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be quiet! has introduced the Pure Rock 2 to what it calls the “Essential” range of products which we guess is another term for ‘cost-effective', ‘affordable' or ‘budget'. There is fierce competition in this price range and there are some really excellent coolers such as the Cooler Master Hyper 212 and the Arctic Freezer 33 and 34 eSports series, both of which outclass the Pure Rock 2 in terms of raw thermal performance.
However, be quiet! is very firmly focused on maintaining low noise levels with its CPU coolers and just like we have seen previously with the Dark Rock Pro 4 and the Shadow Rock 3, the Pure Rock 2 continues with this tradition of ensuring noise under load is kept to an absolute minimum by using the Pure Wings 2 fans.
As usual with be quiet! products, the build quality is impressive and the materials used during manufacture are of a high standard, even though this is an extremely affordable cooler. We quite like the almost industrial looking appearance of the bare copper and aluminium colour scheme of the sample we had for review, while the additional all-black version is available for those who prefer the stealthier style.
During our thermal performance testing we couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with the raw cooling power of the Pure Rock 2. When we cranked up the CPU frequency of the Intel Core i9-9900K, thermal performance dropped off a cliff and the CPU frequency was throttled by up to 16% to bring the CPU temperature back under control.
The Pure Rock 2 certainly isn’t designed to cool a high power CPU such as the Core i9-9900K, however, we are pretty confident that the thermal performance would fair better on lower-powered CPUs, and this is what we would recommend the Pure Rock 2 to be used with if you have your heart set on buying one for a low noise focused system build.
Be quiet! bundles in two additional fan mounting clips with the Pure Rock 2 and the heatsink is designed to accept two fans, something which may also improve the thermal performance. However, an additional Pure Wings 2 fan costs approximately £8-10 so that would bring the total cost of the cooler up to around the £40 mark, putting it in direct competition with the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO which is an excellent all round cooler.
Installing the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 on both Intel and AMD platforms is a very simple process that only takes approximately 10 minutes. AMD installation retains the stock backplate and even novice users should find the installation process a breeze.
Overall, the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 is a compact and understated cooler with a premium appearance considering its price tag. Thermal performance may not be the best but you can't deny that the Pure Rock 2 will provide adequate cooling on low power CPUs with class-leading low noise levels at an affordable price.
The be quiet! Pure Rock 2 CPU cooler is currently available to pre-order from Overclockers UK HERE, priced at £34.99 for the copper/aluminium version and £39.95 for the black model HERE.
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Pros:
- Ultra-low noise levels.
- Cost-effective.
- Available in two colour options.
Cons:
- Average thermal performance.
- Lots of competition at the price point.
KitGuru says: Although we were quite disappointed with the thermal performance of the be quiet! Pure Rock 2, we can’t argue with the ultra-low noise levels it produces. If you are focused on building a low noise output system, you really can’t beat be quiet! in this area.
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