be quiet! Dark Rock 4 Air Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. The Installation Process4. Testing Methodology5. Performance and Comparisons6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

be quiet! has built an excellent reputation for its air coolers over the years, with previous models in the Dark Rock series boasting impressive thermal performance as well as low noise levels. The downside, however, has always been the unnecessarily fiddly installation method which surely must have put off many a potential buyer. With its new Dark Rock 4, be quiet! is hoping to provide the excellent performance we have come to expect, but with a much easier installation process.

With its MSRP of £64.99, the be quiet! Dark Rock 4 is certainly not a cheap cooler, nor is it unreasonably expensive. With an included 135mm Silent Wings fan, as well as the familiar black aluminium heatsink, can this cooler do enough to standout in a crowded market?

Cooler specification

• Dimensions, incl fan: 159 x 136 x 96 mm
• Weight, incl fan: 920g
• Heat sink material: Aluminium
• Socket compatibility: Intel®: 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011(-3) Square ILM / 2066. AMD™: AM2(+) / AM3(+) / AM4 / FM1 / FM2(+)
• Maximum power capacity: 200 TDP
• Number of heatpipes: 6
• Diameter of heatpipes: 6mm
• Noise level at 50%, 75%, 100%: 10.5 / 15.6 / 21.4 dBa

Fan specification:

• Type: Silent Wings PWM
• Dimensions: 135 x 135 x 22 mm
• Motor technology: 6-pole
• Bearing type: FDB
• Fan speed @ 100% PWM: 1400 RPM
• Input current: 0.11A
• Connector: 4-pin PWM
• Lifespan: 300,000h
• Accessories:  Thermal grease, mounting set for Intel® and AMD™, User manual (EN, DE, FR, PL, ES, RU)

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