INTRODUCTION

   Summer is coming (or better yet it's already here) so whether we all like it or not the time of the year when our precious systems get pushed to their limits because of increased ambient temperatures is here and as expected many of our friends have already begun looking around for new and improved CPU coolers. Of course we don't really need to point out the fact that the largest percentage of consumers are not looking to get the best CPU cooler out there but rather one that can produce better results compared to their previous one (or the stock cooler) and if possible with less noise. Be Quiet! is amongst a handful of companies that aim to design and manufacture high quality CPU coolers (and power supplies in their case) with performance and low noise levels as their primary selling points and today we're taking a look at their latest Pure Rock model.

   be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC. be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany for five consecutive years *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions. be quiet! is awarded for five times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-known German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” underline the high acceptance of our products. be quiet! sticks to its name: Ten years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed Silent Wings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation - our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation. If you choose be quiet! you can be sure to get premium quality and second to none silent operation from the quietness experts.

   Once again we see that be quiet! has chosen the usual tower design (U-Type) for the heatsink of the Pure Rock CPU cooler which they have paired with one of their latest Pure Wings 2 (it says Silent Wings 2 in their specs page however) 120mm PWM sleeve bearing fans. The Pure Rock however seems to be one of the somewhat entry level models be quiet! has in their product line since not only does it feature a medium-sized heatsink measuring just 155mm in height but is also offers a low/mid-end thermal design power (TDP) of 150W. Even these of course should be more than enough for the Pure Rock to cover the needs of its target group but the question we're about to answer is what consumers can expect from this new offering by be quiet!.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Be Quiet! has been using the same packaging for ages so once again at the front we find their logo, a large product picture and the main product features.

A few words about the product (where you can use it) are printed on both the left and right in 6 languages.

The technical specifications table is placed at the rear right beneath a drawing of the Pure Rock.

The bundle is secured inside the box with several pieces of cardboard so no problems here.

Along with the Pure Rock heatsink you're also getting a backplate, installation instructions, warranty information paper, two fan mounting clips and all the necessary mounting hardware needed for installation on Intel LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ compatible mainboards.

THE PURE ROCK

As mentioned earlier the Pure Rock features a medium size heatsink measuring 155mm in height, 121mm in width and 62.5mm in depth with a weight of 514g.

The company name is placed at the top fin (quite thicker than the others).

The heatsink has a total of 48 thin aluminum fins.

Part of the fins is bend inwards on both sides in order to keep air trapped inside the heatsink.

Four 6mm all-copper heatpipes leave the base of the cooler and pass through all 48 fins.

Be Quiet! ships the Pure Rock with a pre-applied layer of thermal conductive material on the base.

Since however we don't use the stock thermal conductive materials we decided to take a look at the base.

The Pure Wings 2 fan features a 4-pole motor and can spin up to 1500RPM to produce up to 87CFM of airflow with just 19.2dBA of noise.

With the fan mounted the Pure Rock measures 87.5mm in depth and weighs 644g.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   With a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 150W we knew right from the start that the Pure Rock CPU cooler is aimed at regular consumers rather than serious gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers so we didn't expect anything special in terms of cooling efficiency. Well as it's clearly shown in our charts we weren't wrong so the Pure Rock has a somewhat hard time competing with the majority of the models we've tested to date. The upper side however with this is that it's also one of the quietest models we've tested to date so it's pretty obvious that be quiet! traded performance for low noise levels. The size of the cooler and more specifically its height is also a plus since many small PC cases don't have much room for tower design models and for those even 161mm in height are just too tall.

   Casual consumers may not care much about the performance of a CPU cooler but they do care quite a bit about price and since the Pure Rock by be quiet! currently retails for USD47.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 45Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) i expect mixed reactions from them. Why? Well on hand we have a good quality CPU cooler which is extremely efficient in keeping noise to a minimum and is manufactured by one of the leading companies in the field but on the other we have low/mid-end performance levels so i believe that be quiet! should had aimed at a slightly lower price tag (the Shadow Rock Slim is a better choice for that money). It is what it is however so we highly recommend the Pure Rock to people who are looking to get something slightly better but much quieter than the stock Intel and AMD CPU coolers.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Low Noise Levels
- Size & Weight

CONS

- Price (For Some)