Introduction

From the be quiet! website:

#1 for power supplies in Germany

be quiet! products are convincing, which is proven by the company reaching the leadership position of Germany's PSU market in 2006 and defending it since. Their position has also been validated by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions.

Repeated winner of Manufacturer of the Year

Readers of the well-know German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware have awarded be quiet! the Manufacturer of the Year award six times in a row. Another first and second rank in the categories "fans" and "coolers" for two consecutive years underline the high acceptance of our products.

be quiet! has established itself as a premiere manufacturer when it comes to power supplies, heatsinks, and fans. They have won numerous awards from reviewers and readers alike, and while they are still a newcomer to the North American market, they have managed to establish themselves all the same with the Dark Rock 2, Dark Rock Pro 2, and Shadow Rock 2. It is no wonder they are becoming as popular as they are when you consider their mantra of "no compromise silence and performance".

be quiet!'s legacy of quality and excellence started with their power supplies. Rather than stop there, they expanded to include fans, coolers, thermal pastes, and more. With success, however, one must continue to move forward, which be quiet! has done. Improving on their previous designs and offering best-in-class build quality, it becomes very easy to see how they won and continue to win so many rewards.

Today's review will focus on be quiet!'s Dark Rock 3, the little brother to the Dark Rock Pro 3. Featuring six 6 mm heatpipes, a 135 x 25 mm 1400 RPM PWM fan, 51 wave-contour, dark nickel-plated aluminum fins, and dripping in style, I expect it to be an exceptional performer. That said, you are not reading this review to hear me speculate, so let us get to it to see just how well be quiet!'s Dark Rock 3 performs!

Packaging & Contents

be quiet!'s Dark Rock 3 comes in a fairly attractive box that measures in at roughly 17.5 cm in length, 15.25 cm in width, and 21 cm in height. The front of the box is covered in an image and the name of the cooler and the phrase "no compromise silence and performance". The cooler's TDP rating of 190W is prominently displayed as well. Short paragraphs on the left side of the box detail the cooler's features in French, Spanish, and Polish, and the back goes over the cooler's various specs and features, including the six pole motor for smoother fan operation, six Ø6 mm heatpipes, and more.


The right side of the box has the same paragraphs as on the left side, but in English and German. This side also mentions various features of the cooler, its fan, and the warranty's length. The top prominently features the Dark Rock 3 product name and its 190W TDP rating.

Contents

Upon opening the box, users will be greeted by soft foam inserts that protect the Dark Rock 3 from damage. This is a welcome sight as many coolers of late have used far cheaper packaging materials or, in some cases, next to none. be quiet!'s logo is, interestingly enough, readily visible due to the small circular cutout in the foam piece on top.


be quiet!'s Dark Rock 3 comes with everything one needs to install it into nearly any system. The heatsink and fan are of course the focus, but it is nice to see an additional set of fan clips for dual-fan configurations included. The solid backplate seen in previous designs and the mounting hardware should make the Dark Rock 3 fairly easy to install for most users, but the fact that be quiet! hasn't changed the design also means that one must use the included wrench to tighten the cooler down. I would prefer to see a more user friendly and less involved mounting system.


Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 4x Hexagonal nuts
• 4x Hexagonal nuts with sleeve
• 4x LGA2011 spacer nuts
• 4x C profile spacers
• 4x M3x3 screws
• 4x M3x15 screws
• 2x AMD mounting brackets
• 2x Intel mounting brackets
• 2x Sets of fan clips
• 1x AMD / Intel backplate
• 1x Heatsink
• 1x Fan
• 1x User's manual
• 1x Package of thermal compound
• 1x Hexagonal nut spanner