Installation

To install the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX on AMD's Socket AM4, you will need to remove the plastic retention brackets. To do so, unscrew the two screws securing one in place. Next, keep the AMD backplate on the board and position the plastic spacers over the mounting holes. Once done, place the screw through the mounting arm, slide it through the plastic spacer, and secure it to the backplate. Standoffs would be a better solution here, but thankfully, there is enough space inside the spacer along with enough screw length that you can focus on one screw at a time and slowly line everything up fairly easily. Once complete, you can apply a thermal paste of your choice or use the pre-applied paste on the heatsink itself.


With all brackets in place and thermal paste applied, you can now position the crossbar on the heatsink, line it up with the mounting brackets, and then use the two screws to secure the cooler to the mounting brackets. I would have preferred an attached crossbar with captive screws, but this step was less troublesome in comparison to similar designs I have used. Regardless, with the heatsink secure, it is time to attach the fan and plug it into the CPU fan header. With that taken care of, the CPU cooler is good to go.

Compared to AMD, the Intel mounting process is slightly more involved due to the number of parts, but remains very straightforward. In fact, it is easier than the AMD procedure due to using standoffs, meaning you don't have to deal with as many parts at the same time. Regardless of Intel or AMD systems, be quiet!'s mounting hardware could still see further refinement.