be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 CPU cooler review

Our test system is Intel Z390 based, therefore, we will be following the relevant Intel 115X socket installation procedure.

To install the Shadow Rock 3 on our intel platform, the first thing to do is prepare the motherboard. To do this we take the Intel mounting backplate, fixings, rubber washes and install all four fixings to the backplate in the correct orientation for the CPU socket type.

Turn the mounting bracket over and slip the four rubber washes over the fixings to hold them in place on the backplate. From the rear of the motherboard, align the backplate fixings with the holes in the motherboard and carefully locate it in position.

Now turn the motherboard back over and you should see the four backplate fixings poking through the holes in the motherboard. Screw on the four Intel 115x standoffs in place by hand until secure, before moving on to the next step.

Once the standoffs are in position, it's time to install the upper mounting brackets. Place the Intel mounting brackets over the standoffs in the correct orientation for the CPU socket type and fix them in place using the Philips head screws provided.

With the coolers retention bracket in position over the lower heatsink, apply thermal compound to the CPU heat spreader using your preferred method and then lower the CPU cooler in position over the CPU socket and tighten in position using the provided Philips screws until firmly secure.

For the final step of the installation, locate the two fan mounting spring clips on the fan mounting holes and then clip the fan in position on the heatsink. The position of the fan can be adjusted higher to clear tall memory modules if required. However, this shouldn't be a problem since the fan sits back away from the DIMM slots.

To complete the installation process, connect the 4-pin PWM cable coming from the fan to the motherboard CPU_FAN header for full PWM speed control via the motherboard bios or fan control software.

Be quiet! has refined the installation process over the years and has made it a very simple procedure. Overall it takes approximately 5-10 minutes to install the Shadow Rock 3 on the Intel 115x platform, the whole process should be completed without running into any issues.

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