Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 CPU Cooler Review

Be Quiet! include an installation guide with the Shadow Rock Pro which guides us through the installation process.  It covers a number of languages and the instructions and diagrams are easy to follow.  Unfortunately the retention mechanism makes it more difficult than most to install the cooler so less advanced users may still struggle.

Firstly we are instructed to place the backplate on the rear of the motherboard and push through four screws to attach the cooler to on top.  These can be temporarily held in place using four rubber washers.

Then we are required to attach the appropriate retention brackets to the CPU block on the cooler using two screws on either side.  There are four different sets of brackets; one for LGA1155/1156, one for LGA775/1366, one for AM2/AM2+/AM3 and one for 754/939/940.  We used a Sandybridge system for testing which features a Gigabyte Z68X-UD5-B3 motherboard.  We attached the LGA1155/1156 brackets.

Next we are instructed to apply the thermal paste, place the cooler on top and screw it into place from behind.  This is the complicated part of the installation process as it is quite difficult to hold the cooler in place whilst screwing from the other side of the motherboard.  The Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro features the same retention mechanism which has the same flaw.

We tried installing this cooler with the motherboard already in the case and it is an even more difficult process.  A mechanism similar to that used by Noctua would be superior.

As we can see, there is a possibility that the cooler will encounter compatibility issues with tall heatspreaders.  If necessary, the fan could be moved upwards on the cooler but this could negatively affect the cooling performance.  So we would recommend using low profile memory in your system if possible.

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