Be Quiet Dark Rock Advanced C1 CPU cooler review

The Dark Rock Advanced C1 is a tower-style cooler, as most high performance coolers nowadays are. For a tower cooler using a 120mm cooling fan and utilizing 6 heatpipes[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK], the Dark Rock Advanced C1 is relatively compact. A thick black aluminum plate is installed at the top of the cooler, serving mostly as an aesthetic enhancement and covers the heatpipes and asymmetric cooling fins. The cooling fan is one of Be-Quiet’s best 120mm fans, a SilentWings PWM controlled fan. The SilentWings PWM is a high quality fluid dynamic bearing fan with an innovative fins design for optimum airflow performance and a maximum rotational speed of 1500RPM but without any lighting or other aesthetic enhancements.

The fins of the Dark Rock Advanced C1 cooler are nickel plated and their fan-facing side is cut to a V shape, minimizing the noise created by turbulence beneath the fan’s motor. Their edges are also following a wave shaped pattern to reduce turbulence noise even further. The fan is held into place with rubber studs which absorb any movement vibrations.

Full review here