Product Comparison: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 vs Noctua NH-D15

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be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 (BK019) CPU Cooler

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Best Pick

Noctua NH-D15 Premium CPU Cooler

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General Specifications

Brand

be quiet!

Noctua

Model

Dark Rock Pro 3

NH-D15

Origin

Germany

Austria

About the Product

No Compromise Silence and Performance Dark Rock CPU coolers have long been category leaders, and now the Dark Rock Pro 3 is even more powerful. This double-tower cooler puts famous be quiet! SilentWings technology in your PC and is excellent for overclocked systems and demanding multi-graphics platforms. The superior features are: Seven high-performance heat pipes with copper lining maximize heat conductance Two SilentWings PWM fans (front: 120mm, inner: 135mm) with advanced fluid dynamic bearing Inner 135mm SilentWings PWM fan features nine airflow-optimized blades and smoother six-pole fan motor Special wave-contoured cooling fins minimize noise-inducing turbulence, maximize convective cooling German product conception, design and quality control 3-year warranty Dark Rock Pro 3 offers the top performance-to-noise ratio (250W TDP vs. max. 26.1 dB(A)) and highest reliability available. It strikes the perfect balance between cooling and serenity with absolutely no compromise in silence and performance.

Built on the basis of the legendary NH-D14 and carrying on its quest for ultimate quiet cooling performance, Noctua’s flagship model NH-D15 is an elite-class dual tower cooler for the highest demands.

Key Specs

Cooling Type

Air Cooling

Max. Airflow

67.8 CFM

82.5 CFM

Number of Pipes

What customers say about "Key Specs"

be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 (BK019) CPU Cooler

Easily the BEST looking air cooler on the market. No doubt.
This is a very solid cooler, but it is big. It is very hard to position this and have access to the memory slots of most MOBOs and to do so means turning the fan in a non-intuitive direction.
Cooling performance is acceptable - it's on par with Hyper 212 Evo and performs better than my Corsair H75 liquid cooler without the added noise.
Fan is as whisper quiet as the brand suggests. The unit is HUGE but does a great job keeping my i7 7700K cool even during long gaming sessions or rendering.
The fans aren't powerful enough at full load to push cool air completely through the fins, even with a case fan on the back end helping pull air through.

Noctua NH-D15 Premium CPU Cooler

If you're not going with water cooling this is your best choice. This product beats out most of the entry level water cooling options and performs really close to the top end ones.
Keeps CPU extremely cool.
I'm actually a bit surprised but Noctua has convinced me. I don't often use Air coolers for builds anymore but if and when I need to I know that Noctua does make high performing products.
Best, most effective air-cooled heat sink I've ever owned. Don't even need the second fan that's included, I'm under 60 degrees C at full load at my max overclock.
With good airflow, this will allow you to overclock without worrying about cooling.

Size & Weight

Height

6.42 in.

6.5 in.

Width

5.9 in.

Depth

5.4 in.

6.34 in.

Weight

2.64 lbs.

2.91 lbs.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 (BK019) CPU Cooler

The cooler looks and performs amazingly. It is very large so make sure your case can accommodate for it.
Surprisingly great cooling for its size. I'm quite the cooling enthusiast and looked forward to trying out a low-profile cooler for a mini-ITX build I did for my wife
Awesome!!! Only problem with it is it's size!!! had to cut off the edge of the lower 2 heatsink fins to make it fit over memory.
Hard to install due to the massive size
This is a fantastic performing cooler but make sure you have enough room in your case and take your time installing it. It may be a simple mount but with the size of the cooler it may be an issue.

Noctua NH-D15 Premium CPU Cooler

Installation is easy considering the size.
It does a nice job of cooling but it's huge. It blocks access to the memory modules on my motherboard.
Be prepared for the size of it and make sure it will fit in your case.
Only major complain is the size it's huge and a pain to put on and still interferes with ram space.
Be careful with the size of this monster. It is HUGE. If you have a large computer case, this shouldn't be a problem at all. The size of the cooler helps with its performance.

Features

Socket Compatibility

Intel:, 775, 115x, 1366, 2011-3, 2066, AMD:, 754, 939, 940, AM2 +, AM2, AM3 +, AM3, AM4, FM1, FM2, FM2+

Intel:, 2011-3, 2011, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150, AMD:, AM2, AM2 +, AM3, AM3 +, FM2, FM1, FM2+

Speed

1700 RPM

1500 RPM

Cooled CPU (Max. TDP)

250 W

220 W

Noise Level

26.1 dBA

24.6 dBA

Number of Coolers

Bearing Type

Fluid Dynamic Bearing

SSO2

Heat-Exchanger Material

Aluminium

Copper

Power Connector Type

4-pin

Extras

Improved dynamic wave-contour cooling fins, Seven high-performance heat pipes with copper lining and aluminum caps, The immensely high cooling capacity of 250W TDP

Dual NF-A15 140mm fans, SecuFirm2 mounting system

What customers say about "Features"

be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 (BK019) CPU Cooler

Installation was easy, The online reviewers complaining about the be quiet! installation method are doing it wrong. They all attempt to use the included wrench to tighten the cooler onto the mounting bolts. Instead just follow the actual instructions, and screw the bolt into the cooler.
I don't know how quiet it is because everything else in my rig is louder! Which is a definite pro!
It also has the option to attach a 3rd fan to back of the cooler for even more cooling
The fans are only audible at full speed, but it's a very refined noise that simply sounds like more air. Plus it looks awesome!!
One of the plastic retention brackets broke when clipping it on, and there were no spares. I was still able to install the cooler, but it is missing that spacer.
No RGB, but that's not an issue for me, because I'm not into that

Noctua NH-D15 Premium CPU Cooler

Even at 100% fan speed, they are not very loud.
Slightly puzzled by the inclusion of the speed reduction adapters, as even at full speed, these fans are completely silent.
This fan is quieter at full speed than my stock CPU cooler was at it's slowest.
It's about the same as the noise floor in a normal room.
A long way from the scary temperatures I was getting prior to the new cooler. I cant imagine this cooler getting hot ever!

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

3 year(s)

6 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

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