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be quiet! Dark Rock 4 vs Noctua NH-U9S: Comparison
be quiet! Dark Rock 4 and Noctua NH-U9S separate most on warranty: be quiet! Dark Rock 4 at 3 years, Noctua NH-U9S at 6 years, 50% in favour of Noctua NH-U9S. Max Speed splits them by another 30%, again favouring Noctua NH-U9S. They match on 7 other specifications, including cooler type, tower type and tower layout.
Specs
| Specification |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | be quiet! | Noctua |
| Cooler Type | Air Tower | Air Tower |
| Series | be quiet! Dark Rock 4 | Noctua NH-U9S |
| Tower Type | Single-Tower | Single-Tower |
| Model Number | BK021 | NH-U9S |
| Height | 160 mm-28% | 125 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 | Single-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 | 618 g |
| Heatpipe Count | 6 | 5 |
| Fan Size | 135 mm | 92 mm |
| Max Speed | 1400 RPM-30% | 2000 RPM |
| PWM Control | Yes | Yes |
| Lighting | None | None |
| Warranty | 3 years-50% | 6 years |
| Source URL | https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/1376 | https://www.noctua.at/en/products/nh-u9s/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-U9S
8 / 10 Expert Rating
A sensible, well-built compact cooler for mATX builds that don't need flagship-level thermal headroom.