INTRODUCTION

   At the beginning of each summer we always try to test CPU Cooler models that we haven't had the chance to do so earlier but this year we decided to focus more on testing various portable devices such as wireless speakers, action cameras, headsets and battery packs that could improve the experience of your long awaited summer vacations. However it is now that most of you are out in the market looking to get a brand new CPU Cooler to keep your systems running smoothly and so although we have uploaded low-profile CPU Cooler reviews as promised a while back (plenty more to come) we also need to focus on the higher performance models as well. One of those models is the tower design Dark Rock 3 by be quiet! and after several hours of extensive tests we can finally bring this review to you.

   be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC. be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany for five consecutive years *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions. be quiet! is awarded for five times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-known German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” underline the high acceptance of our products. be quiet! sticks to its name: Ten years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed Silent Wings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation - our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation. If you choose be quiet! you can be sure to get premium quality and second to none silent operation from the quietness experts.

   The Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler follows the traditional tower design we see with most high performance models nowadays but unlike its massive dual-heatsink/fan (135mm/120mm) brother the Dark Rock Pro 3 it features but a single heatsink paired with a 135mm SilentWings fan. Of course the smaller size has a significant impact on the cooling efficiency of the unit something which you can easily see just by looking at the thermal design power numbers of both the Dark Rock 3 and the Dark Rock Pro 3 (190W vs 250W) but at the same time a smaller size automatically means less or no clearance issues whatsoever with mainboard components and/or ram modules. To partially make up for that hit in performance be quiet! has also placed a small heatsink ontop of the copper base and although i don't expect it to do much to improve the performance of the cooler it certainly can't hurt. So how does it really compare to its larger brother and against its current competition?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Once again a large product image is placed at the front of the box right above the advertised TDP and some of the unit’s features.

Be Quiet! describes the Dark Rock 3 in 5 different languages on both sides of the box.

Three images at the rear of the box placed above and next to the specifications table are used to showcase the features of the cooler and the technology used in the SilentWings fan.

The Dark Rock 3 is placed between 3 pieces of foam while the rest of the bundle is placed inside a cardboard box.

Aside the Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler inside the box you will also find a thermal paste tube, backplate, installation instructions, two extra fan mounting clips and all the necessary mounting hardware needed for installation on Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 compatible mainboards.

THE DARK ROCK 3

Although the Dark Rock 3 is a single heatsink model it's still quite large and measures 160mm in height, 137mm in width and 97mm in length with a weight of 976g.

The 135mm SilentWings fluid dynamic bearing fan can spin up to 1400RPM to produce up to 67.8CFM of airflow with just 21.1dBA of noise.

The heatsink is made by a total of 51 dark nickel plated aluminum fins.

Thanks to the wave-contour design there's increased air circulation between the fins.

Be quiet! has placed their logo on a brushed aluminum plate with a diamond-cut finish at the top.

Six 6mm dark nickel plated all-copper heatpipes leave the base of the cooler and pass through all of the fins.

This small heatsink placed at the top is a new addition to the Dark Rock series (as far as i recall) and although it shouldn't be enough to make a significant performance impact it may actually help.

The base is flat and comes with a nice mirror like finish.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   I've had the pleasure of testing the entire Dark Rock line through the years and i can't recall a single CPU Cooler of that line that failed to deliver what was advertised so that along speaks volumes about be quiet! as a company. Of course nowadays the competition is quite fierce since almost every single manufacturer out there (new and old) makes coolers based on large and even dual heatsinks but aside performance be quiet! products have two aces up their sleeves most others don't, low noise levels and excellent build quality. That being said the Dark Rock 3 may not be as good as its massive brother the Dark Rock Pro 3 but on one hand it's not really that far behind while on the other it takes up less space and is less audible.

   As we speak the be quiet! Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler retails for USD74.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 67Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price that puts it roughly USD20/20Euros beneath its larger brother the Dark Rock Pro 3 model. Normally that would be a problem since the Dark Rock Pro 3 model features an extra 120mm fan and is larger (thus the extra price is well justified) but since it's not really that much better in terms of performance i see very little reason for the majority of consumers to choose that over the Dark Rock 3. Overall be quiet! has once again released a high quality performance cooler that's almost inaudible even under heavy load and those are more than enough for it to get our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Size
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- Ability to Add An 2nd Fan
- Noise Levels

CONS

- None