be quiet! Dark Rock TF 2

[crazyeyesreaper]

be quiet!'s Dark Rock TF 2 takes a tried and true top-flow design and refreshes it for modern systems with new fan designs, aesthetically pleasing looks, and the low-noise operation you'd expect. The only problem? Performance doesn't live up to expectations.

Show full review

 

[Rowsol]

It gets beaten by their own dark rock slim and the much cheaper 224. What a fail.
I guess being top down it helps motherboard temps though, so there's that.
I don't hate the cooler but the price is too damn high.

 

[Chrispy_]

What's the target market for this?

• It's not low-profile.
• It doesn't have unobstructed RAM clearance, and even with low-profile RAM you need to contort your hand to gain access or remove the cooler.
• It may interfere with a graphics card.
• It may interfere with VRM heatsinks and decorative plastic ARGBLED vajazzle around the IO shield area.
• Cooling performance is unexceptional, below expectations for something this big actually.
• Holy shitballs is it really $86?

The only advantage I see is improved airflow over the motherboard and RAM but if modern motherboards and RAM are 100% fine with zero airflow from AIO coolers, then I guess that is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist any more and hasn't existed for the best part of a decade.

For AMD the Wraith Prism is an excellent $20 option on ebay if you don't get one with your CPU. No, it's not better than this, but it's certainly better value, easier to use, and way more compatible.
For Intel the TDP limit of 130W is a problem, because even Intel's "65W" TDP can suck down silly power for short periods. I guess you're not going to lose significant performance on a non-K over an NH-D15 but for an extra $4 just buy the NH-D15....

I'm open minded though, just because I can't think of a viable market for this, doesn't mean there isn't one; What am I missing?
Edit - maybe I'm not missing anything and just agree with @crazyeyesreaper: Terrible value for money and needs a rework.

 

[CheapMeat]

I think the pancake style would help cool the VRMs & RAM and will be enough for the Xeon 22C/44T V4s.
This is the board I want to use these on:

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Like the design but four pipe like this makes little sense.

 

[Chrispy_]

I think the pancake style would help cool the VRMs & RAM and will be enough for the Xeon 22C/44T V4s.
This is the board I want to use these on:

2 problems with that:

1) The baseplate of this cooler is far too small for a 22C Xeon. It won't even fully cover the die, let alone the IHS.
2) Each Xeon E5 V4 you're talking about is 145W target average. This cooler can't even handle the average TDP of a 22C Xeon, let alone burst loads and AVX. 100% not recommended!

There are loads of proper coolers for 2011 Xeons, but this isn't one of them. This isn't even a poor alternative to one of them, it's just completely the wrong tool for the job.

 

[CheapMeat]

Maybe I'm reading the charts wrong but it seems it would be able to handle the wattage. The all-core turbo is only in the 2.8GHz range, with very few burst turboing to 3.6GHz. The CPU tested for this cooler is way more powerful in terms of more cores turbo-ing at a higher GHz sustained really putting out a lot of heat.

Are you sure about the IHS? Looks like it would fit:

 

[P4-630]

Hi,
Like the design but four pipe like this makes little sense.

6 heatpipes

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Bottom only has four.

 

[Chrispy_]

Maybe I'm reading the charts wrong but it seems it would be able to handle the wattage. The all-core turbo is only in the 2.8GHz range, with very few burst turboing to 3.6GHz. The CPU tested for this cooler is way more powerful in terms of more cores turbo-ing at a higher GHz sustained really putting out a lot of heat.

If you look at the charts, this cooler is outperformed by a huge number of cheaper, smaller coolers that are rated for far lower TDPs than BeQuiet! claim, including 150W-rated products from BeQuiet! themselves.

The 'rated TDP' of this cooler is utter BS, even by BeQuiet!'s own standards. Don't forget that the 145W TDP of those Xeons is the base frequency. You're leaving a ton of performance on the table if you can't even meet the the cooling requirements of the base frequency - that's a guaranteed perma-throttle at all times, not even reaching 2.2GHz of the expected/advertised 3.6GHz boost clocks.

Are you sure about the IHS? Looks like it would fit:

Actually I think yes, I thought the chip you were talking about was LGA 3647 which will 100% not fit. Actually Intel managed to cram Broadwell-EP into LGA2011-3 which is news to me, I thought they topped out at 10C on 2011-3 for that generation, but I'm confusing broadwell and skylake (both 14nm)

 

[Mussels]

I wanna clarify about the CPU settings for ryzen
3.85 GHz Base / 4.0 GHz OC

is that locked to 3.85 or on stock auto settings? because ryzen thermals change massively with a static OC

 

[sukathukassa]

Well dammit, had high hopes for this

 

[theGryphon]

crazyeyesreaper, did you test it with the fans pulling air outwards? In some airflow setups pull orientation actually improves top-down cooler performance....

