be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 Review

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Sound Level Testing

While we were testing cooling capabilities, as outlined in our recent introduction article, we were also tracking the sound level of each of the coolers using a Risepro SPL meter attached to a boom arm pointed directly at the fans of the radiator at a distance of 12 inches. We recorded the dB(A) level for each fan and pump speed tested. The ambient room sound level measured 33 decibels. Displayed below are the results of our Stock Clock Testing.

100% Fans

Dark Rock Pro 4 max fan speed sound testing results

At maximum fan levels, the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 was the quietest (40.9 dB(a)) while the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO hit 51.9 dB(A). The Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET X7 Dual, however, hit 54.1 dB(A)! From a subjective perspective, the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 was rather unremarkable.

1500 RPM Fans

Dark Rock Pro 4 1500 RPM fan speed sound testing results

Dropping down to 1500 RPM, the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 is in the lead at 40.9 dB(A) and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 4 dB(A) was behind it by a good margin at 44.7 dB(A). The Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET X7 Dual was far behind both of these at 52.7 dB(A)! In fact, there is no difference here between Max RPM and 1500 RPM noise profiles for the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, thus, the unit was rather unremarkable again.

1000 RPM Fans

Dark Rock Pro 4 1000 RPM fan speed sound testing results

When we lowered the fans down to 1000 RPM, the be quiet Dark Rock Pro 4 kept the lead with a value of 38.7 dB(A) but the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is right there on their heels at 39.9 dB(A). The Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET X7 Dual was off in the weeds at 44.1 dB(A). At this point, the noise sounded like it merged with the background noise for everyone except the IceSLEET X7 Dual.

600 RPM Fans

Dark Rock Pro 4 600 RPM fan speed sound testing results

Lowering the fans to 600 RPM, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO came in at 38.7 dB(A) while the Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET X7 Dual continues to trail at 39.9 dB(A). The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 bested everyone at 37.4 dB(A).

The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 was far and away the quietest air cooler we have seen to date. With that said, let’s move on and recap all of this for you today!

David Schroth
David is a computer hardware enthusiast that has been tinkering with computer hardware for the past 25 years and writing reviews for more than ten years. He's the Founder and Editor in Chief of The FPS Review.

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