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be quiet! Dark Rock 5 vs SilverStone AR12: Comparison
What is the difference between be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and SilverStone AR12?
Start with tdp rating, because it is the widest measured gap between them: be quiet! Dark Rock 5 210 W against SilverStone AR12 95 W, 55% in favour of be quiet! Dark Rock 5.
be quiet! Dark Rock 5 vs SilverStone AR12: which one fits your build
Take the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 for buyers who want be quiet!'s quiet-focused engineering without paying flagship Pro 6 pricing. It also earns its place with mainstream and lightly overclocked builds needing up to 250W of TDP headroom. It is the wrong buy for heavily overclocked or workstation builds needing the Dark Rock Pro 6's 300W ceiling, covered elsewhere on this site. The SilverStone AR12 suits mainstream non-overclocked builds where 95W of headroom is genuinely enough, though it is not the pick for buyers wanting RGB lighting, since this stays unlit. It is equally the pick for SFF and HTPC builders who need the shortest possible cooler height. It is not the one for overclocked or high-TDP builds, where the thermal ceiling runs out quickly. 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 SilverStone AR12 (7.3/10): A purpose-built low-profile cooler whose entire value proposition is fitting where taller coolers cannot.
What be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and SilverStone AR12 have in common
Everything else lines up. Cooler type, tower type, tower layout, fan count and rgb lighting read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 2 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and SilverStone AR12 differ on noise level?
Yes. Noise Level reads 29.8 dBA on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 versus 29 dBA on the SilverStone AR12.
Is the Fan Size the same on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 and SilverStone AR12?
It is. Both are listed at 120 mm, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet!
- SilverStone AR12
- SilverStone
Cooler Type
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Air Tower
- SilverStone AR12
- Air Tower
Series
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- SilverStone AR12
- SilverStone Argon AR12
Tower Type
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Single-Tower
- SilverStone AR12
- Single-Tower
Model Number
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- BK035
- SilverStone AR12
- SST-AR12
Height
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 161 mm-5%
- SilverStone AR12
- 154 mmBest
Socket Compatibility
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- AMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X
- SilverStone AR12
- AMD AM4/AM3/AM2/FM2/FM1, Intel LGA115X/1366/2011/2066
Tower Layout
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Single-Tower
- SilverStone AR12
- Single-Tower
Fan Count
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1
- SilverStone AR12
- 1
TDP Rating
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 210 WBest
- SilverStone AR12
- 95 W-55%
Noise Level
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 29.8 dBA
- SilverStone AR12
- 29 dBABest
RGB Lighting
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- No
- SilverStone AR12
- No
Cooler Width
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 136 mm
- SilverStone AR12
- 128 mm
Cooler Weight
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1030 g
- SilverStone AR12
- 632 gBest
Heatpipe Count
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 6
- SilverStone AR12
- 4
Fan Size
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 120 mm
- SilverStone AR12
- 120 mm
Max Speed
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 2100 RPM-5%
- SilverStone AR12
- 2200 RPMBest
PWM Control
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Yes
- SilverStone AR12
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose be quiet! Dark Rock 5 if you want the higher fan count (1 vs 1) and the higher TDP rating (210 W vs 95 W).
Choose SilverStone AR12 if you want the lower height (154 mm vs 161 mm), the lower noise level (29 dBA vs 29.8 dBA) and the higher max speed (2200 RPM vs 2100 RPM).
Price comparison
| Retailer | be quiet! Dark Rock 5 | SilverStone AR12 |
|---|---|---|
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Best Buy | View on Best Buy |
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.
SilverStone AR12
7.3 / 10 Expert Rating
A purpose-built low-profile cooler whose entire value proposition is fitting where taller coolers cannot.