Be Quiet BK018 Dark Rock 3 CPU Cooler

PROS:1) As the name suggests, this is a very quiet cooler. It is near enough inaudible which is great if you hate background noise2) Works well to keep temps down - pretty important. I haven't tested with overclocking yet but I imagine the performance is still great3) It looks great! It has a brushed metal look and when installed it looks like a good quality, premium product.CONS:1) It is a large, tall cooler. Because of the dual tower design, it will be difficult to fit tall DIMMs. Make sure to check how tall your RAM is before installing. This also makes it quite heavy. if you are looking to move your PC around a lot I would recommend removing it before transporting your PC. Finally, make sure your case will fit the cooler.2) Somewhat difficult to install. There will be a lot of messing about when installing this cooler. Just be patient.3) PCI Slots. Many people choose to install their GPU in the first PCIe slot. When using this cooler I found it to be a tight fit. You may have to remove a fan if your GPU is dual slot.CONCLUSION:Overall, the cooler looks premium, is quiet and works well. Before buying, I would take into consideration: how large your DIMM(s) are and if your case can fit this cooler. Although, in my opinion, the cooler is definitely worth the money. It has a premium look which is nice for windowed cases and does exactly what it says on the tin.

I love it!Previous to this cooler I had an AIO that failed and started gurgling so I thought I'd get something a bit cheaper and (hopefully) more reliable. I was hoping for something that would not ruin the nice aesthetic of my windowed PC but would also be very quiet as my computer sits on my desk right next to me.I was NOT disappointed... It looks stunning and it is near silent once you tune your fan curves. I have mine fitted atop my Intel Core(TM) i7 7700K inside my NZXT S340. It was a very snug fit but I really didn't have any issues there. It was especially snug with my RAM as the fan basically sits touching the top of my heat spreader. For reference I have HyperX Fury Black DDR4 so definitely make sure you get low profile memory. If you don't have low profile memory though you should be ok as long as the first DIMM slot is not populated as (at least on the non-pro little brother I got) the fan does not cover the second slot.The included instructions were in my opinion a little hard to follow (especially being that I haven't ever fitted a cooler like this before) so I looked at a video online which was much more helpful in installing this beast. Installation into my system wasn't THAT bad. It would have been a lot easier if my board was not in the system but since my system had already been built it was a little more difficult.Fitting the backplate was a breeze especially because the screw holes are tight enough that the screws don't move when attempting to fit the cooler and the plastic fittings you put on the other side are great at holding it in place while building. Fitting the relevant bracket to the heat sink itself was also nice and easy... just took four screws.It just gets a little tricky to line up the bulky heat sink with the screws especially with the limited space I have in my case but after some fiddling and reassurance I was able to get it bolted on without too much hassle. One thing I recommend which may be obvious to most but make sure you connect your fan cable before bolting the heat sink as my fan header was pretty close to the socket and it was very difficult to plug it in after the fact.To give a rough idea of the cooling performance this cooler offers. I'll start out by saying you'll have absolutely no problems cooling whatever monstrosity you're running in your system and follow on by saying my experience is considering the cooler never really hits 100% fan speeds because of my fan curve being set to keep the fan as quiet as possible. That being said, I am running an overclocked Core i7 7700K and loaded it and the memory to 100% load in a prime 95 bland test for 3 hours as well as having my GPU at 100% load the entire time so the internal case temperature was high and the ambient temperate was around 24'C. During the entirety of the test the cooler was quiet although noticeable and the CPU temperate maxed out at 73'C.I wouldn't read too much into my numbers though as this was a torture test in an already very hot environment. You'll see much more accurate numbers than this online where they have been properly benchmarked so I'd advise looking deeper into that if you're concerned about cooling performance. If you need higher cooling performance than this then you should consider it's bigger brother the Dark Rock Pro 3

