One meter, and no standard named
The distance is printed, just not where you would look. be quiet! keeps it on a page about noise rather than in the technical data: "In order to be able to offer unadulterated values, all measurements are made with a measuring distance of one meter."
That page goes on to advise that "The measuring distance should always be observed and specified." The spec tables do not follow the advice. None of them prints a distance, and no test standard is named anywhere.
There is also one worked example, "The volume of our Dark Rock Pro 5 (9 dB(A)) at 50% load and a distance of one meter". The Pro 5's own sheet says 8.9, so the noise page has rounded it up.
A one meter dB(A) figure is a sound pressure level. Makers who measure at other distances, or under other standards, produce numbers that will not line up with it, and the decibel ratings explainer goes through why.
Which be quiet! 120mm fan is quietest?
The Shadow Wings 2 120mm White, at 15.7 dB(A) and 1100 rpm. Its PWM versions list 15.9, and the Silent Wings Pro 4 120mm PWM tops the size at 36.9.
Every row below is the "Noise level at 100% PWM / 12V" figure with its speed, for 120 x 120 x 25 mm fans. White versions and triple packs print the same figure as the single black fan, so they share a row. Airflow and pressure are shown where the pick or comparison needs them.
| Fan | dB(A) at 100% | Speed | Airflow | Pressure |
|---|
| Shadow Wings 2 120mm White | 15.7 | 1100 rpm | | |
| Shadow Wings 2 120mm PWM, PWM White | 15.9 | 1100 rpm | 65 m3/h | 0.82 mm H2O |
| Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM, PWM White | 18.9 | 1600 rpm | 82.7 m3/h | 1.79 mm H2O |
| Light Wings 120mm PWM and its triple packs | 20.6 | 1700 rpm | 70.5 m3/h | 1.66 mm H2O |
| Pure Wings 3 120mm, 120mm PWM, PWM White; Light Wings LX 120mm PWM | 25.5 | 1600 rpm | | |
| Light Wings LX 120mm PWM Reverse; Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM Reverse Triple-Pack | 28.5 | 1500 rpm | | |
| Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM high-speed; Light Wings LX 120mm PWM high-speed | 30.9 | 2100 rpm | | |
| Light Wings 120mm PWM high-speed | 31 | 2500 rpm | | |
| Silent Wings 4 120mm PWM high-speed | 31.2 | 2500 rpm | 130.3 m3/h | 3.96 mm H2O |
| Silent Wings Pro 4 120mm PWM | 36.9 | 3000 rpm | 142.5 m3/h | 5.31 mm H2O |
The series blurbs agree with the sheets. Shadow Wings 2 is sold on "Whisper-quiet operation at low rpm (14.7-15.9db(A))", and Pure Wings 3 promises "Very quiet operation with maximum 30.9dB(A)".
In 140mm the Silent Wings 4 leads at 13.6 dB(A)
That 13.6 at 1100 rpm is the lowest figure on any current be quiet! fan of either size. At the other end, the Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm PWM lists 36.8. All rows are 140 x 140 x 25 mm.
| Fan | dB(A) at 100% | Speed | Airflow | Pressure |
|---|
| Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM, PWM White | 13.6 | 1100 rpm | 87.2 m3/h | 0.92 mm H2O |
| Shadow Wings 2 140mm White | 14.7 | 900 rpm | | |
| Shadow Wings 2 140mm PWM, PWM White | 14.9 | 900 rpm | | |
| Pure Wings 3 140mm, 140mm PWM, PWM White | 21.9 | 1200 rpm | 97.5 m3/h | 0.96 mm H2O |
| Light Wings LX 140mm PWM | 22.9 | 1200 rpm | | |
| Light Wings 140mm PWM | 23.3 | 1500 rpm | | |
| Light Wings 140mm PWM Reverse, Reverse White | 25.5 | 1300 rpm | | |
| Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM high-speed | 29.3 | 1900 rpm | | |
| Pure Wings 3 140mm PWM high-speed; Light Wings LX 140mm PWM high-speed | 30.5 | 1800 rpm | | |
| Light Wings 140mm PWM high-speed | 31 | 2200 rpm | | |
| Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm PWM | 36.8 | 2400 rpm | | |
Watch the suffix.
In both sizes a series' high-speed version lists far more than its standard one, and the Silent Wings 4 140mm jumps from 13.6 to 29.3 dB(A) for 800 more rpm. Read the whole product name before you order.
How loud is a be quiet! CPU cooler?
