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

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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.



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HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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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
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.)
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.
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.
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.