be quiet! Dark Rock 4 200W TDP CPU Cooler| Intel 1700 1200 2066 1150 1151 1155 2011 Square ILM | AMD4 AMD5 | Black | BK021

NOTE: I had never installed a new cooler before, so this is a review from someone who watches too much YouTube but doesn't have a lot of experience building PCs. Shoutout to LTT & JTC's videos!SETUP:- Case: NZXT H500- CPU: Ryzen 7 5800x- Cooler: Dark Rock 4- Motherboard: Aorus B450 Elite- Case Fans: 2x (later upgraded to 4x)- GPU: RTX 3080NEGATIVE(S): The only annoying thing is that the cooler ships only with one side of rubber rails to separate fan from cooler (to minimize vibration, increase tension in mount, etc.), meaning you basically can't (by default) put a fan on the other side (whether just for orientation, for pull / push-pull fan setups). HOWEVER, I reached out to Be Quiet support, and within a few hours they responded and already agreed to kindly ship extra rubber rails so I can mount a fan to the other side. Super responsive, professional, and fast customer service, easily the best I've had in a long while. In all, while annoying to discover this issue during installation, meh.KEEP IN MIND: For people wanting to run 4x RAM slots with the air cooler & fan mounted in the standard way (push or push/pull air from front -> back), you will likely run into the issue I mention above, and I'd recommend my solution of mounting the fan the same but moving the fan to the back for a Pull configuration while asking Be Quiet for the extra set of rubber rails. However, if you're only running 2x RAM slots or you're orienting your fan vertically (push or pull air from bottom -> top), you should be totally fine (though again, depending on your motherboard).POSITIVES: Other than the issue above, installation was straightforward, and I made sure to make some beautiful modern art with my Thermal Paste application. For people who haven't watched as much YouTube... thermal paste application style in general doesn't matter (thermals test very similar) as long as you don't use too much or too little, but the Dark Rock 4 provides a good amount in the box. All the parts were present, with an added bonus that they actually ship a GREAT free screwdriver in the box, which actually was better than my 2 screwdrivers I already had.Performance is surprisingly top-tier for what seems like a mid-tier model. For others looking for an air cooler for the new Ryzens (without doing some intensive CPU OC), I don't think you even need to go for the Pro model (though I'm sure it wouldn't hurt). My 5800x runs incredibly cool and nowhere near the max temp (90C), with idling at ~35C and peak loads at ~65C or 70C occasionally. The fan is much quieter than my other fans so I don't think I can even notice it. I was afraid I'd need a bigger air cooler (think Dark Rock Pro 4 or larger Noctua), but clearly I was completely fine. Running stock (no OC), this has helped me get above-average benchmarks.SUMMARY: In general, this air cooler is fantastic and customer support is great. Unless you're doing some crazy stuff (e.g. OCing on a 5950x), I'm pretty sure this cooler will be completely fine for your daily use. One issue did exist, but their great customer service handled that like pros and inspired me to write this review simply based on their performance.

Pros:* This cooler is whisper quiet. I have a Ryzen 5800X. If I put the CPU under load, I can barely hear the fan even with all 16 (virtual) cores at 95%+.* It is reasonably skookum. Nice and solid construction with six heat pipes and barely any flex in the fins. Once attached, it is solid and does not move around or sag.Cons:* I had to remove the video card to install the fan because the spacing is so tight.* The fan clips hold the fan in place pretty well, but were really annoying to install. They slide between the fins of the heat sink. Getting both sides of one clip to hold without one side popping out was a challenge for my big clumsy hands. Installing the fan was probably the most difficult part for me.* There is not much space between the fan and my memory sticks. This is not a problem in my system, but it may be for you if your memory sticks are tall. You may also run into space problems if your case is small: the cooler is very tall, so a narrow case might not have enough space for this beast. It also covers up the top M2 slot slightly. This is just a minor nuisance: something to keep in mind for future maintenance.Other notes:Installation is really the only gripe I have, but this is the case for most large CPU coolers that are good at what they do. There is no way around the fact that motherboards are densely packed with components, and a large CPU cooler will be a tight fit no matter what. Once installed, this is no longer a problem unless you need to get in there to swap components in the future.I have also had this cooler for a day so far. I cannot speak to its longevity but will try to remember to update this review after a year or so with any thoughts after using it for a while.

While looking for a sleek black CPU cooler that wasn’t too loud I ended up looking at the be quiet! line of coolers. I had been recommended Noctua’s coolers but their rollout of black coolers had been quite slow at the time.The Dark Rock 4 offers solid cooling for my Ryzen 5 3600X (and probably others in a similar tier), looks great and is very quiet compared to its immediate counterparts. As is the case with all CPU coolers there’s a bit of installation required but it’s relatively straightforward. If you’re looking for more cooling you can check out the bigger Dark Rock Pro 4.