A Closer Look

The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 is definitely unique when looking at it up close. The forty-five airflow-optimized and wave-contoured cooling fins, as they are called, are certainly a large step up from the traditional boring rectangular fins seen on entry level offerings. A few of the fins on the bottom are not quite as wide either. This design element on the new revision should allow for slightly better memory clearance.


The fins are also different on the back edge vs. the front, which is a bit different as well. As always, the quality of the heatsink is top notch with no issues to speak of. That said, it is rather heavy at 1130g, which is something users should keep in mind.


The top plate features two removable caps for screwdriver access that blend in perfectly with the heat-pipe caps. While the design of the top plate is not as elegant as with the Dark Rock Pro 3, it's not bad-looking either; in fact, you could say it's classic be quiet! if you take their other designs into consideration. Seven heat pipes pull heat from the base and transfer it to the dual fin stacks. It's also worth noting the dimples in the fins which should improve the design's air-cooling capabilities. Finally, the base itself is smooth to the touch, but nowhere near a mirror finish as faint machining marks are visible.


Oddly, in an age of matching fans, be quiet! has decided to pair the Dark Rock Pro 4 with a 135 mm and a 120 mm fan. The RPM is also mismatched with the 120 mm having a maximum RPM of 1500, while the 135 mm has a maximum RPM of 1200.