 

[Vayra86]

It gets beaten by their own dark rock slim and the much cheaper 224. What a fail.
I guess being top down it helps motherboard temps though, so there's that.
I don't hate the cooler but the price is too damn high.

I guess they'd better Extirpate this one (Somehow I only noticed it just now, your avatar )

@crazyeyesreaper nice review, including the honesty. Its why I come to TPU

I'm not an engineer, but a redesign seems like a mission bound to fail. Maybe its just the fact that current day consumer CPUs pack a lot of heat together and burst frantically, and this behaviour simply doesn't fit within the topflow segment unless you get something really huge.

I mean even the Dark Rock TF 1 had that balancing issue in its days - how much height is really won here and when you compare that to the performance on offer (not even mentioning price, which I feel goes along with its aesthetics, even if still expensive, its quite a unique looker) what is the actual gain apart from looking different and cooling VRM.

Maybe DDR5 opens up use cases? No but for real, I think Be Quiet has some marketing to change here rather than the cooler. Reduce its rated wattage, sell it as silent SFF material for a beefy but not overclocked system.

Hi,
Bottom only has four.

Kinda the point; two heatpipes direct initial heat to another heatsink for faster dissipation. Temp delta is higher if you divide the load over two heatsinks right? It doesn't defeat the fact that there are 6 heatpipes working for you.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Hi,
Bottom only has four.

That seems like a nit-pick to me..

Are you sure about the IHS?

I think you'll be fine.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Misleading
I was going to get this one someone mentioned the crappy mount system so I was glad I didn't get it

Now looking at it, it's the same fake 6 pipe design so I'm really glad I didn't waste time with it

Amazon.com: be quiet! Dark Rock Tf, BK020, 220W TDP, CPU Cooler : Electronics

Buy be quiet! Dark Rock Tf, BK020, 220W TDP, CPU Cooler: CPU Cooling Fans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[lexluthermiester]

Now looking at it, it's the same fake 6 pipe design so I'm really glad I didn't waste time with it

How is it fake? Are you really complaining because all 6 heatpipes don't carry through both cooling fin arrays? Please articulate your complaint a bit better because it otherwise sounds like nit-picking.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

crazyeyesreaper, did you test it with the fans pulling air outwards? In some airflow setups pull orientation actually improves top-down cooler performance....

it made zero difference.

 

[ThrashZone]

How is it fake? Are you really complaining because all 6 heatpipes don't carry through both cooling fin arrays? Please articulate your complaint a bit better because it otherwise sounds like nit-picking.

Hi,
Yes that is fact not nitpicking lol

 

[delshay]

Hi,
Like the design but four pipe like this makes little sense.

It's six heatpipe. Four heatpipe is for the lower radiator. ... & I have this heatsink with experimental IHS soldered to the cold-plate.

 

[Chrispy_]

Hi,
Like the design but four pipe like this makes little sense.

If it didn't have the lower radiator at all, how many heatpipes would you say it had? 6, right?
So the addition of the lower radiator somehow deletes two heatpipes?!

Let me guess, this heatsink here has zero heatpipes using your logic because radiator #2 has no heatpipes going through it and it's therefore a 'fake' design that stops radiator #1 from working altogether?

 

[md2003]

I am using it with an 5950x in a 4u 19" rack. Works fine tbh, never have noticed temps over 85°c (23°C ambient) using the stock fans on max speeds, but this case has 5 quite noisy fans preinstalled. Have bought it because there was no other heatsink available that would fit in this case (max 148mm height).

 

[ThrashZone]

If it didn't have the lower radiator at all, how many heatpipes would you say it had? 6, right?
So the addition of the lower radiator somehow deletes two heatpipes?!

Let me guess, this heatsink here has zero heatpipes using your logic because radiator #2 has no heatpipes going through it and it's therefore a 'fake' design that stops radiator #1 from working altogether?

View attachment 212696

Hi,
Yeah just cut the cooling wattage in half and you're all set lol

I'll stick with the tower style if I get a air cooler at least it will be a real 6 or newer 7 pipe

Amazon.com

 

[Daisho11]

Is the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 still the king of top-down coolers?

 

[lexluthermiester]

Is the Scythe Big Shuriken 3 still the king of top-down coolers?

That depends on how you use it. It's certainly a solid performer.