Introduction

be quiet!, world-renowned for their silence-focused PC products, are, as you might guess, an enthusiast favorite. From cases and coolers to power supplies, they have garnered a significant following over the years. This likely stems from the fact that they don't pad shelves with new product after new product, instead focusing on refining core designs, and it shows as they continue to rack up numerous awards from both reviewers and readers alike, it probably also has something to do with their continued dedication of "no compromise silence and performance."


While be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro series is much beloved, not everyone needs a behemoth CPU cooler. Sometimes, you just need something that is quiet, affordable, and does a good job. Enter the company's latest offering, the Shadow Rock Slim 2. It has your traditional single-tower design along with a 135 mm Silent Wings 3 fan. To keep costs down, be quiet! opted for an HDT base (heat-pipe direct touch). Overall, it has a TDP rating of 160 watts.

Packaging

The Shadow Rock Slim 2 comes in a compact black box with the front featuring an image of the cooler for all to see. Moving to the left side, you will find a QR code for quick access to product information; meanwhile, the back gives a brief overview that focuses on the cooler's compact design, 160-watt TDP, and 135 mm fan.


The right side has the Shadow Rock Slim 2's technical details, such as the height, width, length, and weight. Missing, however, is the PWM RPM range and CFM rating of the fan. Also, it doesn't help that the gray text on a black background makes it rather hard to read. A quick look at the box top just shows the be quiet! logo, cooler name, and 160-watt TDP rating. Otherwise, there is not much else to see here.

Contents

The cooler comes packaged in a cardboard tray keeping it in place, with the base sitting on a foam pad. The fan essentially floats around inside this space, with a foam sheet between it and the cooler. While not the worst packaging I have seen, it could certainly be better. The fan rattling around in the box is not great, and a hard enough knock could potentially cause damage. I feel a few upgrades to the packaging are necessary, especially considering the brand's premium designation.


Socket support is good with support for your more common CPU sockets, such as anything LGA115x, LGA1200, and, of course, AM4 and AM3+. As you might have guessed, there is no listed support for older AMD sockets or Socket LGA1366.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 4x Fan clips
• 4x AMD backplate screws
• 4x AM3 washers
• 4x Mounting bracket screws
• 4x Plastic standoffs
• 4x Intel spacer nuts
• 4x LGA2011/2066 spacer nuts
• 4x Intel backplate O-rings
• 4x Intel backplate screws
• 2x Intel mounting plates
• 2x AMD mounting plates
• 2x Mounting bridge screws
• 1x Intel backplate
• 1x Heatsink
• 1x 135 mm fan
• 1x Tube of thermal paste
• 1x Instruction manual
• 1x Mounting bridge