The Dark Rock Pro 5 is the latest air cooler from the manufacturer be quiet!. Featuring 7 heat pipes, 2 PWM fans and a performance mode switch, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is the next evolution of near-silent air coolers. Aiming for the perfect balance of silence and cooling efficiency, the Dark Rock Pro 5 has much to offer.
Built as an alternative to liquid cooling, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is designed for compatibility with AMD AM5/AM4 sockets and Intel 1700/1200/1150/1151/1155 sockets giving you a variety of options for the last two generations of motherboards to work with. Opting for an AMD motherboard for this build, mounting and installing the Dark Rock Pro 5 is a fairly straightforward affair.
Comprised of two removable Silent Wing PWM (pulse width modulation) fans and two large heat syncs, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is an interesting cooler to assemble. Using the included AMD brackets (Intel Brackets also provided), the Dark Rock Pro 5 mounts to the motherboard with the fans removed making it easy to reach and tighten screws. Once mounted the front fan clips in place easily. Likewise, the center fan which sits between the two heat syncs slides into place perfectly.
To lock everything in place, be quiet! has included a top plate that covers the whole assembly. This plate is held in place not by screws but rather by small click-in inserts that rely on tension from the heat syncs to remain in place. Once fastened the whole assembly remains secure without concern.
“Built as an alternative to liquid cooling, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is designed for compatibility with AMD AM5/AM4 sockets and Intel 1700/1200/1150/1151/1155 sockets giving you a variety of options for the last two generations of motherboards to work with.”
The only critique of the design has to do with the tension design for the top plate. When assembling the unit the heat syncs look bent as they are slightly offset. This is part of the design thankfully and when flexed slightly to accommodate the top plate creates a tension point that helps hold it all in place. It can be a bit misleading when first working with the unit but once assembled looks and fits together perfectly.
Another note to make on design is the sheer size of the Dark Rock Pro 5. Measuring 5.7” L x 5.35” W x 6.6” H the Dark Rock Pro 56 consumes a lot of real estate on your motherboard. Thankfully the heat sync is specifically cut out and designed to accommodate RAM and other heat syncs on the motherboard. It is worth noting though that even with the robust depth of the Darkbase 701 case (check out the review here) there isn’t a whole lot of clearance on the top of the cooler. As such I recommend using a case with at least 10” of width to allow for proper clearance.
As for performance, be quiet! has worked hard to produce an impressively cool and quiet air cooler. The 7 heat pipe system is supported by both a dual heat sync and dual fan system. Addressing the former, the unique design of the heat sync is a signature of be quiet! who have a history of building impressively efficient cooling systems. Most notable in the design are the unique cutouts mentioned earlier that not only make installation easier but also provide additional airflow for better cooling.
As for the fans, be quiet! again leverages their signature Silent Wings fans that are also present in the aforementioned Darkbase 701 case. The version of the silent Wings fans selected for the Dark Rock Pro 5 are intentionally designed for both better air pressure and reduced vibration.
The former is achieved by reducing the overall clearance between the blade tip and the frame leaving less room for air loss and a tighter, more compressed pressure zone for air to pass through. As the more intense air pressure is passed over the heat sync the rubberized, re-inforced frame can nullify vibration noise to near silent operation.
The Dark Rock Pro 5 also comes equipped with a two-phase RPM switch allowing for manual speed thresholds. Known as Quiet Mode and Performance Mode, the switch allows the user to limit the RPM speed down to 1500 or unlock it to 2000. Quiet mode is exactly as advertised. When running the cooler is nearly silent with no notable vibration noise and very little noise produced from air pushing through the system. More impressive though is that even when in performance mode the system’s overall noise levels are still barely noticeable.
“Offering impressive results both in noise reduction and cooling, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is an excellent air cooler alternative.”
As mentioned the Silent Wings Fans are PWM (pulse width modulation) enabled. This essentially means that the fans can alter their RPMs and airflow management on the fly to better accommodate desired CPU temperatures. It offers two levels of control over the fan, the first being the ability to power on and off the fan as needed and the second regulating power to the fan to increase or decrease the fan’s RPMs as needed.
The result is an impressively efficient and cool system. In testing, the Dark Rock Pro 5 handled stress tests quite well. In both Performance and Quiet Modes the cooler had no issue maintaining solid operational temperatures and is exceptionally quick to bring the temperatures back to the low 30℃ after completing taxing tasks. The best part is that even while running the stress tests the system’s overall noise level was quite low when compared to the liquid cooler that was installed previously.
I’ve historically been a liquid cooler advocate thanks to their consistent cooling and overall low noise levels. However, the Dark Rock Pro 5 has changed my opinion and expectations of what an air cooler is capable of, offering an effective alternative that produces the results I’d expect from a liquid cooler. With similar cooling results, be quiet! Has effectively altered my opinion on liquid coolers vs air coolers and that, I can assure you is no small feat.
The Dark Rock Pro 5 air cooler from be quiet! is an exceptionally efficient and quiet air cooler solution. While the sheer size of the unit is something to take into consideration when planning your build the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Offering impressive results both in noise reduction and cooling, the Dark Rock Pro 5 is an excellent air cooler alternative.
- Dark Rock Pro 5 features 7 high-performance copper heat pipes and a special black coating with ceramic particles. This high-end CPU cooler achieves low temperatures even during periods of peak CPU performance in heavily overclocked systems.
- The 2 Silent Wings PWM fans feature advanced fluid-dynamic bearings, smooth 6-pole motors and airflow-optimized fan blades. The front fan provides extremely high air pressure, thanks to a funnel-shaped air inlet in the frame. The decoupled fan mounting with vibration-isolating elements on the heat sink reduces noise-generating turbulence.
