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be quiet! Dark Rock 4 vs Noctua NH-D9L: Comparison
be quiet! Dark Rock 4 and Noctua NH-D9L separate most on warranty: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 at 3 years, Noctua NH-D9L at 6 years, 50% in favour of Noctua NH-D9L. Height splits them by another 45%, again favouring Noctua NH-D9L. They match on 4 other specifications, including cooler type, fan count and rgb lighting.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | be quiet! | Noctua |
| Cooler Type | Air Tower | Air Tower |
| Series | be quiet! Dark Rock 4 | Noctua NH-D9L |
| Tower Type | Single-Tower | Compact Dual-Tower |
| Model Number | BK021 | NH-D9L |
| Height | 160 mm-45% | 110 mm |
| Socket Compatibility | AMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1700/1200/115X/2066/2011-3 | AMD AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1954/1851/1700/1200/115X |
| Tower Layout | Single-Tower | Dual-Tower |
| Fan Count | 1 | 1 |
| Noise Level | 21.4 dBA | 22.8 dBA+1.4 dBA |
| RGB Lighting | No | No |
| Cooler Width | 136 mm | 95 mm |
| Cooler Weight | 920 g | 531 g |
| Heatpipe Count | 6 | 4 |
| Fan Size | 135 mm | 92 mm |
| Max Speed | 1400 RPM-30% | 2000 RPM |
| PWM Control | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | 3 years-50% | 6 years |
| Source URL | https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/1376 | https://www.noctua.at/en/products/nh-d9l/specifications |
Verdict
be quiet! Dark Rock 4
7.9 / 10 Expert Rating
A dependable, genuinely quiet single-tower cooler that's been slightly outclassed by be quiet!'s own newer Dark Rock 5, but still a solid mid-tier pick on sale.
Noctua NH-D9L
8.2 / 10 Expert Rating
The best compact dual-tower option for small-case builds that still want Noctua-grade reliability and don't want to compromise all the way down to a single-tower cooler.