Dark Rock 3?

[MVPernula]

Okay so I'm looking for a new cooler, and my H100i is dying. I don't feel like going AIO because of it, should the DR3 be a good replacement? I'm on a 5820K @ 4.6Ghz. Or do you recommend something else? I could consider an AIO.

 

Something silent!

[vorticalbox]

DR3 has 190 TDP cooling capacity or you could go for the DR pro 3 for 240 TDP.  I would get the pro just for the dual fans  should be more than enough for that CPU

[roylapoutre]

9 minutes ago, MVPernula said:

Okay so I'm looking for a new cooler, and my H100i is dying. I don't feel like going AIO because of it, should the DR3 be a good replacement? I'm on a 5820K @ 4.6Ghz. Or do you recommend something else? I could consider an AIO.

 

Something silent!

If you want silence, the 135mm fan that comes with the DR3 is amazing. But it has a cost, the static pressure isn't great. I currently have one on an i7 4790k @4.6GHz 1.2v, and I'm getting around 75°c max on OCCT stress test. And about 4-5°C less with a second 120mm fan. The tower itself can allow for better cooling if you use some static pressure optimized fan

[MVPernula]

7 minutes ago, MVPernula said:

Okay so I'm looking for a new cooler, and my H100i is dying. I don't feel like going AIO because of it, should the DR3 be a good replacement? I'm on a 5820K @ 4.6Ghz. Or do you recommend something else? I could consider an AIO.

Hmm, noted. I ended up looking at it now too. Doesn't cost much more either, so might be worth looking at. As long as it's cool and above all silent I'm in.

[MVPernula]

Just now, roylapoutre said:

If you want silence, the 135mm fan that comes with the DR3 is amazing. But it has a cost, the static pressure isn't great. I currently have one on an i7 4790k @4.6GHz 1.2v, and I'm getting around 75°c max on OCCT stress test. And about 4-5°C less with a second 120mm fan. The tower itself can allow for better cooling if you use some static pressure optimized fan

Do you have an opinion about the Dark Rock PRO 3?

[roylapoutre]

2 minutes ago, MVPernula said:

Do you have an opinion about the Dark Rock PRO 3?

From what I saw, the Pro version is useless. It gives the same cooling performance as the non-Pro cooler, and is a bit bulkier. I wanted to go for the Pro at first, but the tests confirmed that it was much better to go for the non-Pro version with an extra 120mm fan. 

[roylapoutre]

Oh and since the mounting system is the same on both of them, you will go crazy with the Pro. It's bad enough on the DR3, I can't imagine how it is with a bigger heatsink...

[kung.lao]

I also have a Dark Rock 3 and I like it. I have an i5 4690k OC'd at 4.5 Ghz and the temps I get are about 70 °C under load. It's also a beautiful and silent cooler, so I would recommend it.

[MVPernula]

59 minutes ago, kung.lao said:

I also have a Dark Rock 3 and I like it. I have an i5 4690k OC'd at 4.5 Ghz and the temps I get are about 70 °C under load. It's also a beautiful and silent cooler, so I would recommend it.

I've heard a bit about it blocking the RAM-slots, what are your thoughts about it?

[MVPernula]

1 hour ago, roylapoutre said:

From what I saw, the Pro version is useless. It gives the same cooling performance as the non-Pro cooler, and is a bit bulkier. I wanted to go for the Pro at first, but the tests confirmed that it was much better to go for the non-Pro version with an extra 120mm fan. 

Wait so you mean that I should go for the non-pro but just add another fan to it? How's the space above the RAM-slots?

[roylapoutre]

Yup, I'm running the non-pro with 2 fans. All the mounting accessories for a second fan are supplied in the box. And the results I saw for the Pro version are not an improvement that justifies the extra price and bulkiness of the cooler. As for RAM clearance, it's not a problem since you can adjust the height of the fans pretty much like you want. I'm running 2x8Gb of HyperX Fury RAM and it's not a problem. 

