Tuesday, February 18th 2020

be quiet! Announces Shadow Rock 3 CPU Cooler

be quiet!, the market leader in PC power supplies in Germany since 2007, announces Shadow Rock 3. This addition to the mid-range CPU cooler lineup of be quiet! features a redesigned heat sink and heat pipe layout and a Shadow Rock 2 fan to increase the rated cooling capacity to 190 W TDP while its asymmetrical design improves compatibility with tall RAM modules.

Compared to its predecessor, Shadow Rock 3 has undergone a substantial redesign. The previous model relied on four 8 mm heat pipes to cool the CPU, while Shadow Rock 3 now implements five 6 mm heat pipes with heat pipe direct touch (HDT) technology. The heat pipes are in direct contact with the processor surface, which results in fast heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. The fan has been upgraded to a Shadow Wings 2 120 mm PWM high-speed, which is decoupled from the heatsink and offers a silent operation at no higher than 24.4 dB(A), even at maximum speed. Users who are looking for even higher cooling performance have the option to attach a second fan to the heatsink.
By making these structural changes, it became possible to reduce the number of fins from 51 to 30, which cut the weight of the cooler in half compared to its predecessor (716 vs 1120 grams). This significantly reduces the vertical stress placed on motherboards. The higher fin pitch in combination with an optimized fan raises the cooling performance of Shadow Rock 3 to 190 W TDP, enough to enable trouble-free overclocking of mainstream desktop processors.
Asymmetrical design and top mounting system
In contrast to Shadow Rock 2, where the heatsink is placed centered above the base plate, Shadow Rock 3 uses an asymmetrical design, which moves the heatsink back towards the exhaust of the case for unobstructed access to the memory slots in front of the heatsink. This guarantees maximum compatibility with high-performance memory modules, including RAM with tall heat spreaders or LED lighting.

be quiet! does not just place emphasis on performance, but also on build quality, appearance, and ease-of-use. Installation is simplified thanks to a top mount design with included screwdriver. The top cover of Shadow Rock 3 is made from brushed aluminium and features a bi-color surface treatment for a unique visual design. The cooler is compatible with all current CPU sockets from Intel and AMD (except TR4 and sTRX4) and fits best on motherboards for mainstream processors with up to four memory slots.

Pricing and availability
Shadow Rock 3 will be available for sale on March 3rd at a recommended retail price of $49.90 / €49.90 / £45.99.
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11 Comments on be quiet! Announces Shadow Rock 3 CPU Cooler

#1
bonehead123
anutha day, anutha s.o.s.s. tower cooler...

y/a/w/n

But hey, at least it's reasonably priced :D
Posted on Reply
#2
DeathtoGnomes
be quiet! does not just place emphasis on performance, but also on
add "only"
be quiet! does not only just place emphasis on performance, but also on
Can 140mm fans be used on this? it doesnt look like it, there is room for them, but will they mount with that design.
Posted on Reply
#3
Chomiq
At least it doesn't use the super fragile black coating for the fins.
Posted on Reply
#4
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
Rather have a plate
Posted on Reply
#5
micropage7
solid backplate is good to support heavy weight cooler, as long as the insulation is good too
Posted on Reply
#6
efikkan
bonehead123anutha day, anutha s.o.s.s. tower cooler...

y/a/w/n

But hey, at least it's reasonably priced :D
It's good to see advancements in good tower coolers, both in the value and the premium segments. Tower coolers are the most relevant for builders up to ~250W, contrary to the countless AIO water coolers which are mostly "gimmicks" and get much more attention than they deserve.

I'm looking forward to the next generation 140mm based ones from Noctua, expected in 2021.
Posted on Reply
#7
milewski1015
Wouldn't reducing the number of fins and the overall weight reduce the effectiveness of heat dissipation and therefore cooling potential? Going from 51 to 30 fins and 1120g to 716g doesn't exactly scream "more cooling". I can't think of anybody that wants a lighter cooler. The press release mentions less vertical stress on the motherboard, but I've never heard of anybody having issues due to motherboard strain from a tower cooler. Maybe while transporting the PC, but that's why it's recommended to remove the cooler before transport. Not sure how much of an effect going from four 8mm heatpipes to five 6mm heatpipes will have. Maybe I'm just being ignorant, but I would be interested if someone could explain how (if) this will be better than its predecessor.

Edit: fixed typo
Posted on Reply
#8
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
milewski1015Wouldn't reducing the number of fins and the overall weight reduce the effectiveness of heat dissipation and therefore cooling potential? Going from 51 to 30 fins and 1120g to 716g doesn't exactly scream "more cooling". I can't think of anybody that wants a lighter cooler. The press release mentions less vertical stress on the motherboard, but I've never heard of anybody having issues due to motherboard strain from a tower cooler. Maybe while transporting the PC, but that's why it's recommended to remove the cooler before transport. Not sure how much of an affect going from four 8mm heatpipes to five 6mm heatpipes will have. Maybe I'm just being ignorant, but I would be interested if someone could explain how (if) this will be better than its predecessor.
Just means more fan power needed due to less surface area, not all have large cases, they are tailored for different applications
Posted on Reply
#9
dirtyferret
eidairaman1Rather have a plate
have to cut cost somehow
Posted on Reply
#10
milewski1015
eidairaman1Just means more fan power needed due to less surface area, not all have large cases, they are tailored for different applications
True, guess I didn't even think about size restrictions. Although it looks like the Shadow Rock 3 is actually 3mm taller


Posted on Reply
#11
Valantar
Have to say I really like the low restriction design of this - should provide excellent cooling with quiet, low-pressure, airflow-focused fans even at relatively low speeds - and the new fan does look like that is what it is. Heck, this might even do a decent job at passive cooling. The price certainly isn't bad either. I'm not a fan of them moving the heatpipes into two straight lines along the airflow path though - even if staggering them would have increased airflow restriction it would likely have made up for it by improving thermal transfer to the fins.

Would be interested in seeing a review of this though.
Posted on Reply
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