be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, BK022, 250W TDP, CPU Cooler

This is probably the best air cooler you can get for money!I rebuilt my son's system from an AIO to this cooler because of issues the AIO had. I have the Threadripper version in my workstation and knew what I was getting into. A little anecdote: My son's PC case was starved for fresh air due to stupid design choices. I remedied this with a MashifyC from Fractal Design. When a software issue arose (bloatware from the Mainboard), we felt the glass was hot right about the cooler. Perplexed, I wondered how the chassis could heat up despite the great airflow design. I opened the chassis and it was cool inside. This is when I realized the CPU cooler is so good ( and large) that it even transferred heat to the glass 1/2 in away!Pros:- Best air CPU cooler you can get- no LED shenanigans- Massive fin stacks and many heat pipes- low noise fans- pretty- highly precisely machined copper heat conductor - works well with liquid metal instead of thermal paste- a cool screwdriver is includedCons:- If you never built a PC, you may want to look for a cooler that's easier to install. I build my own rigs since almost 3 decades - I did not mind, but your mileage may vary- Massive - you need a good quality Mainboard to not flex under the weight- no LED for those who look for those looks - and it will block some RAM slots from sight if you have that as LED- Some larger RAM modules will not work with this one- Some PC cases may be too slim to work with this oneHints and recommendations:- Check clearances so that it fits into your chassis and does not interfere with high RAM. The RAM does not need to be low profile, but some really large RAM modules - especially with LED may interfere - and LED would get covered up- Do not transport your tower upright with the cooler hanging like this on the Mainboard's side - lay it down so the Mainboard is on the bottom instead- the frontal cooler is somewhat finicky to install when RAM interferes to some degree - and this will increase the overall height, thus chassis room needed. The Fractal Design MashifyC DOES work with RAM that requires a shifted front fan on this cooler. I had to do this and it works perfectly.Last thoughts:Now, I knew all the Cons of this cooler going into this upgrade. I did choose cooler capacity over RGB loos my son would have chosen and I ordered RGB fans for his PC for the case to make up for it. I know from experience, this cooler will beat many others I've seen and I do understand why it is so hard to install: It's a trade-off for its size. The choice BeQuiet! had was to either use the space they have to work with to put more cooling it or to make it easier to install, but not both. They chose what is important and its primary purpose: Cooling!Would I buy it again? Absolutely! Actually, I am currently running the stock Wraith on my secondary system and will probably replace it with another one of these ones. It looks beefy, is beefy, and has a beefy cooling capacity.

Got this for a new desktop build. I wanted 2 main things from my CPU cooler, quiet operation and good cooling performance.I have used AIO water cooling for years including the NZXT Kraken x62, Corsair H80i, Swifttech H320 X2, etc. Each time I was generally disappointed by the noise they make. I would not consider them silent, with pump noise being my biggest peeve. Most of these pumps tend to starting making a ticking type noise that can be very annoying. Smaller AIO's need to use higher rpms on the fans for cooling which generally equates to loud fans.So this time around other than the obvious performance of a new gaming rig, keeping the rig silent and still cool was at the top of my priorities. I dont care about RGB, windows, etc.My build is:* i7-9700k with this cooler* MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge mATX motherboard* 32GB (2x 16GB) Corsair LPX DDR4 3200 RAM. CMK32GX4M2B3200C16* 1TB Samsung 970 Evo m.2 NVMe SSD* MSI RTX 2080 Duke GPU* Seasonic 850watt plat PSU SSR-850PX* Fractal Design Mini C (without side window)* 4x Be Quiet SILENTWINGS 3 PWM 120mm fans model BL066* 2x Be Quiet SILENTWINGS 3 PWM 140mm fans model BL067I have the i7-9700k running @ 5.0Ghz with max temps hitting ~80c in prime95 testing over a 4 hour period. Idle temps with ambient room temp at about 72f is ~26-29c. Gaming, it depends on the game and I have not tested many for long enough to be sure yet but I would say ranges from mid 40's to mid 60's.So performance wise, this cooler is amazing. Easily handles keeping the CPU cool.Lets talk sound/noise. At full, 100% rpm I heard a noise, this kind of whistle/whine...I moved in to listen more closely...and realized it was my nose/breathing making the noise. That's how quiet this build is, I heard my breathing/nose whistle over the sound of the cooler!At one point the cooler was so quiet I had to check if the fans where even working...of course they were.As to some concerns people may have:* Yes, this cooler is massive.* No, it wasnt all that hard to install. Easier than dealing with an AIO. Hardest part is getting the middle fan latched on* RAM clearance was fine for me, but I got RAM that didn't have absurdly tall and useless heat spreaders on them.Installation wise, I was able to install it myself with relative ease. The included screw driver is perfect. I used grizzly kryonaut thermal paste and spread it conservatively and thin over the CPU. The hardest part of the install is getting the middle fan latched onto the block. I found a pry tool useful for helping to pull the 2 wirey lathes over the notches of the fins.At the end of the day this cooler provides impressive performance, decent aesthetics, and silent operation. Its big, doesnt have RGB for 14 year olds and could have RAM clearance problems for some. If you can deal with the minor concessions and can make it work in your build you wont regret it.I am overall impressed with the build quality of Be Quiet's products overall and will be considering them more and more going forward especially for cooling products. I would highly recommend this cooler