Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro4. Installing the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro5. Testing Methodology and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

We have looked at a number of products from Be Quiet! in the past and have been impressed with both their design and performance.  The most impressive one was the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro which featured a high performance twin-tower design and an attractive black finish.  So we were pleased to hear that Be Quiet! decided to expand their range of CPU coolers to cater to a broader spectrum of users.

Today we are going to look at the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro which is part of the new Shadow Rock series.  While the Dark Rock series was designed for the enthusiast segment where performance is the key consideration, the Shadow Rock is designed with quiet operation in mind. Let's take a closer look.

Specification:

• Fan: Be Quiet! Shadow Wings
• PWM 120mm
• Noise Level (900/1250/1700 RPM): 7.8/15.7/21.4 dBA
• Airflow: 57.2 CFM
• Compatibility (Intel): LGA 2011/1366/1156/1155/775
• Compatibility (AMD): AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/754/939/940/FM1
• Heatsink Dimensions (LxWxD): 98 x 96 x 158 mm
• Number of Fins: 42
• Fin Material: Aluminium
• Base Material: Copper (Nickel Plated)

Be Quiet! supply the Shadow Rock Pro in a reasonably compact cardboard box that is decorated in a black livery with white and orange text.  The cardboard used is quite thick and there is a fair amount of inner foam packaging so the cooler is well protected within.  The front of the box features a small image of the cooler alongside a list of some of the coolers key features.

Turning the box around reveals a blueprint-style image of the cooler which is used to highlight some of the key features.  There is also a detailed list of specifications on the rear and a detailed list of features on the side of the box.

The included bundle consists of all the required mounting accessories, a small tube of thermal paste and a brief installation guide.  The fan is supplied pre-attached to the cooler and it doesn't need to be removed for installation.

Be Quiet! have chosen to use a tower design for the Shadow Rock Pro which consists of a stack of 42 aluminium fins.  Rather than give the cooler an attractive black aluminium top plate like they did on the Dark Rock Pro, Be Quiet! have just attached their logo to the top fin, presumably to lower costs.

The aluminium fins are arranged around four U-shaped heatpipes which pass through the CPU block at the bottom.  The copper heatpipes are 6 mm in diameter and are slightly staggered so they don't pass through the fins in a straight line.  Both the CPU block and heatpipes have a nickel plated finish.  The polished finish should ensure that the CPU block makes good contact with the surface of the processor.

Many performance coolers on the market today are large and heavy.  This cannot be said for the Shadow Rock Pro as it is reasonably compact, measuring just 98 x 96 x 158 mm and weighing 740g.  This means that there will be fewer compatibility issues and there will be less strain on your motherboard.

Unlike some manufacturers, Be Quiet have chosen to supply the fan pre-attached to the cooler.  This simplifies the installation process as you don't need to remove it to install the cooler.  The fan itself is a 120mm Be Quiet! Silent Wings PWM model which has a maximum speed of 1700 RPM and produces maximum airflow of 57.2 CFM.  It attaches to the heatsink using a wire clip on either side and features rubber pads on the corners to prevent vibrations.

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.

We decided to use an Intel Core i5-2500K combined with a Gigabyte Z68X-UD5-B3 motherboard to test the Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro CPU cooler.  We overclocked the CPU to 4.7 GHz with a core voltage of 1.43V.

Test System

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68X-UD5-B3
• Memory: 4 GB (2x 2GB) Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3 1600MHz
• Thermal Paste: Arctic Cooling MX-3
• Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6950
• Graphics Card (noise tests): HIS Radeon HD 5550 Silence
• Chassis: Fractal Design Define XL

For our temperature tests we set of the both fans to maximum and loaded the system for 15 minutes using Prime 95. We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 15 minutes before recording temperatures. Room temperature was maintained at 22 degrees Celsius for the duration of the tests.

Despite falling quite far behind both the NH-D14 and Phanteks PH-TC140PE in our temperature tests, we are still very impressed with its performance.  The cooler managed to maintain reasonable temperatures with this overclock and voltage applied during our tests.  We expect that you will be able to achieve a substantial overclock with this cooler on most systems.

In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans so we are just taking into account the noise generated by the fans themselves.

Even with the other fans switched off in our test system and the side panel removed, the Shadow Rock Pro was inaudible.  It was no louder than the NH-D14 and was noticeably quieter than the PH-TC14PE.  All three coolers emitted a noise level lower than the minimum sensitivity of 30 dBA on our noise level meter.

The Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 is a well designed, high performance cooler for the enthusiast audience. It may not be quite as pretty as the Dark Rock Pro but it still has attractive aesthetics and the neutral colour scheme will compliment many systems.

Build quality is excellent as we've experienced in the past with all Be Quiet! products and we have every faith that the cooler will still be performing well in many years, thanks to the use of ultra high quality fan.

We have been impressed with the performance achieved by the Shadow Rock Pro.  It handled our overclocked i5-2500K system with ease, even when overclocked to 4.7 GHz using a voltage of 1.43V.  During our tests it remained very quiet and consistently recorded under 30 dBA in our noise level tests.  This makes it perfect for users who are wanting to build a quiet, yet overclocked PC.

While the mounting system will let you utilise the cooler on a wide variety of platforms, it is quite difficult to install as you have to screw it into place from behind the motherboard. This said, the installation guide was very clear which is useful for inexperienced users.

The CPU cooler market is extremely competitive with a wide cross section of brands competing for market share. The Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Pro SR1 costs £33 from Ebuyer (the cheapest we could find online). We feel that the cooler offers great value for money considering the performance level, build quality and aesthetics.

Pros

• Attractive aesthetics.
• Good build quality.
• Impressive cooling performance.
• Whisper quiet.

Cons

• Fiddly installation process.

KitGuru says: A great addition to the Be Quiet! range that is well worth a look if you're in the market for a mid-range cooler.

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