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be quiet! Dark Rock 5 vs Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black: Comparison

be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black separate most on fan count: be quiet! Dark Rock 5 at 1, Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black at 2, 50% in favour of Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black. Warranty splits them by another 50%, again favouring Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black. They match on 7 other specifications, including cooler type, tower type and tower layout.

be quiet! Dark Rock 5 (Dual-Tower Air/6 Heatpipes/135mm+120mm Silent Wings Fans/250W TDP/Mid-Tier Flagship)
be quiet!be quiet! Dark Rock 5
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black (Single-Tower Air/7 Heatpipes/Dual NF-A12x25 120mm Fans/158mm Height/Compact Flagship)
NoctuaNoctua NH-U12A chromax.black

Specs

Specification
be quiet! Dark Rock 5 (Dual-Tower Air/6 Heatpipes/135mm+120mm Silent Wings Fans/250W TDP/Mid-Tier Flagship)
be quiet! Dark Rock 5
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black (Single-Tower Air/7 Heatpipes/Dual NF-A12x25 120mm Fans/158mm Height/Compact Flagship)
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Brandbe quiet!Noctua
Cooler TypeAir TowerAir Tower
Seriesbe quiet! Dark Rock 5Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Tower TypeSingle-TowerSingle-Tower
Model NumberBK035NH-U12A chromax.black
Height161 mm-2%158 mm
Socket CompatibilityAMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115XAMD AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1954/1851/1700/1200/115X
Tower LayoutSingle-TowerSingle-Tower
Fan Count1-50%2
Noise Level29.8 dBA+7.2 dBA22.6 dBA
RGB LightingNoNo
Cooler Width136 mm125 mm
Cooler Weight1030 g1220 g
Heatpipe Count67
Fan Size120 mm120 mm
Max Speed2100 RPM2000 RPM-5%
PWM ControlYesYes
LightingNoneNone
Warranty3 years-50%6 years
Fans1x Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM2x NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black, 120mm
Source URLhttps://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/5110https://www.noctua.at/en/products/nh-u12a-chromax-black/specifications

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-U12A chromax.black

8.8 / 10 Expert Rating

Noctua's compact flagship proves a well-engineered single-tower can rival dual-tower coolers, at a real premium.

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