Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro C1 Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review

Connecting the mounting brackets to the base area of the Dark Rock Pro was our first task undertaken.

A solid metal backplate is used to secure the 1550g Dark Rock Pro.

Securing the backplate was very awkward. The rubber O-rings which hold it in place just aren’t strong enough to secure its weight when you turn the motherboard.

Securing the cooler was even more awkward. The method was genuinely awful! Be Quiet! force you to place the cooler on a flat surface and then, while holding your motherboard, somehow align the 4 screws which physically attach the cooler. All of this had to be completed while the CPU is laden with thermal paste. As you can image thermal paste went everywhere resulting in a time-consuming installation process which also required a degree of cleaning.

Once the hassle of installation had been completed, the cooler sat very securely in place. A solid metal backplate was evidently a good decision as this 1.5Kg beast isn’t going top shift at all.

Clearance could certainly create issues with certain user’s systems. The wide Dark Rock Pro overhangs all 4 DIMM slots meaning that you will be forced to raise the front fan’s mounting location if you want to install tall RAM modules such as Corsair’s Vengeance.

With the fan in its out-of-the-box position, RAM clearance is surprisingly good. Our 31.5mm Corsair XMS3 modules fit easily under the front fan which left clearance for modules up to approximately 46.5mm in height. If you want to use taller RAM modules you can simply raise the front fan provided your case has enough width for the already tall 166mm cooler.

While the Dark Rock Pro may engulf a large proportion of our NZXT Phantom’s interior, it does so while creating an incredibly elegant and attractive appearance. A good idea would have been for Be Quiet! to implant a small LED inside their logo creating a subtle glow in low-light conditions.