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be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W vs MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5: Comparison
be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W vs MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5: the wattage difference
Wattage is where these two genuinely part company, be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W 1000 W against MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 1600 W, a 38% lead for MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5.
Who each one is for
Buy the be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W for anyone who wants fully modular cabling with native 12V-2x6 support and systems where a 10-year warranty and Titanium-tier efficiency matter, though it is not the pick for builds needing more than 1000W of continuous headroom and buyers who need the smallest possible SFX/SFX-L footprint. It is equally the pick for builders targeting an RTX 4080/4090 or RTX 5080/5090-class high-end gaming build. Take the MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 for Multi-GPU workstation builds and the most extreme overclocking setups. This is specifically the tier where 1600W of headroom is genuinely used rather than wasted. The same goes for buyers who want the highest available efficiency tier for a system running under continuous heavy load. Titanium efficiency's benefit compounds significantly at this scale of power delivery. It is the wrong buy for the overwhelming majority of gaming or even flagship single-GPU builds. The MSI MPG A1000GS PCIE5 II or Corsair RM1000x, both covered elsewhere on this site, already comfortably exceed what a single current flagship GPU and CPU pairing needs.
be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W vs MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 price
Cost splits them too. be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W sits at $350, MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 at $500, 43% more.
Frequently asked questions
Do the be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W and MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 differ on pcie 8-pin connectors?
Yes. PCIe 8-pin Connectors reads 4 on the be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W versus 9 on the MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5.
Is the Modularity the same on the be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W and MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5?
It is. Both are listed at Fully Modular, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- be quiet!
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- MSI
Wattage
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 1000 W-37%
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 1600 WBest
80 PLUS Rating
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Titanium
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- Titanium
Model Number
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Dark Power 13 1000W
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
ATX Standard
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- ATX 3.1
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- ATX 3.1
Form Factor
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- ATX
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- ATX
Cybenetics Noise
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- A+
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- A+
12V-2x6 Connectors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 1-50%
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 2
Hold-Up Time
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 23.2 ms
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 17 ms-27%
Sleeved Cables
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Yes
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- No
PCIe 8-pin Connectors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 4-56%
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 9
Connector Count
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 1x 24-pin ATX, 1x EPS 4+4, 1x EPS 8-pin, 1x 12V-2x6 (600W), 4x PCIe 6+2-pin, 13x SATA, 2x Molex
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 1x 24-pin ATX, 2x EPS 4+4, 2x 12V-2x6 (600W each), 9x PCIe 6+2-pin, 8x SATA, 8x Molex
Fan Size
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 135 mm
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 135 mm
Fan Model / Bearing
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 135mm Silent Wings (BQ SIW3-13525-HF), fluid dynamic bearing
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 135mm double ball bearing fan
OEM / Platform
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- FSP
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- CWT
Japanese Capacitors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Yes
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- Yes
EPS 8-pin Connectors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 2
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 2
SATA Connectors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 13
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 8
Molex Connectors
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 2
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 8
Cable Lengths
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- ATX 600mm, EPS 700mm, PCIe 600mm, 12V-2x6 600mm, SATA 600+150+150+150mm
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- ATX 610mm, EPS 700mm, PCIe 750mm, SATA 900mm
Length
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 175 mm
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 190 mm
Colour
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Black
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- Black
Fan Bearing
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Fluid Dynamic
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- Ball
MTBF
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 100000 hours
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 100000 hours
Modularity
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- Fully Modular
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- Fully Modular
Protections
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- OTP, OCP, OPP, SCP, OVP, UVP, SIP
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- OCP, OVP, OPP, SCP, OTP, UVP, SIP, NLO
Price
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 349.99 USD
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 499.99 USD
Warranty
- be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
- 10 years-17%
- MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
- 12 yearsBest
Which one should you pick?
Choose be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W if you want the higher Hold-Up time (23.2 ms vs 17 ms) and the higher MTBF (100000 hours vs 100000 hours).
Choose MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 if you want the higher wattage (1600 W vs 1000 W), the higher 12V-2x6 connectors (2 vs 1) and the higher PCIe 8-pin connectors (9 vs 4).
Price comparison
| Retailer | be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W | MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $349.99 View on Amazon | |
| Consumercarts listing | $499.99 View on Consumercarts listing |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W
9.3 / 10 Expert Rating
A best-in-class 1000W Titanium-rated ATX unit for an RTX 4080/4090 or RTX 5080/5090-class high-end gaming build, held back only by its premium price.
MSI MEG Ai1600T PCIE5
9.4 / 10 Expert Rating
An exceptional but niche 1600W Titanium flagship, the right call only for multi-GPU workstations and extreme overclocking builds that genuinely need this much continuous headroom.