The Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 CPU Cooler Review: When Less Is More

Final month we took a have a look at Be Quiet’s Darkish Rock Elite, the corporate’s flagship CPU tower air cooler. The RGB LED-equipped cooler proved flashy in additional methods than one, however true to its nature as a flagship product, it additionally carried a $115 price ticket to match. Which is definitely not unearned, but it surely makes the Elite exhausting to justify when pairing it with extra mainstream CPUs, particularly as these chips do not throw off the identical chart-topping ranges of warmth as their flagship counterparts.

Recognizing the restricted viewers for a $100+ cooler, Be Quiet! can also be providing what is actually a downmarket model of that cooler with the Darkish Rock Professional 5. Using the identical fundamental heatsink design because the Darkish Rock Elite as its base, the Darkish Rock Professional 5 cuts again on a few of the bells and whistles which can be discovered on the flagship Elite so as to promote at a lower cost whereas nonetheless serving as a high-end cooler. Amongst these adjustments are eliminating the RGB lighting, and utilizing easy wire fan mounts rather than the Elite’s nifty rails. The top result’s that it permits the Darkish Rock Professional 5 to hit a notably lower cost level of $80, placing it inside the budgets of extra system builders, and making it a extra sensible pairing general with mainstream CPUs.

However maybe a very powerful facet of all is an easy one: cooling efficiency. What does the Darkish Rock Professional 5 hand over in cooling efficiency so as to hit its lower cost tag? As we’ll see on this evaluate, the reply to that’s “surprisingly little,” making the Darkish Rock Professional 5 a really attention-grabbing selection for mid-to-high finish CPUs. Notably for system builders on the lookout for an particularly quiet CPU cooler.

Packaging & Bundle

The Be Quiet! Darkish Rock Professional 5 is offered within the model’s attribute modern black cardboard packaging, a constant design theme throughout their product line. The packaging is unassuming, offering important particulars concerning the cooler and features a QR code on the facet for entry to extra in-depth info. Its strong development, complemented by further cardboard inserts, ensures the security of the cooler throughout delivery.

Upon unboxing, the Darkish Rock Professional 5’s packaging revealed the important mounting {hardware} and clear directions, epitomizing Be Quiet!’s easy packaging philosophy. This strategy prioritizes core elements with out pointless additions. The supplied mounting {hardware} helps a broad spectrum of CPU sockets, rendering the Darkish Rock Professional 5 appropriate with a number of Intel (1700 / 1200 / 115x ) and AMD (AM5 / AM4) processors. Moreover, Be Quiet! thoughtfully features a lengthy screwdriver to facilitate simple set up of the cooler.

The Be Quiet! Darkish Rock Professional 5 CPU Cooler

The Darkish Rock Professional 5 distinguishes itself inside its class by means of a considerable tower CPU cooler design. It incorporates seven high-performance 6 mm copper warmth pipes, designed to effectively switch warmth from the bottom to the twin expansive fin arrays. The cooler’s peak is a notable 168 mm (6.4 inches), making its compatibility a consideration even for bigger ATX circumstances. Moreover, the Darkish Rock Professional 5 weighs just below 1.3 kg, a hefty weight that all-but-requires eradicating the cooler from a system earlier than transporting it to keep away from potential harm.

Left: Darkish Rock Professional 5 / Proper: Darkish Rock Elite

A key function of the Darkish Rock Professional 5 is its distinctive black coating embedded with ceramic particles. This coating not solely enhances the cooler’s aesthetic however can also be theorized to enhance warmth switch effectivity. Whereas the particular impression on warmth switch capabilities is just not verified, the standard of the coating is plain, overlaying virtually the whole lot of the cooler and contributing to its modern, trendy look. This specialised coating serves a sensible objective as properly, defending the copper elements from oxidation and thus preserving the cooler’s look over time.

The fundamental designs of the Darkish Rock Professional 5 and the Darkish Rock Elite are fairly related general. However there are just a few key variations between them to make them distinct merchandise – options that did not make the reduce from the Elite to permit the Professional 5 to hit a lower cost tag. First off, the entrance fan dimension of the Darkish Rock Professional 5 is 120 mm, versus the bigger 135 mm fan of the Darkish Rock Elite. The retaining mechanism for these followers can also be only a easy wire mechanism this time round, fairly than the fancier rail system employed within the Darkish Rock Elite. Although to make certain, the set up peak of the fan can nonetheless be adjusted with the Darkish Rock Professional 5, simply not as merely and easily because the rail design permits. And at last, relating to aesthetics, the Darkish Rock Professional 5 doesn’t incorporate the RGB lighting discovered on its premium sibling.

On the consumption facet of the Darkish Rock Professional 5, the fins are strategically recessed, a design selection geared toward decreasing turbulence noise. This successfully cuts down on the noise generated by the cooler whereas nonetheless preserving its airflow effectivity. Equally, the fins close to the middle fan on each side are additionally barely recessed, additional aiding in noise discount. The fins on the exhaust facet show an uneven design, probably carried out to boost aerodynamic efficiency, thus bettering air circulation and warmth dissipation. Moreover, the decrease a part of the fin arrays is deliberately shortened, guaranteeing compatibility with VRM heatsinks discovered on quite a lot of motherboards. Whereas this alteration barely diminishes the warmth switch floor space, it significantly enhances the cooler’s compatibility with totally different motherboard layouts and configurations, reaching a stability between effectivity and flexibility.

The bottom of the Darkish Rock Professional 5 is extra complicated than customary tower cooler designs. Be Quiet! has crafted the bottom to perform as a miniature heatsink. Though this won’t result in a considerable efficiency enhance, it aids in dissipating a specific amount of thermal power, barely enhancing the cooler’s general effectivity. The warmth pipes of the cooler make direct contact with the CPU shim, optimizing warmth switch. In contrast to some fashions, it doesn’t include a pre-applied thermal pad, however the nickel-plated base is designed for compatibility with high-performance thermal compounds, together with liquid metallic thermal greases. This strategy, whereas requiring extra cautious software, permits for superior thermal conductivity, catering to fans preferring customizing their thermal interface materials.

A defining function of the Darkish Rock Professional 5 is its Silent Wings PWM followers, that are a trademark of Be Quiet!’s give attention to quiet efficiency. These followers are built-in with superior motors and airflow-optimized blades, guaranteeing environment friendly warmth dissipation. Their operation velocity varies relying on the mode chosen, with a most velocity of 2000/1700 RPM (120/135 mm fan) in efficiency mode. Setting the followers in quiet mode reduces their most velocity all the way down to 1500/1300 RPM respectively. Customers can simply swap the cooler’s mode by way of a bodily swap discovered beneath the magnetic prime cowl of the cooler – nevertheless, we propose setting the cooler at efficiency mode and adjusting the habits of the followers by way of software program/BIOS settings, which doesn’t set a tough restrict on the cooler’s potential.