This is a nice piece of kit. I discovered it in a video of a silent build (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZrWqCT7R0). In my case, I'm installing it on an Asus Z170 Pro (not Pro Gaming, just Pro) on top of an Intel i5 6600k Skylake processor into a be quiet! Silent Base 800 case (with window). From conception, therefore, I knew I would have plenty of clearance between 'the beast' and the side panel.Right, you're going to have to be VERY patient during installation. Get a good night's sleep, eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee and buy a pack of cigarettes. There is simply no way you're going to install 'the beast' in under a day. I'm serious. Any attempt to rush this project could cause damage to your board and processor - and your neighbors because impatience will lead to frustration, which will lead to your photo in the newspaper for going postal - and you don't want to spend the rest of your life in prison.1) before you even open the box, download the manual from the be quiet! website (http://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/482). The printed sheet included in the box is not only too small to be useful, but it crams the world's 6,500 known languages onto a single sheet of paper. You will need to zoom in on the schematic via the pdf to understand the assembly.2) remove the contents of the box slowly and carefully. Place the items in a separate area of your workbench so they don't get mixed up with other stuff. For God's sake, don't hold 'the beast' over your motherboard - ever! One slip and your entire apartment block will collapse, demolishing your motherboard and making you and the families beneath you homeless. If ever the words "handle with care" meant anything, this is the time.3) read the manual. Then read it again. Then go for a walk and have a cigarette. Come back and read it again. Then look at 'the beast' - don't touch it, just look at it. Study it visually. Then read the manual again. By now, it's lunchtime. Get a sandwich and a Coke. Maybe do a half hour of yoga.4) do NOT attempt to remove the processor latch plate. Ambiguity in the DRP3 manual might lead you to believe that you should. No no no, do not remove anything related to the processor's connection to the motherboard (other than the plastic cap that protects the socket in shipment).5) since you will be handling your motherboard a lot when installing the DRP3, wash your hands and use an anti-static mat with wrist ground. And, again, be patient! The DRP3 is the the most difficult step in your build.6) while the Germans are masters of precision engineering, their command of written English ain't so hot. We therefore need to clarify some terminology:-- the 'Intel backplate' comes attached to the back of the motherboard. It's what holds the processor socket onto the front of the board. Do not confuse it with the DRP3 'backplate' (the big, black, heavy slab of metal with four holes that comes with the boxed DRP3).-- there are two types of DRP3 'brackets' (for Intel or AMD) and two types of screws (for the Intel bracket or the AMD bracket). Note the countersink (the tapered sides) of the holes on one side of the brackets. You will be inserting the screws into the countersinked side. The taper of the screw heads will match up with the tapered side of the bracket holes. Knowing this helps you to know which side of the brackets (the non countersinked side) will be affixed to 'the beast'. Careful study of the schematic on the pdf will confirm that the brackets flange away from 'the beast'.7) the DRP3 backplate goes onto the back of the motherboard over the Intel backplate. The padded side of the DRP3 backplate faces the motherboard. There is some confusion whether to remove the square, plastic film in the center of the DRP3 backplate. It appears removable, but there are no instructions anywhere to remove it. When placing the DRP3 backplate against the motherboard, the three screw heads of the Intel backplate should be visible.8) position the DRP3 backplate such that the four holes align with the four holes on the motherboard. Insert the four long screws into the four holes. On the front of the motherboard, use the four plastic clips to hold the screws in position (and prevent the DRP3 backplate from falling off). Lay the motherboard down on the workbench and go get a coffee.9) screw the brackets to 'the beast'. The next step is a bit awkward. The brackets have three holes on each arm that overlap like a Venn diagram. For an 1151 processor (Skylake), you will be using the center hole. Here's where you'll scratch your head and wonder why someone would design such a sloppy system (probably to save money). It would be much better if there were two sets of Intel brackets: one with two distinct holes (the two holes furthest apart of the three) and another with one hole (the middle hole of the three). This might seem trivial until one realizes that the long screws are going to have to line up precisely with the threaded holes in the center of the nut/bolts that attach to the brackets. The last thing one wants under such circumstances is any play whatsoever in the alignment - especially when it comes to actually marrying 'the beast' to the board.10) attach the nut/bolts to the brackets as shown in the manual pdf. The nuts are hexagonal. Make sure they align with the slight trough on the bracket (the sides of the nuts against the sides of the trough). While this will help to hold the nuts in place as you tighten the bolt on the other side of the bracket, I suggest you also use a small socket wrench to hold the nuts in position to guarantee they don't turn inside the trough.11) unless you are a mutant with four arms, it is now that you realize the difficulty of actually attaching 'the beast' to the board. You will need one hand to hold the motherboard upright on its side/edge, two hands to hold 'the beast' in place and a fourth hand to hold the screwdriver to turn the long screws into the threaded center hole of the nuts/bolts. This action pulls 'the beast' onto the motherboard.12) you will be tempted to think there must be a better way. Don't be fooled. If you try instead to mount the bolts onto the long screws with the idea that you can lay the motherboard flat and that the pesky center hole (of the three) of the brackets is going to align naturally with the bolt, your instincts are correct, but it creates a problem. You will notice very little thread protruding on the bolts for the nuts to grab. This should set off alarm bells. Something's wrong. Indeed, you will see that it's impossible for the nut and bolt to clamp onto the bracket without bending the arms of the bracket and probably destroying your processor.13) referring back to point 11, two-handed humans will now have to either phone a friend to come help or - tada - get some largish softcover books from your library. Through trial and error, you will need to select the right thickness of books to create a stack. Set the 'the beast' on its side on the stack such that the height of the nut/bolts are precisely level with the long screws. Then pray to God that you mounted the nut/bolts in the exact center of that pesky center hole on the arms of the brackets.14. note that the base of 'the beast' is rectangular. Notice too that the Intel socket is rectangular. They need to be aligned. You will also need to think about airflow and the position of the fan leads. I removed the front fan and repositioned the central fan so that the lead reached the motherboard conveniently.15. remove the protective plastic film from the base of 'the beast'. Apply thermal paste to the processor. I used a medium-sized droplet of Arctic MX-4.16) with the stack of books supporting the weight of 'the beast', line up the screws and gently turn the long screws (from behind the board) such that they catch the threads inside the nut/bolts. Once all four long screws have caught the threads, slowly turn the long screws in sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4...) until you feel some resistance. STOP. Hold 'the beast' with one hand and slightly tip the board then rest 'the beast' back down on the stack of books. Now tighten the screws gently a bit more. Rinse and repeat. Your goal is to use the long screws to pull the base of 'the beast' flush and flat against the processor. DO NOT USE FORCE. Continue to tighten in sequence in stages over a period of about 15 minutes. This allows the screws to 'settle in'. Remember, this area is going to get very hot (computer on) and return to room temperature (computer off) over and over again. The result is expansion and contraction of the metal. You therefore want to make sure there is no slack (without overtightening the screws).17) there has been an issue reported recently about Skylake's potential vulnerability to concussion due to its thinner laminar. It is essential, therefore, that while 'the beast' should fit snug against the processor, it should not put undue pressure on the processor (through overtightening or concussion). Once assembled, be careful not to drop or bang your computer. Remember, 'the beast' hangs on your motherboard with its weight against the processor. Needless to say, remove 'the beast' if you ever intend to transport your computer.Right. Having said all that, 'the beast' is a mighty fine cooler. The removable fans are a nice touch as is the spare set of fan clips. Oh, and having read this review, chances are you can install 'the beast' in a single day.

