Page 4 - Conclusion
The be quiet! Dark Rock 6 straddles the line between good and good enough, which makes it competitive despite the middle stance. As for physical qualities, there are many admirable traits. The single-stack design uses nickel-plated copper and aluminum in the right places. Visible elements are kept to a minimum with a simple and effective plastic cover that integrates with the front fan. The 135mm Silent Wings-based fan uses fluid dynamic bearings with a long lifespan. Installation of the be quiet! Dark Rock 6 is as easy as they come and the manufacturer has included a screwdriver and a tube of thermal paste to make it smoother. Installing the Dark Rock 6 is also when you see its compatible design with a low chance of interfering with memory or other components. It is also a bit shorter than some other coolers using a 135mm fan. Once you turn things on, the Dark Rock 6's performance is sufficient. It does get outpaced by other coolers under full load, but this still holds its own as a single-tower, single fan solution. Better yet, this translates to a lower noise output with one less moving part. Furthermore, I appreciate the hardware-based switch to reduce the noise in its quiet operation mode. At the time of the review, the be quiet! Dark Rock 6 has a retail price of $110. This undercuts its brother, the Dark Rock Pro 6, by $20, but it is not exactly affordable either. As such, those looking for great compatibility without sacrificing too much capability should consider the be quiet! Dark Rock 6.
be quiet! provided this product to APH Networks for the purposes of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.5/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The be quiet! Dark Rock 6 is a slimmer CPU air cooler that offers solid cooling capabilities and stays clear of any memory modules or other components on your motherboard.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
