KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
To test the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro we used an Asus Crosshair V Formula motherboard combined with an AMD Athlon II X4 635 Processor. For our overclocked results, the CPU was clocked to 3.56 GHz using a baseclock of 245 MHz. This processor is locked so we used the standard multiplier of 14.5x with a core voltage of 1.5V.
Test System
Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 635
Motherboard: Asus Crosshair V Formula
Memory: 4 GB (2x 2GB) Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3 1600MHz
Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3
Graphics Card: HIS Radeon 5550 Silence
Chassis: Enermax Hoplite
For our temperature tests we set both fans to maximum and loaded the system for 15 minutes using Prime 95. We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording temperatures. Room temperature was maintained at 20 degrees Celsius for the duration of the tests.
The Dark Rock Advanced let us achieve a decent overclock with the Athlon II 635 processor and produced good temperatures all round. We dare say there is room in this cooler for a bigger bump in voltage although this may affect the longevity of your CPU.
In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans so we are just taking into account the noise generated by the cooler fan itself. The Dark Rock Advanced proved too quiet for our noise level meter, though, emitting less than the 30 dBA minimum sensitivity when at maximum speed. It is quieter still in PWM mode! This means the cooler is very quiet and isn't audible at all over the other fans in our system when they are switched on.
They really are some of the best looking coolers on the market.
I have this cooler and its fantastic. I use it on a 2600k and I run it with a moderate overclock. the noise is superb. thats why I bought it. good review Henry
Excellent looking cooler. THey should do a giant one like the D14…… with their quiet fans. id buy it
After about 5 minutes of BIOS buildup tweaking, I got my Phenom II x4 955 to 4GHz and it idles at 28-30C and stays at 45-46C under 100% load.
This cooler is amazing!
going from my old PC where the temperatures range from 44C(idle)-60C(load) (using the same 955 CPU + stock cooler)
The new build uses the antec 300 case with 5 fans if anyone is interested
I am sure this cooler is brilliant on most rigs, however i dont think i can get it sitting right with my 990fx asrock board. my fx8120 hits 62/63c easily under load which indicates to me its not cooling properly. the cooler plate is still cold and before i put some better thermal paste on my cpu was hitting 70c on prime95.