noctua fan.
It's a tight fit, and you have to route the cable out to connect it to the mobo, but it fits surprisingly well.
Too bad I had to go through so much trouble for the PSU to actually 'Be Quiet'.

Hopefully they can fix their next production batches. It's a shame for a brand like that to have, what is essentially a small issue in the production process, be such a let down for the product as a whole.

Sorry to hear that.
I am super interested in how you changed the fan as i have a 100% noctue build and would like my PSU to be as quiet as the rest of the system. Could you possibly describe how you mounted it? Did you screw it into the mesh on the inside or how did you fasten it?

 

How big Dark Power 13 units, and with which components/how much power draw are you guys using, that did the Noctua fan swap ?

And what fan speeds for the swapped fan ?

Thankfully going by the FSP Ti 1000W noise map graph above, the platform doesn't see to use the fan much on most loads, but it still needs some speed after 60% (~600W) , something like 550-600RPM for the NF-A14 at >30c room temp, and then ~900RPM after 800-850W at also >30c room temp.

With more cold room, maybe 2/3rds of the speeds or so.

 

How big Dark Power 13 units, and with which components/how much power draw are you guys using, that did the Noctua fan swap ?

13900k + 4090 with the 1000w DP13. Slight undervolt on both, no performance loss.

And what fan speeds for the swapped fan ?

20% = ~330 rpm
50% = ~770 rpm

 

Installed mine today. It has that same noise as you guys. Its somewhat dampened becouse it sits in a scroud so the noise has to go true one extra layer of metal and one layer of glass.
I will try and put something in between the scroud and psu that puts pressure on the psu chassi to dampen the resonance.. That might lower the noise-level hopefully..
Otherwise i will probably do the Noctua conversion.

 

If you just bought the unit wouldn't it be easier to just return it and buy another PSU that does not have this problem?

 

YESS! I fixed mine now. It was the resonace of the PSU chassi that made the noise so loud. Now i cant hear it at all at idle and my computer is almost dead silent normally with low rpm noctuas.
Used stacked eraser rubbers and then mounting the scroud on top putting pressure on the PSU chassi.

 

Thy for the reply. I saw a video of somwone who solved it by pressing on the chassis at the same spot. Maybe there is a litte gap inside the psu chassis at that point. Hope Bequiet will find a solution for that problem, as on my case its not so easy so do so.

 

delete

 

hello, I confirm, I have the same noise problem as you. I'm sending it right back. The Straight Power 11 1000W is inaudible. Dark Power 13 1000W is a failure!

 

same problem here, newly purchased dark power 12 850 watts, when i read all that i also would prefer to change the fan to a noctua version

@
DonDOOM

could you tell me which version of the NF-A14 Noctua fan you installed ?
amazon offers these versions: PWM (4pin), FLX (3pin), ULN (3pin), 5V PWM or 5V

+
did you test it on any benchmark tests so that the system has to provide full power for some time to see if it all is stable ?

 

same problem here, newly purchased dark power 12 850 watts, when i read all that i also would prefer to change the fan to a noctua version

@
DonDOOM

could you tell me which version of the NF-A14 Noctua fan you installed ?
amazon offers these versions: PWM (4pin), FLX (3pin), ULN (3pin), 5V PWM or 5V

+
did you test it on any benchmark tests so that the system has to provide full power for some time to see if it all is stable ?

Hey Bro, I really advice Straight Power 11 1000W plus additional 12VHPWR adapter from Be Quiet if You need.
By me this modell is noiseless and adapter is very good qualitet and works perfectly fine with rtx 4080

 

@
sigmundk
thanks for the advice, but if i look at the specs, i think the Straight Power 11 850 platinum might be even a bit more quiet than the 1000 watts platinum/gold solution or ?

 

First youtube Review i found which talks about the noise (in german)

He says that its hearable, but if gpu and co are running you can't hear it anymore. Thats exactly the problme here, as most games will not hear it, but if you use it for office workload in i quiet place its extremly annoying.

 

They got back to me and said the Pro series are coming in Q2 as 1300W and 1600W and improved the fan. Think ill wait for those, even though 1300W is a bit much.

The fans for the new series got improved and has an even smaller reclamations quote (<0.2%)

 

For me 1300W is too much. Which "new series" they meant? If they mean the new pro series, how can they say something about the reclamations quote if they are not available yet?

