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BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Low Noise Heatsink Review
BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Low Noise Heatsink Review
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Abstract: The Dark Rock Pro 3 is dual tower, dual fan, low noise CPU heatsink. In other words, if you want a quiet heatsink that handles like a performance cooler AND you have a motherboard which can accommodate it's boxy footprint, you're reading the right CPU heatsink review!

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
BeQuiet   Cooling / Heatsinks   Feb 21, 2014   Max Page  

Home > Reviews > Page: 360° View - BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Heatsink

360° View - BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Heatsink


Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.

BeQuiet's Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink ships with a 120mm PWM on the front that rotates at ~2000RPM and a 135mm PWM in the center that operates at 1400RPM. Both fans are powered from one 4-pin fan header. The 163mm tall DRP3 heatsink incorporates seven 6mm diameter copper heatpipes which are grouped towards the outside edges of the ~110mm tall fin stacks. The dark nickel plated aluminum measure 0.3mm thick and are spaced 2.0mm apart. The bottom-most fin is elevated 39mm above the base for motherboard clearance.

The intake fan is 120mm diameter, the second fan is 135mm diameter. A third (exhaust) fan can be added if desired. The seven copper heat pipes are soldered to a 1.3-4mm thick copper heatspreader and swaged into the aluminum cooling fins. The wire fan clips extend 5mm beyond the fins on each side, so take that into consideration when measuring clearances.

The dark nickel plated copper base plate on the Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink measures 40x45mm in size. The top of the heatsink is capped with an aluminum extrusion that holds the two fin stacks firmly in place. Note the dimples on the aluminum fins and how the heatpipes gravitate towards the outside corner in the photo at right.

Base Finish and Flatness

Flipping a heatsink over to inspect the business end is often a simple indicator of overall cooler quality. More practically speaking, a heatsink is in many ways only as effective as the contact it makes with the processor - the flatter and smoother the better. Base finish is one of the criteria that Frostytech measure in the course of evaluating heatsinks, and it involves two distinct aspects. Surface Finish is the first; this is calculated with the aid of Surface Roughness Comparator that has a cross section of common machine surface finishes and their numerical surface roughness equivalents in microinches. The second is Surface Flatness. This is tested with an engineer's straight edge or proven flat surface, in two axes.

The dark nickel plated copper base of the BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink has a machined surface finish which is quiet smooth, owing in part to the metal plating it has received. Surface roughness is ~8 microinches or better. According to the straight edge, the base is perfectly flat in one axis and very slightly concave in the opposite.

Sound level measurements are coming up next on Frostytech...

 Previous Page ° ° Next Page 

Table of Contents:

 1:  BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Low Noise Heatsink Review
 2: — 360° View - BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 Heatsink
 3:  Sound Level Measurements: Which Heatsink is Quietest?
 4:  AMD Heatsink Temperature Comparisons
 5:  Intel LGA115x/775 Heatsink Temperature Comparisons
 6:  Intel LGA2011 Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

List all BeQuiet heat sinks that Frostytech tested?

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