[MVPernula]

25 minutes ago, roylapoutre said:

Yup, I'm running the non-pro with 2 fans. All the mounting accessories for a second fan are supplied in the box. And the results I saw for the Pro version are not an improvement that justifies the extra price and bulkiness of the cooler. As for RAM clearance, it's not a problem since you can adjust the height of the fans pretty much like you want. I'm running 2x8Gb of HyperX Fury RAM and it's not a problem. 

Okay, I have 8x4 crucial DDR4 RAM on my X99 board, they're super small and ugly. Will they be in the way?

[roylapoutre]

19 minutes ago, MVPernula said:

Okay, I have 8x4 crucial DDR4 RAM on my X99 board, they're super small and ugly. Will they be in the way?

I doubt they will, and as I said, if they are a bit too tall, you just have to take the fan up on the heatsink  But you need to have enough clearance to avoid collision between the top of the fan and the side panel of your case. If you want a more visual representation of things, look here !

[MVPernula]

2 minutes ago, roylapoutre said:

I doubt they will, and as I said, if they are a bit too tall, you just have to take the fan up on the heatsink  But you need to have enough clearance to avoid collision between the top of the fan and the side panel of your case. If you want a more visual representation of things, look here !

God this thing really seems to be a mess to mount.. Looks so good though..

 

But spacewise it seems fine, like you said, but which fan is compatible?

[Suika]

2 hours ago, MVPernula said:

I've heard a bit about it blocking the RAM-slots, what are your thoughts about it?

It ultimately comes down to what case you're using.

 

I ended up having to sacrifice dual channel memory because the fan ever so slightly blocks the first DIMM slot, and while you can raise the fan for compatibility, I have a Phanteks P400, which already barely has enough clearance for the DR3. Raising the fan is not an option for me, however the 730T has a bit more room to manage.

[MVPernula]

10 minutes ago, Suika said:

It ultimately comes down to what case you're using.

 

I ended up having to sacrifice dual channel memory because the fan ever so slightly blocks the first DIMM slot, and while you can raise the fan for compatibility, I have a Phanteks P400, which already barely has enough clearance for the DR3. Raising the fan is not an option for me, however the 730T has a bit more room to manage.

Corsair 730T, very roomy.

[roylapoutre]

23 minutes ago, MVPernula said:

God this thing really seems to be a mess to mount.. Looks so good though..

 

But spacewise it seems fine, like you said, but which fan is compatible?

Any 120mm should do it. But if you want to preserve silence and aesthetic homogeneity, a bequiet! fan would be better   

[MVPernula]

How do I connect it to the heatsink? Won't I need some sort of.. Something?

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, MVPernula said:

How do I connect it to the heatsink? Won't I need some sort of.. Something?

Fans are attached to the heatsink using included fan clips. That being said, a DR3 would be a downgrade from a h100i in terms of cooling performance. 

I'd recommend going with something more substantial like a NH-D15 or PH-TC14PE. 

[MVPernula]

11 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Fans are attached to the heatsink using included fan clips. That being said, a DR3 would be a downgrade from a h100i in terms of cooling performance. 

I'd recommend going with something more substantial like a NH-D15 or PH-TC14PE. 

I'd like something somewhat good looking too, is the noctua tower compatible with other fans?

[kung.lao]

On 25-7-2016 at 1:04 PM, MVPernula said:

Wait so you mean that I should go for the non-pro but just add another fan to it? How's the space above the RAM-slots?

It blocks 1 RAM slot on my motherboard, I don't need that slot, so I don't have a problem with it.

[WoodenMarker]

12 hours ago, MVPernula said:

I'd like something somewhat good looking too, is the noctua tower compatible with other fans?

Yes, the fans can be swapped out but part of what makes the cooler so great are the fans. If you don't dig the look, I'd recommend putting the money into another cooler in the first place.

[MVPernula]

12 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Yes, the fans can be swapped out but part of what makes the cooler so great are the fans. If you don't dig the look, I'd recommend putting the money into another cooler in the first place.

That kind of sucks considering the noctua black fans still have the stupidly ugly brown edges.

[WoodenMarker]

Just now, MVPernula said:

That kind of sucks considering the noctua black fans still have the stupidly ugly brown edges.

They're just rubber corners and can be removed.

[MVPernula]

2 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

They're just rubber corners and can be removed.

I like the sound of that..