Twelve CPU Air Cooler Roundup
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
The Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 is a large twin tower CPU cooler that features dual PWM Silent Wings fans. The Dark Rock Pro 3 can be installed on many motherboards all the way back to Intel 775.
| Model | Dark Rock Pro 3 |
| Overall dimensions without mounting material (L x W x H), (mm) | 150 x 137 x 163 |
| Total weight (kg) | 1.197 |
| TDP (W) | 250 |
| Socket compatibility | Intel: LGA 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011AMD: 754 / 939 / 940 / AM2(+) / AM3 (+) / FM1 / FM2 (+) |
| Fan model, number | be quiet! quality fan |
| Anti vibration fan fixing | – |
| Overall noise level (dB(A)) @ 50/75/100% (rpm) | 13.2/19.5/26.1 |
| Dimensions (L x W x D), (mm) | 123 x 133 x 163 |
| Number of fins | 90 |
| Fin material | Aluminum |
| Base material | Copper |
| CPU contact surface | CNC Machined |
| Heatpipe number, Diameter (mm) | 7 / 6 |
| Fan dimensions (mm) | 135 x 135 x 22/120 x 120 x 25 |
| +SilentWings | Y |
| Speed @ 100% PWM (rpm) | 1400/1700 |
| Airflow @ 12V (cfm, m3/h) | 67.8, 113.8; 57.2, 93.3 |
| Air Pressure @ 12V (mm H2O) | 2.1/1.23 |
| Bearing Type | Fluid Dynamic Bearing |
| Motor Technology | – |
| Rated Voltage (V) | 12 |
| Input current (A) | 0.11/0.20 |
| Input Power (W) | 1.56/2.40 |
| Connector | 4-pin PWM |
| Cable length (mm) | 200mm (135mm); 250mm (120mm) |
| Lifespan (h /25°C) | 300,000 |
| Thermal grease (g) | 1 |
| Backplate mounting set | Y |
| User manual languages | DE,EN,FR,ES,PL |
| Warranty (Years) | 3 |
| International hotline/free of charge | Y |
| Article Number | BK019 |
| Range | Dark Rock |
| EAN Code | 4260052183625 |
| Dimensions, package (L x W x D), (mm) | 210 x 180 x 205 |
| Gross weight, package (kg) | 1.62 |
| Pieces per packaging unit | 8 |
| Dimensions, shipping box (L x W x D), (mm) | 460 x 560 x 428 |
| Gross weight, shipping box (kg) | 21.13 |
| MSRP (USD) | 79.00 |
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The packaging for the Dark Rock Pro 3 is very simple. The subdued colors work well. The packaging clearly shows the product on the front as well as the cooling capacity; while the back shows a line art drawing of the cooler and lists out the features and specifications.
The installation kit included with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 is very complete and will contain all the brackets, screws and connectors to get the CPU cooler situation on the motherboard.
The Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 is a large cooler. Measuring in at 123x137x163mm. The CPU cooler comes with rubber strips to isolate vibration noise from the fans pre-installed.
The CPU cooler features 90 aluminum fins. The fins are spaced to allow good airflow through the cooler. The arrangement of the heatpipes are supposed to enhance cooling.
The profile of the fins is not flat. The variation of depth in the fins is done to decrease wind noise as well as step up cooling.
The CPU Cooler is a dual tower design. There are multiple fan arrangements that can be used with this cooler and the installation kit comes with an extra set of wire fan clips to add a total of three fans to the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3.
The base of the Dark Rock Pro 3 is highly machined to a mirror finish. Very minor machining marks are visible in the surface of the base. The heatpipes are soldered into the base to improve thermal conductivity from the base to the heatpipes.
The reflection of the 1cm grid shows that except for the extreme edges of the CPU cooler the base is flat. The edges where the distortion is present is well away from the IHS of the CPU and should not hinder cooling performance.
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Two fans are included with the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3. a 120mm fan and a 135mm fan. Each fan is part of the Silent Wings series from Be Quiet. The Silent Wings series of fans bring the highest airflow/lowest noise ratio available.
The blades of the Silent Wings fan feature channels that run the width of the blades. This is designed to keep noise to a minimum when running. The fans also feature a fluid dynamic bearing to ensure long life as well as continuing to keep the low noise profile well into the life of the fan.
Installation of the Dark Rock Pro 3 is exactly the same as the Shadow Rock two. The back plate and CPU cooler need to be assembled. The retention brackets on the CPU cooler should be assembled as shown above.
Once the base and the back plate have been assembled install the CPU cooler onto the motherboard. The CPU cooler is secured by aligning the screws with each of the stand offs on the four corners of the retention brackets and turning the screws on the back side of the back plate.
With the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 the first memory slot is blocked from using tall memory. Our Kingston HyperX Beast kit could not be installed into the first slot. The fan does overhang the other three memory slots on our 1150 board but can be adjusted up to accommodate taller modules.
The Be Quiet! Dark Rock 3 is installed and ready to go. The 120mm fan does come with an integrated PWM splitter which the 135mm fan plugs into.
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