Noctua NH-D15 vs Dark Rock Pro 4 – Which is better in 2021? (2023)

Noctua was one of the first manufacturers to announce its CPU cooler with RGB LEDs and recently introduced its first cooler with a full-surface Type-C connector. My tests with this cooler have shown that the NH-D15 outperforms its competitors, but it might be a bit overpriced for the average gamer. This comparison test covers Noctua's best CPU air coolers, so you can choose the model that best suits your budget.

Noctua's NH-D15 is one of the quietest 15 cm tower coolers on the market. It's rated at just 9.2 dB(A) at standard voltage, and that's with fans running at their maximum speed of 1600 rpm. But there's no reason you can't run the NH-D15 at lower speeds, and the NH-D15 on its own is so quiet you can run it in an HTPC case without disturbing the neighbors.

Noctua has just launched its latest model in its range of CPU coolers, the NH-D15. When it comes to cooler design, the Noctua NH-D15 is a popular choice for many CPU fans due to its clean and minimalist design. In this review, we tested the new Noctua cooler against the Dark Rock 4, which is one of the most popular products on the market mainly for its simplicity in design.

If you want to get the maximum performance out of your processor, you need a powerful CPU cooler to keep the temperature down.

The standard CPU cooler that comes with CPUs is capable of keeping processor temperatures under control. If you overclock your CPU and want the best, most stable, and most efficient cooling performance, you need to get an aftermarket CPU cooler.

The NH-D15 Noctua and Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4 is the fourth installment in the Dark Rock series. CPU coolers are discussed as they are two of the best CPU coolers out there.

Its performance is comparable to certain AIO cooling systems. Both are extremely popular CPU coolers for enthusiast PC builds and are often compared. Many PC manufacturers face the same problem when building their PCs: which CPU cooler to use?

We will compare the Dark Rock Pro 4 and Noctua NH-d15 CPU coolers in this article to help you decide which one is best for your PC configurations.

Specifications: Be still Dark Rock Pro 4 vs. Noctua NH-D15

Comparison: Keep Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4 vs. Noctua NH-D15

The overall cooling performance of both CPU coolers is quite similar, with both offering comparable performance to say 240mm and even 360mm AIO liquid coolers. This is very noticeable with air CPU coolers.

Compared to the NH-D15, the Noctua NH-D15 air cooler has the same dual-tower CPU cooler architecture as the Dark Rock Pro 4, however, the Dark Rock 4 will be able to offer around 1-3 degrees of cooling performance under load .

YouTube video courtesy of Skeuz Tech

This depends on several parameters, including ventilation, case internals, and other factors that affect thermal performance. However, if you want to get the best performance and maximum speed out of your CPU, Dark Rock Pro 4 will no doubt help you with that.

The NH-D15 CPU cooler, on the other hand, has a nice basic design. The heatsink is metallic silver, while the fans come in Noctua's signature brown color scheme. It consists of six copper heat pipes soldered onto a nickel-plated copper base.

Each fin on the two stacks of the CPU cooler has been directly soldered to the heat pipes, which makes the low-CFM fans work properly and increases the efficiency of the CPU cooler.

Compared to the Dark Rock Pro 4 fan mounting method, the Noctua NH D15 fan mounting system is significantly easier to use and install. Please be quiet! It has improved Dark Rock Pro 4's assembly method, which is very similar to NH-D15, much simpler and easier than Dark Rock Pro 3's predecessor. However, it is still inferior to NH-D15.

Compared to the Noctua NH-D15, the Dark Rock Pro 4 silencer lives up to its nickname and is significantly quieter under load and when idling. Dark Rock Pro 4 will be able to work with a reduced noise level of 1-3 dB.

The fan speed is set to 25%.

YouTube video courtesy of Skuez Tech

100 percent fan speed

YouTube video courtesy of Skuez Tech

It's not much, but if you want a quiet PC, the Dark Rock Pro 4 is without a doubt the better option. Especially since the cooling performance of both CPU coolers is almost identical.

The Dark Rock Pro 4 also seems more attractive than the NH-D15. It has a beautiful matte black finish and a streamlined design that would look great on any PC setup. Noctua's brown color scheme doesn't match all PC color schemes, although black does.

It has excellent build quality and seven heat pipes that help dissipate heat away from the processor. The base of the Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU cooler consists of two parts made of different metals. The top half of the base is aluminum and houses a pre-cooler, while the bottom half is copper and is responsible for transporting heat from the CPU to the heatpipes.

The comparison between Dark Rock Pro 4 and Noctua NH-D15 showed that both air coolers offer excellent performance for the price. Which one works best for your PC configuration depends on personal taste. One thing is for sure: you won't find coolers with better cooling performance for the price.

What makes the Noctua NH-D15 better?

When it comes to cooling, it performs slightly better than the other. It has a sturdy construction. The Noctua NH-D15 is the superior option when you simply want the best cooling performance. However, it generates a little more noise, which is not a problem.

Why is the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4 superior to the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3?

At first glance, it seems to be superior to the NH-D15. The matte black color scheme complements virtually any PC setup. It also makes slightly less noise than the others and performs similarly in terms of cooling. Dark Rock Pro 4 is the best option if your main goal is to have a quieter PC.

frequently asked questions

Also see:

Cheap CPU Coolers Best Ryzen 5 3600 CPU Coolers Best Ryzen 7 3700X CPU Coolers

Noctua has made some big changes over the past few years. The company has completely adopted the NH-D15, with all NH-D15S, NH-D15 SLAM, NH-D15S SLAM, NH-D15 SE-AM4, NH-D15 SE-AM4 (V1) and NH-D15 SE-AM4 variants (V2). The company also expanded its product range, launching the Dark Rock Pro 4, Dark Rock 3, Pro 5, Pro 6, Dark Rock 3 (V1) and Dark Rock 3 (V2) series.Dark Rock Pro 4 RAM-Releaseand let us know what you think.

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Existe algo melhor do que Noctua NH-D15?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
There are many CPU cooler brands that perform better than Noctua NH-D15."}},{"@type":”Question”,”name”:”Is Noctua NH-D15 the best?”,” acceptedAnswer” : { “@type”: “Answer””, “text”:”
Noctua NH-D15 is a great CPU cooler.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Is Noctua NH-D15 enough for i9 10900K?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“ @type ” :”Response”,”Text”:”
For most people yes. However, if you overclock your CPU and/or GPU, it is recommended to get a better cooler like the Noctua NH-D15S."}}]}

frequently asked questions

Is there anything better than the Noctua NH-D15?

There are many brands of CPU coolers that work better than the Noctua NH-D15.

Is Noctua NH-D15 the best?

Noctua NH-D15 is a great CPU cooler.

Is the Noctua NH-D15 enough for the i9 10900K?

For most people yes. However, if you overclock your CPU and/or GPU, it's recommended to buy a better cooler like the Noctua NH-D15S.