Be quiet! Dark Rock Elite

It is hard to recommend the Dark Rock Pro 5. A $10 saving is not much, and the Elite has slightly more cooling capacity, RGB lighting for those who want it, and a slightly better aesthetic. Honestly, the Dark Rock Pro 5 struggles to justify its existence, with its only major benefit being slightly better compatibility with taller RAM. What we have here from be quiet are two great CPU cooler designs, but in our minds most buyers should simply spend the extra tenner on the Dark Rock Elite.

Performance-wise, and given the 100-dollar price, I expected more from the Dark Rock Pro 5. In my tests, the cooler stays behind other high-end coolers from Noctua and DeepCool, with a notable difference. Please remember that measuring and considering the CPU temperatures alone is not the most accurate way to evaluate a cooling system’s performance. You must also consider CPU Wattage and frequency to have a complete picture.