be quiet Dark Rock 6 and Dark Rock 6 Pro CPU cooler Review

Thermal Testing – Gaming

OC3D CPU Cooler Gaming Test

With this new CPU testing rig, we wanted to experiment with analysing the “gaming” performance of CPU coolers. After all, all-core stress tests are not a common workload for most PC users. Games do not usually put significant stress on all cores of your processor, especially if your CPU has a high core count. We also wanted to see whether your choice of CPU cooler affects GPU thermals during a GPU-focused stress test. After all, your CPU cooler can significantly affect the airflow pattern in your PC.

This testing procedure uncovered something. We found that AIO CPU liquid-cooling solutions gave us lower GPU thermals. This makes sense, as these solutions pump hot air directly out of our test system, serving as an exhaust. That said, the impact on GPU thermals was minimal. We only saw drops of 2-3 degrees during this test. Given this lack of difference, we will now focus exclusively on CPU thermals with this test.

For our CPU game test, we used Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker’s benchmarking tool for our gaming test. This test can run for a long time and moves between CPU and GPU-limited parts of the game. This test was run at 1080p resolution with maximum settings.

1,000 RPM Fan Test

Below we can see be quiet’s generational improvements in Dark Rock 6 series at work. The Dark Rock Pro 6 is notably cooler running than the Dark Rock Elite, and the new Dark Rock 6 is close behind the Dark Rock Elite. Solid performance.

1,500 RPM Fan Test

At 1500 RPM, the new Dark Rock 6 series coolers are the best-performing air coolers on this chart. Not bad be quiet. Yes, this workload isn’t the most intensive out there, but let’s be honest, most of us rarely max out our CPUs.

Max RPM Fan Test

At maxed-out RPMs, we continue to see solid results from the new be quiet Dark Rock 6 series.