When it comes to mid-tier coolers, the be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 proves to be a solid all-around offering, especially for those wanting to keep noise levels to a minimum. During testing, noise output was so low it hit our noise floor below 50% PWM, which means the cooler was all but silent unless the fan was pushed to its maximum RPM, at which point it just hit 43 dBA. While not the lowest on the chart, it is still exceptional. However, the trade-off to low noise output is that maximum cooling performance is to an extent limited. In our testing, 45 dBA or below is typically the sweet spot, so be quiet! has some wiggle room where performance can be tweaked and improved.

Even so, overall performance was nothing to scoff at. When you consider be quiet!'s good build quality and graphics card and memory clearance, you end up with an all-around solid offering that gets the job done and minimizes problems users may potentially face in regards to compatibility. My only real gripe is the mounting hardware which could be further simplified. In general, the hardware isn't terrible, far from it in fact, but it can still be improved. For example, having the crossbar fully secured to the cooler would make installation a bit easier and quicker, especially in cramped cases. But considering that is the biggest issue I found, be quiet! is doing all the right things.

Other than that, the argument for or against RGB lighting is something that is up to the end-user. I will say I am not a fan of the cooler's top-plate design, but the high contrast visuals are still rather appealing in their own right, though all of that comes down to personal taste.

Overall, the be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 is a fantastic low-noise offering that delivers good performance for the price. It should make for years of quieting computing in just about any build you are planning. Thus, I have no issues recommending it.