FrostyTech Mk.III Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results Intel Core i7, Extreme Edition class heatsinks tested at a 200W heat load. Results based on readings from a 38x38mm copper interface die with 200W heat load on the Intel version of the Mk.III Test Platform. Temperature results listed for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperatures at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here. Socket LGA2011/1366 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer:	model no.:	*fan speed:	200w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
Coolermaster	Nepton 280L	high	10.6	58.8
Coolermaster	Nepton 140XL	high	11.8	59.6
Coolermaster	Seidon 240M	high	13.4	55.6
Silverstone	Tundra TD02	high	13.6	53.0
Coolermaster	Glacer 240L	high	14.1	52.5
NZXT	Kraken X60	high	14.5	60.7
Noctua	NH-U14S		17.0	47.3
Coolermaster	Seidon 120V	high	17.5	54.3
NZXT	Kraken X40	high	18.2	59.4
Silverstone	Tundra TD03	high	18.7	58.1
Silverstone	Argon AR01	high	18.8	53.0
Coolermaster	Eisberg 240L	high	19.1	50.5
BeQuiet	Dark Rock Pro 3	high	19.5	43.7
Raijintek	Themis	high	19.7	52.8
Coolermaster	V8 GTS	high	20.0	59.7
Corsair	Hydro H80i	high	21.1	64.0
Noctua	NH-U12S		21.1	46.2
Raijintek	Ereboss	high	21.4	49.7
Zalman	Reserator 3 Max	high	21.6	58.9
Scythe	Mugen 4	high	21.7	41.9
Zalman	LQ315	high	21.9	50.8
Silverstone	NT06-P	high	22.1	51.6
Raijintek	Aidos	high	23.0	55.6
BeQuiet	Dark Rock Pro 3	low	23.3	34.5
Silentium	Fera2 HE1224	high	23.4	37.6
Zalman	LQ310	high	23.8	52.7
Scythe	Ashura Shadow (SCASR-1000SE)	high	24.2	51.4
Zalman	LQ320	high	25.5	50.2
npowertek	NPH-1366-115HC (LGA1366)	high	28.7	44.8
Dynatron	G556 (LGA1366/2U)		29.1	68.4
Dynatron	G555 (LGA1366/2U)		30.4	67.8
Dynatron	G666 (LGA1366/2U)		31.8	68.7
Silverstone	NT01-Pro	high	35.8	40.4
nPowerTek	NPH1366-140HC (LGA1366)	high	36.3	48.1
Zalman	FX-100 (w/h ZM-F2 fan)		36.9	28.5
Dynatron	G199 (LGA1366/1U)		47.6	62.6
Zalman	FX-100 (hor, ver)		63.0	0.0
			200w thermal test (°c)	noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 200w thermal test results column (rise over ambient temp.). low temperatures with low noise levels are considered best. for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high speed (12v) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results reside in each specific heatsink review.

frostytech's socket LGA2011 Intel synthetic thermal test platform stresses socket LGA2011/1366 compatible heatsinks with a 200W heat load. Keep in mind that the AMD Integrated Heat Spreader and Intel LGA2011 Integrated Heat Spreader both measure ~38x38mm, so these test results can be extrapolated to AMD processor scenario's as well.

With a 200W heat load applied by the Intel LGA2011/1366 version of FrostyTech's synthetic thermal test platform, the BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink yielded a very good result of 19.5°C over ambient with both fans spinning at stock speed. Reducing the speed of the 120mm and 135mm PWM fans to 1400RPM caused test temperatures to increase to 23.3°C over ambient.

Suffice to say, the BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 is among the quieter LGA2011 heatsinks Frostytech has tested to date. As you can see by the results chart above, the next best performing heatsinks in the same noise range as the Dark Rock Pro 3 are the Scythe Mugen 4 and Noctua NH-U12S heatsinks. The self contained watercoolers do top the chart, but with a much greater noise output.

Ultimately, the BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 is a very good low noise thermal solution, particularly on the Intel LGA2011 platform. It does occupy a huge volume of space which may cause interference issues with memory slots on some motherboards, but if low noise CPU cooling is your game that issue is simply unavoidable. Measure your clearances first!

The only aspect of the Dark Rock Pro 3 cooler we weren't entirely happy with was the finicky mounting hardware. The brackets are straight forward, but the little nuts and wrench can make installation a chore in confined computer chassis where access is generally restricted on two or more sides of the CPU socket. That being said, it's nice to know thermal aspects of the heatsink design were not sacrificed for the sole sake of easing installation.

To sum up, the BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 heatsink is close to a "Noctua level" of build quality (but not quite there) and contains a good balance of innovative thermal design choices and noise reducing features to yield an effective, 200W capable low noise CPU heatsink. Recommended.

Related Articles:

The Top 5 best heatsinks for low noise and low temperature are ranked here. For more reviews on the latest heatsinks and cooling solutions, rely on FrostyTech's inventory of 400+ heatsink reviews. Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well.

- Scythe Ashura Shadow Heatsink Review
- Cooler Master Nepton 280L Liquid Cooling System Review
- SilentiumPC Fera2 HE1224 Heatsink Review
- Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Liquid Cooling System Review
- Zalman LQ320 Liquid Cooling System Review
- Coolermaster Seidon 120V Liquid Cooling System Review
- Scythe Mugen 4 Heatsink Review