Between 7.5 and 14.8 dB(A) at half speed, and 23.3 to 34.8 at full speed. These come from an "Overall noise level" row that covers the whole cooler rather than one fan, labelled "Overall noise level (dB(A)) @ 50/75/100% (rpm)".
| Cooler | Type | 50% | 75% | 100% | TDP | Height |
|---|
| Dark Rock Pro 6 | Dual tower | 7.5 | 20.2 | 32.4 | 300 W | 169 mm |
| Dark Rock Pro 5 | Dual tower | 8.9 | 16.3 | 23.3 | 270 W | 168 mm |
| Dark Rock Elite | Dual tower | 11.0 | 19.5 | 25.8 | 280 W | 168 mm |
| Pure Rock Pro 3, Pro 3 Black, Pro 3 LX | Dual tower | 14.0 | 26.5 | 34.8 | 250 W | 155 mm |
| Dark Rock Slim | Single tower | 11.0 | 16.9 | 23.6 | 180 W | 159 mm |
| Shadow Rock Slim 2 | Single tower | 11.5 | 18.7 | 23.7 | 160 W | 161 mm |
| Dark Rock 6 | Single tower | 11.9 | 23.2 | 31.1 | 220 W | 162 mm |
| Dark Rock 5 | Single tower | 11.9 | 23.2 | 29.8 | 210 W | 161 mm |
| Pure Rock 3 Black, Pure Rock 3 LX | Single tower | 12.4 | 24.4 | 31.2 | 190 W | 154 mm |
| Pure Rock Slim 3 | Single tower | 12.4 | 18.5 | 24.8 | 130 W | 127 mm |
| Pure Rock Slim 2 | Single tower | 13.1 | 19.2 | 25.4 | 130 W | 135 mm |
| Dark Rock TF 2 | Top-flow | 11.1 | 19.7 | 27.1 | 230 W | 107 mm |
| Shadow Rock TF 2 | Top-flow | 11.9 | 19.3 | 24.4 | 160 W | 87 mm |
| Pure Rock LP | Low profile | 13.3 | 23.8 | 30.6 | 100 W | 45 mm |
| Shadow Rock LP | Low profile | 14.8 | 18.6 | 25.5 | 130 W | 50 or 75 mm, see the sheet slips below |
Read across a row and the ranking shifts with speed. The Dark Rock Pro 6 wins at 50% PWM with 7.5, yet at 75 and 100 per cent the older Dark Rock Pro 5 is lower, at 16.3 and 23.3, and the Pro 6 ends up nearer the middle of the dual towers. A cooler that spends its day near idle and one that renders video for hours are different purchases. Noctua, Thermalright and other makers are compared in the CPU cooler guide.
Three Dark Rock coolers have a speed switch: the Pro 6, the Pro 5 and the Elite. Each gets a single row of noise figures, and be quiet! never says which position it describes.
The Pro 5 sheet lists "Q: 1500; 1300 / P: 2000; 1700" rpm for its two fans, the Elite "Q: 1500 / P: 2000". Quiet mode caps the fans lower. A figure at "100%" PWM ought to come out different in each position.
The Pro 6 goes further still. Its quiet mode is "semi-passive", keeping "the fan off below 40% PWM", which be quiet! sells as "full fan stop for completely silent operation". Its sheet then lists one speed per fan, 2000 and 1900 rpm, with no Q and P split at all.
Buy one of these for its low number and you will be setting the switch to quiet and listening for yourself.
The Silent Loop 3 is the loud liquid cooler, except at 420mm
be quiet! liquid coolers run from 15.4 to 19.8 dB(A) at half speed and from 34.3 to 38.8 at full speed. Each has one row, written "Noise level (dB(A)) at 50% / 75% /100% rpm", and no pump has a figure of its own.
| Cooler | Radiator | 50% | 75% | 100% |
|---|
| Light Loop 240mm, White, and both Light Loop IO LCD 240mm versions | 240mm | 15.4 | 27.2 | 34.9 |
| Pure Loop 3 240mm | 240mm | 15.4 | 27.3 | 35.2 |
| Pure Loop 3 LX 240mm | 240mm | 15.5 | 27.5 | 35.0 |
| Silent Loop 3 240mm | 240mm | 18.7 | 29.9 | 36.9 |
| Pure Loop 3 280mm | 280mm | 16.5 | 28.5 | 36.6 |
| Light Loop 360mm, White, and both Light Loop IO LCD 360mm versions | 360mm | 17.2 | 29.1 | 36.8 |
| Pure Loop 3 LX 360mm | 360mm | 17.3 | 29.4 | 36.9 |
| Pure Loop 3 360mm | 360mm | 17.6 | 29.3 | 37.2 |
| Silent Loop 3 360mm | 360mm | 19.8 | 31.9 | 38.8 |
| Silent Loop 3 420mm | 420mm | 19.4 | 29.3 | 34.3 |
The series with "Silent" in its name lists the highest figures at every speed in 240mm and 360mm. Only its 420mm version, with slower 140mm fans, beats every other be quiet! liquid cooler at full speed.
Pump speeds vary a lot: up to 2900 rpm on the Light Loop, 3500 on the Silent Loop 3 and 5500 on the Pure Loop 3. Without a pump figure there is no telling how much of each row the pump contributes. Other brands' AIOs are in the AIO cooler guide.
How quiet are be quiet! power supplies?
