INTRODUCTION

   Even though the technology behind CPU air coolers has remained pretty much the same for the past two decades or so thanks to the R&D departments of some manufacturers certain changes have been made to further improve cooling efficiency. So from time to time we've seen different fin configurations which can help increase airflow levels, larger fin area which translated to increased heat dissipation and last but not lease different heatpipe configurations which can also help with heat dissipation. Of course, the final ingredient is always the fan used and of course its specifications including airflow and air pressure levels. As a matter of fact, many manufacturers have focused quite a bit more on fan specifications rather than heatsink design. Be quiet! further expanded their award winning Dark Rock family of CPU air coolers with the Slim model which landed in our lab roughly 2 weeks ago.

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. Consistently the leader in the German PC power supply market since 2007*, be quiet! is one of the most successful PSU brands in Europe. This enduring success is largely thanks to the typical German passion for quality and precision. All product conception, design and quality control is performed in Germany. German expertise is evident the moment an idea is born and throughout the entire design and production process. be quiet! never releases a product until it meets the highest expectations. All materials used – from the smallest screws to the metals in the cases – are tested to rigorous standards. That is why be quiet! power supplies, PC cases, CPU coolers and case fans are among the most silent, powerful and reliable on the market. Innovative engineering concepts coupled with an uncompromising choice of premium materials and world-class manufacturing quality make be quiet! second to none when it comes to noise reduction. With over ten years of experience, be quiet! are truly the quietness experts.

   The brand new Dark Rock Slim CPU air cooler by be quiet! sports a TDP (thermal design power) of 180W and as its name clearly states it was designed for PC cases were compact size is of the essence (no clearance issues with memory modules). Compared to let’s say the previously released Dark Rock 4 model (159x136x96mm/920g) the Dark Rock Slim (159.4x127x72mm/620g) is roughly 30% smaller and so it should be a lot easier to fit/mount inside compact mini-ITX and micro-ATX cases. Of course, since both the Dark Rock 4 and the Dark Rock 4 Pro models went on to become two their best CPU coolers to date be quiet! used the same wave-contoured pattern and black coating with ceramic particles for the fins. Cutting down on size however also means cutting down on the number of copper heatpipes so again compared to the Dark Rock 4 and its six 6mm heatpipes the Dark Rock Slim has a total of four 6mm ones. To offset the difference in size and number of heatpipes be quiet! paired the Dark Rock Slim with a new Silent Wings 3 120mm PWM fan and although we do know that it's faster (1500RPM/1400RPM) and also a bit noisier (23.6dBA/21.4dBA) compared to that of the Dark Rock 4 we don't have numbers regarding its airflow and air pressure levels. So, let's see whether or not the compact Dark Rock Slim can compete with its larger brothers.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like with previous coolers by be quiet! the Dark Rock Slim arrived inside a small black box that has a large product picture at the front and the company logo.

By scanning the 2D barcode located on the left side of the box you will be redirected to the product page.

The specifications table is printed on the right side of the box right over the cooler's TDP and beneath a few words about be quiet!.

Two pictures placed at the rear of the box are used to showcase the main product features.

Be quiet! ships the Dark Rock Slim with 4 fan clips, small tube with thermal grease, backplate, user manual and mounting sets for both Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE DARK ROCK SLIM

Without the Silent Wings 3 fan the heatsink of the Dark Rock Slim measures 159.4 in height, 127mm in width and 47.4mm in length and weighs just 483g.

Just like with previous models be quiet! has equipped the Dark Rock Slim with a brushed aluminum top cover with diamond cut finish.

The heatsink of the Dark Rock Slim features a total of 51 black coated aluminum fins (52 if we include the top cover).

On both sides parts of the fins are bend inwards to further improve air circulation inside the heatsink.

Two vibration absorbing rubber strips are placed on the front of the heatsink (however since be quiet! packs 4 fan clips we were expecting two more at the rear - or two extra ones bundled).

The four 6mm copper heatpipes are also black coated and look quite impressive.

It may not feature a mirror like finish but the nickel plated copper base of the Dark Rock Slim is polished and has no machine marks on it.

Be quiet! has used a new Silent Wings 3 model (part number points to a previous model), although not the fastest one in their 120mm line of fans.

With the Silent Wings 3 fan mounted the Dark Rock Slim now measures 159.4 in height, 127mm in width and 72mm in length and weighs 620g.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan, we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally, it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure is more time consuming than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Testing the Dark Rock Slim proved quite difficult since we had to repeat all our tests a 2nd time not only because we didn’t expect it to perform the way it did but also because its fan turned out to be even quieter compared to the fan used in the Dark Rock 4 (the latter should be more quiet according always to the numbers released by be quiet!). After the 2nd time however we had no room to question our numbers so yes, the Dark Rock Slim does outperform the larger Dark Rock 4 model (alas by a small margin) and is also quieter (not the most inaudible model we’ve tested but it does come close to that). Cooling efficiency and noise levels aside however the Dark Rock Slim is also a great looking model (that black ceramic coating would look great even on their PSUs) with a zero-clearance design making it ideal for use in small cases.

   With a recommended price tag currently set at USD59.90 inside the USA (not available at the time of this review) and an attached price tag of 59.90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the brand-new Dark Rock Slim CPU cooler by be quiet! is the jack of all trades. It’s a compact (always compared to the Dark Rock 4) zero interference model with near-excellent cooling efficiency, very low noise levels and a price more than just right for what you are getting which is why it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Zero Clearance Compact Design
- Near Excellent Cooling Efficiency
- Very Low Noise Levels
- Easy Installation
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Current Availability