be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 Review

Moving on to our new 4.1GHz fixed frequency overclocked test, as we have only recently added the new 4.1GHz mid-range cooler test to our suite, we have very limited comparison data at the moment. Do check back on future reviews, as we have quite a few mid-range CPU coolers for test over the coming weeks, so the charts will start to show significantly more comparison data.

As we are locking the voltage and clock speed, the temperature figures are directly comparable between competing coolers. We see package powers in the order of 180-190W for the CPU and wall power levels that exceed 260W for the system.

Note the use of delta temperature data in our charts and factor in your own ambient conditions for reference.

With each cooler compared directly in a fixed frequency scenario, the be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 performs very well.

Zalman’s slightly cheaper competitor is beaten by a single degree – which is within margin of error, so these two coolers realistically tie. However, be quiet!’s unit is quieter, so that’s a victory for the roughly £5 more expensive Shadow Rock Slim 2.

We were surprised to see the new, slim be quiet! cooler beating its physically larger Shadow Rock 3 sibling in this 180W heat load test. However, closer inspection highlights that the use of a 135mm fan and more densely packed fin array are paying dividends for the Shadow Rock Slim 2.

While 135mm is certainly non-standard when it comes to cooling fans, the diameter class does look to be a good performance upgrade versus comparable 120mm CPU cooling options.

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