be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim CPU Cooler Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

The be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim is available from most major retailers, with Scan.co.uk offering it for just £30.12 + shipping here in the UK and from Amazon.com for $49.90 + $9.80 shipping in the US. In terms of price vs performance this is pretty good value for money, there are better coolers out there, but expect to pay around 25% more before you see a noticeable improvement in performance.

Overview

When I tested this cooler I wasn’t seeing anything terribly exciting in terms of performance; the cooling figures I got seemed pretty reasonable and of course the acoustics were whisper quiet, pretty much what I expected. However, looking at the chart it quickly becomes apparent that this is one of the best CPU coolers in its class, not only is it one of the quietest coolers we’ve ever tested, but its overclocking performance was incredibly close to the more than twice as expensive Dark Rock Pro 3! Of course the Dark Rock Pro 3 can handle a higher TDP and will benefit you for higher overclocks, but for those who are running this on a gaming rig rather than a rendering rig, you will be more than happy with the Slims performance.

The aesthetics of the Shadow Rock Slim are really nice. For the most part it’s just a basic low-to-mid range cooler, but the addition of the top plate really smartens up the overall design, and the SilentWings fans are some of the best looking fans around too, so as a package deal it’ll look just a great in a high-end build as it would a budget one.

“be quiet! have a superb reputation for flawless build quality, silent performance and great overall performance. The Shadow Rock Slim may be one of their “cheaper” coolers, but it has still got what it takes to uphold the be quiet! reputation for premium products. If you’re on the market for a budget friendly cooler with class leading performance, you’ll struggle to find anything better for the same money.”

Pros