Review: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

by Parm Mann on 10 April 2018, 12:00

Tags: be-quiet

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadrt7

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Conclusion

...the fans are practically silent when idle or barely audible under load, and overall build quality is up to be quiet!'s usual high standard

be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro 3 was an excellent cooler with one annoying proviso in that it was painful to install. It has taken a while for that to be rectified, but Dark Rock Pro 4 is a case of better late than never.

Adopting the familiar dual-tower form factor, with a pair of high-quality SilentWings fans saddling the aluminium fans, the cooler offers the same stylish all-black aesthetic, but now benefits from a top-mounted installation mechanism that is far easier to get to grips with.

Cooling performance is excellent on a modern, overclocked chip, the fans are practically silent when idle or barely audible under load, and overall build quality is up to be quiet!'s usual high standard. The size of the heatsink is such that memory compatibility could be an issue, and the small amount of bundled thermal paste feels stingy, but that's about it for our brief list of gripes.

Bottom line: our buying advice for a high-end CPU cooler is still pretty straight forward. Those wanting to take the liquid route can choose from numerous all-in-one solutions, while those who prefer an air cooler that isn't beige should probably choose the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4.

The Good
  
The Bad
Excellent cooling performance
Sleek all-black aesthetic
Practically silent most of the time
Vastly improved installation
Solid build quality throughout
  
Only a small amount of bundled paste
Might foul your memory modules



be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

HEXUS.where2buy*

The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU cooler is available to order from Scan Computers.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.


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HEXUS Forums :: 11 Comments

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Posted by Jonj1611 - Tue 10 Apr 2018 13:09
Why no Noctua's in these tests?
Posted by Xlucine - Tue 10 Apr 2018 13:51
I'd appreciate seeing one of the cheaper coolers (like one of the arctic ones). Arctic offered good value last time they were on the hexus bench (2.5 years ago), it'd be nice to see if they've held up their quality
Posted by mers - Tue 10 Apr 2018 13:53
Totally agree Noctua d14 is about the same price. Air cooled should be compared to just air cooled anyway. Leave the liquid cooled to compare to each other , seems more logical in my book. Also on any comparison items should be based on similar price range as well , seen on some sites products compared where one or two is twice the cost of item being reviewed , totally wrong.
Posted by darcotech - Tue 10 Apr 2018 14:06
I like the look of this cooler, black and no LEDs.
But I need one for Threadripper.

Anyone have good suggestions in the same price range?
Silence being the most important for me (not overclocking a lot).
Posted by ksdp37 - Tue 10 Apr 2018 14:08
Jonj1611
Why no Noctua's in these tests?

Exactly. After the opening statement praising Noctua, you go and use a Coolmermaster one instead! Really??

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