Test System & Temperature Results

Test System

Testing Procedure

All testing is done at a room temperature of 23°C (73°F) with a 1°C margin of error. The coolers are tested with Turbo, EIST, and C1E enabled, which will allow the CPU to clock down to a low 1.6 GHz while idle, or clock up to proper speeds under stock and overclocked conditions. The retail Intel Core i7-4770K I use for testing at stock is set to load-optimized defaults with the CPU's voltage at a static 1.15 V. Overclocked, the processor is running at 4.2 GHz on the CPU and 3.9 GHz on cache, with respective voltages set to 1.20 V and 1.15 V. During all these tests, fans are set to run at 100% in the BIOS, with temperatures being recorded by AIDA64.

The idle test will consist of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 15 minutes. This will allow for a stable temperature reading that will be recorded at the end of those 15 minutes.

Wprime and AIDA64's CPU-stability test represent typical multi-threaded loads. Both offer consistent results with one being a benchmarking application and the other a stability test. Both are run for 15 minutes before the peak reading during the test is recorded and taken as the result. This test lets enthusiasts know what temperatures they can expect to see with games and applications. Wprime is set to eight threads while AIDA64 is configured to stress the CPU, FPU, cache, and system memory.

AIDA64 offers maximum heat generation when set to stress just the FPU in the stability test, which will really push the CPU. This test represents extreme loads much like LinX, Prime95, and other extreme stress tests many users are familiar with.

Idle Temperatures

be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro 2 does alright with idle at stock, placing third, just 1°C away from tying first place. The cooler falls behind the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, its primary competitor, by 1°C when the CPU is overclocked.

Typical Load Temperatures

The Dark Rock Pro 2 does exceptionally well in Wprime, coming in second behind the Corsair H110 in both tests. Definitely a good showing by be quiet!'s flagship cooler.


The Dark Rock Pro 2 is just 1°C behind the top two coolers in AIDA64's system stability test. It manages to beat one and tie the other for first place in the overclock test. Again, another exceptional showing by be quiet!'s cooler.

Max Load Temperatures

The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 2 impresses when pushed to the limit with AIDA64's FPU-only test. It once again comes in second place, tying the Phanteks PH-TC14PE trailing the Corsair H110 by just 2°C at stock CPU clocks. With the system overclocked, be quiet!'s cooler stays in second place behind the Corsair H110. Its overall performance makes the Dark Rock Pro 2 a top-tier air cooler, no question about it.