BeQuiet!, which I probably don’t need to introduce here, launched the top-of-the-line Dark Rock Elite cooler early this year. Along with it, the Dark Rock Pro 5 was also released, but it has remained somewhat hidden in the shadow of its elite sibling, which I would like to correct today. I firmly believe that the fifth gen of the Dark Rock Pro will successfully build on the previous versions, which have always been renowned for their uncompromising cooling performance and quiet operation.
Conclusion and evaluation
Testing premium air coolers and watching the technological limits being pushed has been a joy for the last two years. The Dark Rock Pro 5 certainly doesn’t have to be ashamed of its results and can proudly take its place among the top coolers on the market. It easily surpasses its previous version and overall ranks just slightly below the absolute top in the form of Dark Rock Elite, MasterAir MA824 or NH-D15 G2 coolers. Compared to them, however, the Dark Rock Pro 5 offers a better price/performance ratio, as well as slightly higher compatibility in terms of RAM module height. There is nothing to complain about in terms of workmanship, but for a cooler of this class I would appreciate a longer warranty than just three years.
In terms of acoustics, this cooler is slightly worse than its elite variant, but it is still an extremely quiet cooler, especially when limiting the maximum fan speed. I just encountered some rumbling phenomena at certain speeds, which is reflected by peaks in the lower frequencies on the spectrograms. There also remains a potential snag regarding the proprietary fan connector, or mounting of the middle fan to the cooler, where both are handled non-standardly. If you need to replace the fans, you have no choice but to contact the manufacturer’s support. In conclusion, however, you can’t go wrong with the Dark Rock Pro 5 cooler, it is an awesome cooler and it narrowly missed out on the highest possible award. I highly recommend it!
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
| BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 |
| + High cooling performance |
| + Excellent acoustics |
| + Top-quality workmanship |
| + Attractive design |
| + Integrated splitter/speed limiter |
| - Not possible to replace fans |
