INTRODUCTION

   Any manufacturer with a successful product line has no reason to move away from it (or even introduce a new one), quite the contrary actually and so it's normal to see new products get added to that said line or lines. The same of course applies for CPU cooler manufacturers so from time to time new models with improved specifications, either in terms of the heatsink (total fin surface, number and thickness of heatpipes and base type) or the fan and/or fans used (airflow and air pressure levels), get added in their popular lines. Be quiet! has several such lines including the mid-range Shadow Rock line and today with us we have its latest addition, the Shadow Rock 3.

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. The products of be quiet! offer legendary quiet operation and first-class performance thanks the passion for quality and precision. Attention to detail is the key to perfection. Which is why our very own experts lead product conception, design and quality control from our headquarters in Germany. be quiet! sticks to its name: More than 15 years experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent ones on the market.

   The last CPU cooler by be quiet! in the Shadow Rock line was the top-down (C-type) Shadow Rock TF 2 model but the predecessor of the new Shadow Rock 3 model is actually the tower-design (U-type) Shadow Rock 2 model released back in 2013. Yes, it took be quiet! roughly 7 years to release its successor but the end result is very different so aside the brushed aluminum top cover (mostly for looks) it also features an asymmetrical design (zero interference model), five 6mm nickel plated heatpipes (compared to the four 8mm ones of its predecessor), heatpipe direct touch (H.D.T) base and 30 aluminum fins (as opposed to the 51 of the previous model). Of course, the fan model is also different so the Shadow Rock 3 CPU cooler comes bundled with a Shadow Wings 2 120mm PWM model (1600RPM/24.4dBA - 1600RPM/24.9dBA for the Pure Wings 2 fan used in the Shadow Rock 2) for which we don't have all the numbers (like airflow and air pressure). All of the above give the Shadow Rock 3 a TDP (thermal design power) of 190W, 10W over that of its predecessor.