Review: be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2

by Parm Mann on 27 July 2021, 14:01

Tags: be-quiet

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Conclusion

Shadow Rock Slim 2 ticks a lot of the right boxes for a modern, no-nonsense build.

Shadow Rock Slim 2 ticks a lot of the right boxes for a modern, no-nonsense build. Priced to compete against the rival Noctua at £44, be quiet!'s compact cooler delivers comparable performance and lower noise, albeit with a shorter three-year warranty.

Proving that most users don't need to push the boat out with complex liquid cooling, be quiet!'s traditional heatsink is able to keep a range-topping Ryzen 9 5950X suitably cool under full load, with the 135mm fan emitting little more than a subtle hum.

Installation is a doddle with ample clearance for memory, there's only a single cable to contend with, and though some users may wish it came in black, the silver brushed-alumnium finish blends well with our test setup. We would like to see be quiet! sell a 135mm second-fan upgrade kit for those wanting to adopt a dual-fan setup, but that's about it for our list of gripes.

Bottom line: remember when CPU coolers were simple but effective? be quiet!'s Shadow Rock Slim 2 is a return to those good ol' days.

The Good
  
The Bad
Competent cooling performance
Straightforward installation
Good clearance for RAM and PCIe
One cable and no superfluous software
  
Only a three-year warranty
135mm fan not available separately



be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2

HEXUS.where2buy*

The be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 CPU cooler is available to order from Scan Computers.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.



*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.


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HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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Posted by Xlucine - Tue 27 Jul 2021 14:50
Other than the time on the warranty, that's a conclusive win over the noctua. It ran cooler and with half the noise in the high heat load situation
Posted by kalniel - Tue 27 Jul 2021 15:15
hexus
the supplied clips are intended for a 120 to be added to the rear
Can they be used to mount a 120mm fan on the front as a replacement for the non-standard 135mm? If so, there are numerous fans larger than 120 but with 120 spaced mounting holes that could make a good replacement (I use a 140mm on a CM hyper 212X for eg.)
Posted by Parm - Tue 27 Jul 2021 16:31
kalniel
Can they be used to mount a 120mm fan on the front as a replacement for the non-standard 135mm?
They can indeed. The two sets of fan clips are different lengths; one longer set for regular fans, the other shorter set for the supplied non-standard 135.
Posted by philehidiot - Tue 27 Jul 2021 17:38
This reminds me a lot of Arctic Freezer 7 back in the day. Way better than stock cooling for affordable money without going into silliness that most people don't need.
Posted by mers - Tue 27 Jul 2021 19:40
Not bad but I'll stick with my arctic cooling freezer 34 esports duo ( about £35.00 ) thank you.
get 2 fans as well but i took the 2nd off and used as a rear case fan , push pull with 2 fans doesn't makes negligible difference.

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