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Our overriding opinion for the be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 is that the cooler delivers solid thermal performance alongside outstanding noise levels with a non-intrusive – slim – design.
Versus a realistic competitor in the Zalman CNPS10X Performa Black that we recently reviewed, be quiet!’s slim cooler more than holds its own in terms of noise and thermals. And the similarly priced – but physically much larger – be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 is, interestingly, outperformed by the new Shadow Rock Slim 2 on our test platform.
The use of a 135mm 1400 RPM Silent Wings 3-type fan works very well for the Slim 2; this type of fan does seem to be a worthwhile upgrade versus 120mm coolers at this similar price point.
As far as downsides go, we still think that be quiet! needs to improve the ease of installation for that initial retention bracket attachment step on AM4. But the final mount is sturdy and gives good fan height flexibility.
And the aesthetics are simply mediocre for today’s market, with a good-looking black fan mounted alongside a boring silver heatsink with bright copper heatpipes.
At £43.99, the price is a little on the high side for this calibre of cooler, and it is more expensive than a reasonable competitor such as the better looking Zalman unit we reviewed recently. But to many consumers, that will be fine given be quiet!’s excellent noise output, strong thermal performance, and outstanding build quality backed up by a 3-year warranty.
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Pros:
- Outstanding noise performance
- Strong cooling proficiency
- Sturdy mount
- Second set of fan clips
- Positive build quality and 3-year warranty
Cons:
- Aesthetics are a bit dull or mismatched with bare copper
- Price is slightly on the high side for this calibre of cooler
KitGuru says: A well-balanced CPU cooler that minimises interference worries but excels in low noise performance.