I will wait until the seasonic Vertex ist coming out. I ask the support and the plan to release the PX Series in late Q2 2023 (in Germany). Hope my 12 Years Powersupply will last long enough

 

The Dark Power 13 is now permanently unavailable at most big resellers in Germany. Reichelt, Cyberport, Alternate, etc.

Maybe a sign that they are fixing something?

Also, what does that big "EOL" banner on the DP13 product page mean? End Of Life?

DARK POWER 13 | 1000W leise high-end Netzteile von be quiet!

Legendär leiser Betrieb, High-End-Performance

www.bequiet.com

 

I think they are just sold out, because there is not much of an alternative out there at the moment. I can't see an EOL on your link. The thing is, that you will never search for noisy fan until you have one, so this will not lower the sales in most cases. And as we can see people with this problem get replacements that also have this problem. So i would say its not rare, what means that this is fine for most people, as otherwise the internet would be very unhappy.

 

Unfortuanly probably yes, alot of ppl probably dont care that much about how much noise their computer makes or mayby they dont make the connection that its the PSU that is making the noise. Mayby thinking its some other fan in the computer and dont investigate further. Some ppl might not feel like they want to send it back and be without the computer so they just live with it. Who knows.

 

Bad news... just got mine today and its rattling like a two-stroke. How is this even passing QC.

To me it sounds like a damaged bearing. Maybe from the transport? Or just really bad quality.

Support is informed, let's see what they offer.

 

Yes, this is exacly how its sounds.

 

My 10 year old ax760i started making that sound with it's fan but was a lot louder. Over the years I thought it was an issue with the with another fan in the case. I figured it would be easy to just replace the fan but i ended up contacting Corsair since it was still under the 10 year warranty. The process took an extremely long time. I had to included videos, invoices etc.

In the end they are sending my a brand new Corsair HX1000i. It's not ATX 3.0 or the Dark Power 13 but basically an upgrade.

 

It's not ATX 3.0

If it's the 2022 version of the HX1000I, it's ATX 3.0, just missing the cables

 

My "be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W" also has a quiet rattling noise.

Can someone verify if this is considered to be normal?
If, I am thinking about returning it.

 

My "be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W" also has a quiet rattling noise.

Can someone verify if this is considered to be normal?
If, I am thinking about returning it.

This is what everyone is hearing here as far as i know. No idea if its normal or not, but i do not like these noise and refunded mine.

 

be quiet! Dark Power 13 850W PSU Review - Impressive Efficiency, Dead Silent & Decent Performance - Hardware Busters

Hardware Busters - be quiet! Dark Power 13 850W PSU Review - Impressive Efficiency, Dead Silent & Decent Performance - PSUs

hwbusters.com

Improperly setup OCP values for Dark Power 13, oof

 

Found another review which mentions this "rattern"

be quiet! Dark Power 13 850W im Test: Lautstärke

be quiet! Dark Power 13 850W im Test: Lautstärke

www.computerbase.de

It looks like this fans are very inconsistent in terms of "Sound profile" On the higest load you can hear it very clearly in there sound examples from them. They mentioned that they already had Silent Wings 3 Fans that are in-audible on low rpm and they believe that there are some production differences. That said, they think its still okay and overall a silent PSU.

These noises seems to be normal, but if you are lucky you get a PSU that its unhearable on low rpm.

 

Thanks for the informations, hope they will rethink there design and give the PSU a Fanlessmode. Or add two fans to the Dark Power 14, one for low power and one for high power usage. Its not a cheap psu and i not bougth it, because i want to spend no money. I just want a silent PSU for my office work, with enough power to feed my zeroRPM RX7900. I'am aware that the Seasonic PX850W, which i will buy as replaycement, is a lot louder, but it has zero rpm mode and it will make no noises if i'am only whatching Youtube (at least i hope so ;-)).

I hoped that they say, they will "fix" it and i just need to wait, because i liked the PSU otherwise.

 

I'm aware that the Seasonic PX850W, which I will buy as replacement, is a lot louder, but it has zero rpm mode

If you haven't already, Fractal's Ion+ 2 860W may be worth a look as an 850 W platinum alternative. Also zero RPM, same price (where I am) as the PX-850, with a quieter fan curve. Haven't personally built one but I've used the Ion+ 2 660W.

XPG Cybercore 1000W's a little higher priced but is another quiet platinum I've built which has fan stop and offers a more recent platform than the Focus or Ion+ 2.