Page 4 - Conclusion
The be quiet! Dark Rock Elite was twinned with the Dark Rock Pro 5 by launch date, so it should be no surprise we have many shared aspects. For one, the design language of the Dark Rock Elite is a muted, all-black finish. Digging further, you will see the Dark Rock Elite uses the same heatsink, which means we have other structural similarities. This includes a dual-tower design with a middle and front fan attached. Other appreciated physical aspects include a manual switch for performance or quiet mode and a straightforward installation process. I also appreciate the included long screwdriver to make the mounting process even easier. However, when we start going into details, we start seeing some differences. First, the two fans here are 135mm in size. These fans are also attached to the cooler with a more streamlined look and a sliding mechanism to move the front fan as needed. At the top, we have a thin addressable RGB LED light ring for some pizzazz. When it comes to performance, I was impressed with the Dark Rock Elite. It performed well and it stayed quiet throughout our load tests. However, if we have shared positives, we also have a few shared negatives. For one, we have to deal with a front fan that hangs over your nearest memory slot, which could affect compatibility. Secondly, we have a proprietary connector in order to get both fans working with the integrated mode switch, which will affect fan compatibility with third-party fans. All in all, the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite slightly one ups its sibling in basically every manner, including its price. At the time of review, the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite has a price of $115, which is a $15 premium on top of the Pro 5. For slightly more airflow, performance, and a dash of color, I think the price increase is reasonable, making the Dark Rock Elite another excellent option for cooling without much noise.
be quiet! provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH:Renewal Award | 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 7.8/10
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 Elite CPU cooler maxes out its cooling capabilities without causing a ruckus, striking an excellent balance between performance and silence.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
