Review be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 Review: Quiet, Affordable Performer

[Admin]

The be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 provides great cooling in a small package for those needing something much quieter than some of the alternatives.

be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 Review: Quiet, Affordable Performer : Read more

 

[TheDane]

Why is 'No RGB option' listed under 'Against'? For me it is definitely a 'For'! Please exclude subjective features from 'For'/'Against'...

 

[King_V]

Can someone clarify for me what part of the temperature chart means?

For each cooler, there appear to be four separate temperature listings:

• CPU Core ΔT Max Fans
• CPU Core ΔT 50% Fans
• CPU PWM ΔT Max Fans
• CPU PWM ΔT 50% Fans

I understand the difference between max vs 50% fans, but what does core vs pwm mean? I thought core would be core temperature, and pwm is how the fan operates, so this has me absolutely confused.

 

[PewterScreaminMach]

I agree with no RGB being a pro. I want my computer to be as inconspicuous as possible audibly and visually.

I also wish this thinner version was available back when I put my build together a few years back. I'm sure it would handle my stock 8700K fine, and the extra space in the case would be a big plus over my Dark Rock Pro 3, which takes up way too much room.

 

[Friesiansam]

Why is 'No RGB option' listed under 'Against'? For me it is definitely a 'For'! Please exclude subjective features from 'For'/'Against'...

Absolutely and, one of the reasons I have a be quiet! cooler.

 

[maestro0428]

Looks like a decent almost a budget cooler. It's $60 at Newegg and I wouldn't call that budget. The Cooler Master 212 black at $45 is much more what I would consider a budget cooler and although the Be Quiet cooler performs better, I will stick with the 212 for my budget builds as those builds CPUs don't require as much cooling.

 

[rubix_1011]

According to be quiet! it was to be released at around $46, so it sounds like there is some markup taking place. My article was based on the information provided to me prior to launch date.

RGB lighting or lack thereof, is an option and for some is the primary focus of a purchase. I am not saying I agree/disagree, but many like the 'option'. be quiet! and others choose to avoid lighting and focus on aesthetics and performance which is their mainstay.

In terms of Core and PWM cooling:

Core is CPU core average - all cores, across all measured testing time as a value of temperature over ambient (core temp reading minus ambient room temp)

PWM is pulse width modulation and is measured by the cooler's effectiveness to dissipate thermal loads from adjacent motherboard components. In our case, the voltage regulators directly above the CPU socket with a heatsink. Measurements are taken with a direct contact probe on this heatsink to show under CPU loads and with the motherboard supplying power under stress (overclocked) the fan speed of the cooler effectively (or ineffectively) moves air past these components, cooling them.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Looks like its $45 at newegg right now.

It seems to be a decent alternative to the Arctic Freezer 34 Esports DUO (what a name) for the same cost. The BeQuiet offers a little worse performance while being a lot quieter.

Though, the Hyper 212 Evo is $25 right now and offers much better value to me. Although it is a bit worse performing and louder, its also just over half the cost.

 

[hannibal]

Why is 'No RGB option' listed under 'Against'? For me it is definitely a 'For'! Please exclude subjective features from 'For'/'Against'...

Yeah. It is a big plus sign for me too!
Maybe they did error and did meant that RPG light is minus feature. Use energy for nothing is really bad feature indeed!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

RGB is personal preference. Some may like it, some may not.

Another personal preference thing is color. I think for $45 some power coating on the heatsink would have been nice, considering much cheaper coolers like the ~$26 Vetroo V5 have all black heatsinks.

 

[King_V]

I think for $45 some power coating on the heatsink would have been nice, considering much cheaper coolers like the ~$26 Vetroo V5 have all black heatsinks.

Out of curiosity, does powdercoating (or any other method of giving a different color to the heatsink) have any adverse effect on cooling capability?

 

[NightHawkRMX]

I believe it does, but not significantly.

Something like a NH D15 chromaxx performs about the same as the vanilla version.

 

[rubix_1011]

Yeah. It is a big plus sign for me too!
Maybe they did error and did meant that RPG light is minus feature. Use energy for nothing is really bad feature indeed!

There were not many reasons for 'cons' for the cooler, although the simplest approach here being that not being able to choose whether RGB lighting is on or off lends itself to being 'not an option' for those who might be seeking RGB or at least have the ability to toggle it. However, the primary point of be quiet! and Noctua coolers is that they focus on quiet operation, performance and build quality over flashing lights. I do understand this completely. Again, this ends up being a totally different question as to whether those users should simply seek another solution as RGB is more important overall than performance and build quality.

be quiet! and Noctua take a different approach than others do, lending them to have a focus from a different market segment overall. By this virtue, the general public as a whole might see this as a loss whereas a performance-biased user will certainly see this as a win.

In writing reviews, most of the overview like this is done with the entire consumer market as a whole in mind, and not specific to those who might only be looking for a non-RGB solution. Therefore, 'no RGB' can either be seen as a 'win' or a 'loss', depending on which side you favor, but if you were to poll 1 million random users, consider the responses as to what might be the result if asked whether this cooler lacking RGB is a pro/con.

 

[plateLunch]

Rather than printing documentation on paper, be quiet! has opted to provide product information and installation instructions via scannable QR code.

I just bought a Shadow Rock Slim 2 based on this review and there were printed instructions in the box.

 

[plateLunch]

Another thing to note:
The documentation indicates there are 4 fan clips. The fan clips are not identical. Two smaller clips fit the fan enclosed in the package. The other two clips appear to be for a larger fan.

I grabbed two clips out of the package and struggled for several minutes trying to mount the fan. It took a while before I realized I had grabbed one small and one large clip.