PROSNi un solo ruido.Excelente enfriamiento.CONTRASGran tamaño, lo que lo hace dificil de instalar (si quieres cambiar RAM o M.2, te estorbará)

Es el primer disipador que tengo de Be Quiet y me dejo verdaderamente sorprendido, es silencioso pero bastante potente a la hora de disipar el calor, había tenido solo disipadores cooler master y al hacer el cambio a este note una baja significativa en las temperaturas de mi Ryzen 2600 4.1 OC, en el cual las tempera no sube a mas de 60° estresando el cpu al 100%, en juegos u otras actividades ni se diga.

Totally worth the money and the effort to properly install. It was a bit tough cramming it in an mATX casing setup, but the aesthetics and cooling capability is totally worth it.

You can find plenty of amazing reviews on this cooler but a lack of information installing on my particular setup. I rolled the dice and it worked out. I am using an Asus X99 Deluxe II with all 8 ram slots full of Crucial Ballistix Sport. These are low profile and ended up having a tiny bit of breathing room once the Dark Rock Pro 3 250W was installed. You might be able to install slightly taller sticks but I wouldn't count on it. This is mainly because the area around the socket on this board is pretty crowded. Multiple heat sinks, vertical CMOS battery, vertical NVMe (though removable), the RAM sockets themselves, and even the shroud around the read IO all got in the way. Ideally you install this with the board out of your case, however I was able to squeeze my long slender hands in to install in place. Install as suggested in the manual, but first remove all RAM and the outer cooler fan. Now you can squeeze your hands in to hand tighten the nuts and follow up with the little wrench. Then you can reinstall your RAM working from the CPU outward and finally re-attach the cooler's outer fan.As for performance, it cools a 6900K overclocked to 4.0Ghz very well. Idle is 25C and prolonged stress 70C with an ambient room temp at 20C. Given my workload is 30s of stress followed by minutes of rest I am considering pushing even further as these bursts rise to mid 50s and fall quickly back to idle temps. The Dark Rock Pro 3 250W TDP suits my needs way better than the Corsair AIO it replaced. It handles the short bursts followed by rest better and more quietly, cooling it more quickly. I imagine the liquid wasn't cooling fast enough during the downtime remaining a good 10C warmer than it needed to be. Its also very possible my unit was dying, reducing its cooling capacity.Looks wise, I do prefer the AIO, but this massive cooler has a good look to it, almost like looking under the hood of a fine automobile. The outermost plate, fin stack, and fans are all dark. If your case has some light and a side window it actually adds a nice beefy, mechanical, complex, and shadowy look.

decidí cambiar mi refrijeracion liquida por una de aire, ya que no me fio con el tiempo que tiene, que tuviese alguna fuga. No solo ha mejorado la temperatura si no que es super silencioso, incluso a altas rpm se muestra silencioso y mantiene el cpu fresquito. Magnifico