From 6.5 to 14.8 dB(A) at 10 per cent load and from 14 to 33.8 dB(A) at full load. Each sheet gives four rows, at 10, 20, 50 and 100 per cent.
| Series | Wattage | 10% | 20% | 50% | 100% |
|---|
| Power Zone 2 | 750W | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 15.8 |
| Power Zone 2 | 850W | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 24.9 |
| Power Zone 2 | 1000W | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 27.2 |
| Power Zone 2 | 1200W | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 25.5 |
| Pure Power 13 M | 550W | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 14 |
| Pure Power 13 M | 650W | 7.2 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 15.9 |
| Pure Power 13 M | 750W | 7.2 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 16.5 |
| Pure Power 13 M | 850W | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 17.6 |
| Pure Power 13 M | 1000W | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 19.5 |
| Dark Power 14 | 850W | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 16 |
| Dark Power 14 | 1000W | 8 | 8 | 8 | 18.2 |
| Dark Power 14 | 1200W | 8 | 8 | 8.3 | 21.1 |
| Dark Power 13 | 750W | 7.9 | 8.5 | 9 | 18.8 |
| Dark Power 13 | 850W | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 19.8 |
| Dark Power 13 | 1000W | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 25.8 |
| Dark Power Pro 14 IO | 1300W | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 22.1 |
| Dark Power Pro 14 IO | 1600W | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 29.1 |
| Dark Power Pro 13 | 1300W | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 23.2 |
| Dark Power Pro 13 | 1600W | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 31.1 |
| Pure Power 12 | 550W | 9 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 14.6 |
| Pure Power 12 | 650W | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 18.2 |
| Pure Power 12 | 750W | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 22.5 |
| Pure Power 12 | 850W | 8.7 | 8.7 | 9 | 25.1 |
| Pure Power 12 | 1000W | 8.6 | 8.9 | 9 | 31.6 |
| System Power 11 M | 650W | 14.8 | 14.8 | 14.8 | 20.8 |
| System Power 11 M | 750W | 12.9 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 30.2 |
| System Power 11 M | 850W | 13.6 | 13.6 | 14.1 | 30.3 |
| SFX L Power | 600W | 9.2 | 8.5 | 14.5 | 28.7 |
| SFX Power 3 | 450W | 13.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | 33.8 |
| TFX Power 3 Gold | 300W | 9.1 | 9.7 | 12.4 | 21.7 |
The Power Zone 2 holds the lowest light-load figure, 6.5. The lowest at full load belongs to the Pure Power 13 M 550W, at 14.
Choose by what your PC actually draws. A machine that idles through office work lives in the first three columns; one that renders for hours lives in the last. The power supply guide covers other makers.
Slips on the spec sheets
A handful of be quiet! sheets carry small errors, and one of them is on every cooler page. The air cooler row says "@ 50/75/100% (rpm)" and the liquid cooler row "at 50% / 75% /100% rpm", yet the values are dB(A) at PWM percentages, not speeds.
On the Pure Rock Slim 3, two fields have swapped places. "Fan model" reads "100 x 25 x 100" and "Fan dimensions (mm)" reads "100mm PWM high-quality fan".
The Shadow Rock LP gives two heights: "134 x 122 x 50" mm in the general data and "134 x 122 x 75" mm in the heatsink section. Measure for 75.
Decimal styles wander too. The Dark Rock Pro 6 airflow row mixes them, "52,94 / 89,95 | 79.48 / 135.04", and the Pure Loop 3 pages print RRPs with commas, such as "84,90". Among the power supplies, the Power Zone 2 750W lists "Cybenetics ETA" as "2", not a grade name, and the Dark Power Pro 13 1300W prints 10.2 dB(A) at 10, 20 and 50 per cent alike.
None of this changes a ranking, but it is a reason to read the whole sheet rather than one row.
Gaps, and models that have left the range
Every current fan, air cooler and liquid cooler shows a figure. The gaps are a few power supplies and older models that retailers still sell.
The System Power 11 B 650W page shows a dash in all four dB(A) rows. The Pure Power 12 M, Pure Loop 2 and Pure Loop 2 FX are still on amazon.com but no longer in be quiet!'s current power supply or water cooler menus, and the Dark Rock 4 has left the air cooler range. The Straight Power 12 850W is an odd case: its page is live, whose four rows read 7.5, 7.5, 7.7 and then 22.1 dB(A), while the series is missing from the power supply range page. The Pure Wings 2 80mm fans are absent from the case fan overview.
Fans that ship inside be quiet! cases are covered with the cases in the PC case guide.
Prices are in euros only
The English pages give RRPs in euros and no dollar price anywhere. They run from €13.90 for a Pure Wings 3 120mm to €479.90 for the 1600W Dark Power Pro models.
Silent Wings 4 fans cost €23.90 to €25.90 and Silent Wings Pro 4 fans €31.90 to €33.90. Air coolers go from €26.90 for the Pure Rock Slim 3 to €119.90 for the Dark Rock Elite, and the Light Loop IO LCD 360mm White is the dearest liquid cooler at €234.90.
With no dollar figure to quote, the catalog entries here carry no maker price, and each button opens the model's amazon.com listing at whatever it costs that day.
