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be quiet! Dark Rock 5 vs Noctua NH-D12L: Comparison
What is the difference between be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and Noctua NH-D12L?
Expect a near tie. The closest thing to a difference is noise level, be quiet! Dark Rock 5 29.8 dBA against Noctua NH-D12L 22.6 dBA. Height runs the same way, 161 mm on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 versus 145 mm on the Noctua NH-D12L, another win for Noctua NH-D12L. Add warranty to that, 3 years on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 versus 6 years on the Noctua NH-D12L, and the pattern holds.
Which should you buy, be quiet! Dark Rock 5 or Noctua NH-D12L?
Take the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 for buyers who want be quiet!'s quiet-focused engineering without paying flagship Pro 6 pricing. It is equally the pick for mainstream and lightly overclocked builds needing up to 250W of TDP headroom. Avoid it for heavily overclocked or workstation builds needing the Dark Rock Pro 6's 300W ceiling, covered elsewhere on this site. The Noctua NH-D12L is the one to take for builds with tall heatsink-covered RAM modules and Quiet-focused mid-range and upper-mid-range CPUs, though it is the wrong buy for extreme overclocks needing maximum dual-fan airflow and buyers wanting RGB aesthetics. Our rating of the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 (8.3/10): A well-judged mid-tier dual-tower cooler that keeps be quiet!'s acoustic focus at a friendlier price than the Pro 6. Our rating of the Noctua NH-D12L (8.3/10): an excellent no-compromise pick when tall RAM rules out a standard dual-fan tower.
What be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and Noctua NH-D12L have in common
The common ground is wider than the gap: cooler type, fan count, rgb lighting, fan size and pwm control are identical here.
Frequently asked questions
Do the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and Noctua NH-D12L differ on max speed?
Yes. Max Speed reads 2100 RPM on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 versus 2000 RPM on the Noctua NH-D12L.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet!
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Noctua
Cooler Type
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Air Tower
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Air Tower
Series
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Noctua NH-D12L
Tower Type
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Single-Tower
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Dual-Tower (Asymmetric)
Model Number
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- BK035
- Noctua NH-D12L
- NH-D12L
Height
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 161 mm-11%
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 145 mmBest
Socket Compatibility
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- AMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X
- Noctua NH-D12L
- AMD AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1954/1851/1700/1200/115X
Tower Layout
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Single-Tower
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Dual-Tower
Fan Count
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 1
Noise Level
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 29.8 dBA
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 22.6 dBABest
RGB Lighting
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- No
- Noctua NH-D12L
- No
Cooler Width
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 136 mm
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 125 mm
Cooler Weight
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1030 g
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 890 gBest
Heatpipe Count
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 6
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 5
Fan Size
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 120 mm
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 120 mm
Max Speed
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 2100 RPMBest
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 2000 RPM-5%
PWM Control
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Yes
- Noctua NH-D12L
- Yes
Warranty
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 3 years-50%
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 6 yearsBest
Fans
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1x Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 1x NF-A12x25r PWM 120mm
Which one should you pick?
Choose be quiet! Dark Rock 5 if you want the higher fan count (1 vs 1) and the higher max speed (2100 RPM vs 2000 RPM).
Choose Noctua NH-D12L if you want the lower height (145 mm vs 161 mm), the lower noise level (22.6 dBA vs 29.8 dBA) and the higher warranty (6 years vs 3 years).
Price comparison
| Retailer | be quiet! Dark Rock 5 | Noctua NH-D12L |
|---|---|---|
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Best Buy | View on Best Buy | |
| Amazon | View on Amazon |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
be quiet! Dark Rock 5
8.3 / 10 Expert Rating
A well-judged mid-tier dual-tower cooler that keeps be quiet!'s acoustic focus at a friendlier price than the Pro 6.
Noctua NH-D12L
8.3 / 10 Expert Rating
An excellent no-compromise pick when tall RAM rules out a standard dual-fan tower.