Introduction

be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 

We review another be quiet! Shadow Rock cooler, this round the Shadow Rock 3. With more simplified looks this cooler comes with a single radiator, one fan and takes and all that offering cooling performance up-to 190 Watts of cooling power, enough for any modern processor and perhaps a bit of tweaking as well.

There really aren't any bad performing coolers being produced anymore. For every segment and budget, you can find something you need. The market stabilized and within the entire range and scope of heatpipe based coolers, there's a certain comfort zone with a corresponding product available. As a result, most of the coolers available on the market are all adequate at the very least. There are always exceptions to this, there's a handful of manufacturers out there that offer the really interesting stuff, the kit and gear that really stand out from the cooling crowd, the hardware you and me crave and need so badly... that is in the enthusiast domain of gaming hardware. And that's where we need to make a stop at Be Quiet! as they often tick all the right boxes. Be quiet! has made an announcement for their Shadow Rock 3, a compact high-end CPU cooler that offers high physical clearance for any memory module. With a supported TDP of up to 190 watts, Shadow Rock Slim offers enough headroom for silently cooling any mainstream processor while keeping the space above occupied RAM slots clear. 

Shadow Rock 3 has undergone a substantial redesign as the previous model relied on four 8 mm heat pipes to cool the CPU, while Shadow Rock 3 now implements five 6 mm heat pipes with heat pipe direct touch (HDT) technology. The heat pipes are in direct contact with the processor surface, which results in fast heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. The fan has been upgraded to a Shadow Wings 2 120 mm PWM high-speed, which is decoupled from the heatsink and offers a silent operation at no higher than 24.4 dB(A), even at maximum speed. Users who are looking for even higher cooling performance have the option to attach a second fan to the heatsink. Shadow Rock 3 is rated up-to 190 W TDP, enough to enable trouble-free overclocking of mainstream desktop processors. Installation is simplified thanks to a top mount design with included screwdriver. The top cover of Shadow Rock 3 is made from brushed aluminium and features a bi-color surface treatment for a unique visual design. The cooler is compatible with all current CPU sockets from Intel and AMD (except TR4 and sTRX4) and fits best on motherboards for mainstream processors with up to four memory slots and Shadow Rock 3 will be available for a retail price of $49.90 / €49.90 / £45.99. But let's start up the review, next page, please.