The Dark Rock 5 is a new addition to be quiet!’s renowned Dark Rock series, designed for users who demand powerful cooling with minimal noise. As an improvement over its predecessors, this model boasts enhanced thermal performance, better airflow management, and refined build quality. It caters to high-performance setups, keeping even power-hungry CPUs cool while operating quietly—ideal for gamers, content creators, and anyone with a powerful system. This review will dive into its sleek design, streamlined installation, and impressive performance under load.
Unboxing
The be quiet! Dark Rock 5 comes in familiar packaging with printed details about the cooler’s features and specifications on the back and sides. The packaging and included items align with be quiet!’s commitment to providing a comprehensive installation experience.
Inside, you’ll find the Dark Rock 5 itself, an installation guide, a fan mount bracket, a 120mm Silent Wings 4 PWM fan, mounting brackets for Intel and AMD sockets, thermal paste, and a Philips screwdriver.
The be quiet! Dark Rock 5 features a sturdy, all-black aluminum heatsink and nickel-plated heat pipes, giving it a sleek, premium appearance. A magnetic mesh cap on top hides the heat pipes, providing a tidy finish.
The included Silent Wings 4 fan, with airflow-optimized blades, is designed for quiet, vibration-free operation. Every aspect, from the solid heat pipes to the high-quality fins, reflects robust build quality, ensuring effective heat dissipation and a professional look that complements most setups.
Installing the Dark Rock 5 is relatively straightforward. It uses a secure mounting system compatible with Intel and AMD sockets, though fitting it on an AMD AM4 system requires slight adjustments. The fan clips are easy to attach, and with pre-applied thermal paste, the process is manageable for most builders.
Test System Setup
Our testing system, outlined below, offers a controlled environment to evaluate the Dark Rock 5’s thermal performance at idle and under full load. We focused on CPU temperature and noise levels across different workloads to see how well the cooler handles current Intel and AMD processors. This approach provided a comprehensive view of the Dark Rock 5’s capability to maintain optimal thermal levels and low noise even with high-performance CPUs, making it a solid choice for modern setups that demand efficient cooling and quiet operation.
| CPU |
|
| Motherboard |
|
| Memory | Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 RGB 6400MHz (16GB x2) |
| Graphics Card | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master M2000 Platinum |
| Primary Storage | Kingston KC3000 2TB |
| CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock 5 |
| Chassis | Streacom Open Benchtable BC1 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64bit (24H2) |
*Testing was conducted in an environment with an ambient temperature of 28°C .
The be quiet! Dark Rock 5 excels in managing high thermal demands with its 210W TDP rating, efficiently cooling powerful processors like the Intel Core i9 at a power limit of 170W. It maintains optimal temperatures even with the Intel Core Ultra 200S series and performs well with mid-tier models like the Ryzen 5 and Core i5, achieving peak load temperatures of 90°C.
Additionally, its Silent Wings 4 fan operates quietly, thanks to optimized low-RPM performance and rubberized mounts, ensuring near-silent operation during light tasks and only moderate noise under heavy loads. This makes the Dark Rock 5 an ideal choice for users seeking effective cooling without compromising on noise levels.
Final Thoughts
The be quiet! Dark Rock 5 combines a sleek design, solid build quality, and effective cooling, making it an excellent choice for enthusiasts upgrading to mid-range CPUs like the Intel Core i5 and AMD Ryzen 5. It excels at managing CPU heat during heavy loads as long as it’s within the 210W limit while maintaining excellent acoustic performance, catering to users who desire a quiet system.
However, it’s worth taking note that as a single-tower cooler, the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 may not be sufficient if you plan to overclock the CPU. For high-end CPUs, such as the Intel Core i9, Ultra 9, and AMD Ryzen 9, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is a much better option.
