The be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 is a new addition to the air coolers from be quiet! The design is simple, a direct heat pipe design and a large 135mm PWM fan. This CPU cooler aims for the middle size category, users who wish to get extra performance compared with their stock Intel/AMD CPU coolers and don’t want to break the bank. The product supports many Intel/AMD platforms, but less than the top Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU cooler.

The product dimensions are "small" and won’t have any problem fit this fan even to small cases. What you need to look for it the internal case height. There was supposed to be a new "easier" CPU mount mechanism, however again , for the AMD platform, its more or less the same as the top Dark Rock Pro 4, with different motherboard clips. Again installation is very easy to perform and there is a lot of free space at the bottom of the CPU cooler. In any case, big sized RAM modules won't be a problem for this setup, since the front of the 135mm fan is not covering the closest-to-CPU RAM module, great news!

The retail package, is complete with all the needed tools and accessories to get everything started. Of course there is thermal paste, but not a screwdriver, like with the Dark Rock Pro 4. While there are four fan clips, indicating that you could install a second 120/135/140mm fan, there isn't a Y-split adapter included.

Passing to the performance area...This product really ROCKS! While the CPU cooler volume is "small" compared with the top Dark Rock Pro 4, it managed to deliver outstanding performance. With stable 4.60GHz and 1.25V CPU Vcore, we got temperatures under 80 celcious with our test setup. While the performance won't reach what the Dark Rock Pro 4 offers, for CPUs like the AMD Ryzen 5600X is a perfect solution, since either in stock or overclock mode, will bring down temperatures to a safe zone. Lastly the measured noise with a calibrated microphone were very good, idles to 42dB (with case fans) and with full load goes up to 49dB (with case fans).

Overall we are pleased to see this product perform so good and at the same time, have an affordable price for middle sized users. The product will cost $45.90 / €45.90 / £43.99 MSRP (3 years warranty) and will be available very shortly to the retail market.

The Good:

+ Good retail package, it also includes thermal paste
+ Good volume for medium sized cases
+ Supports up to 160watt TDP processors
+ Stock package includes 135mm fan
+ Retail package includes a second fan clip for adding a second 120/135/140mm fan
+ Supports many Intel / AMD sockets
+ Very good performance compared with AMD stock cooler
+ Very good noise level
+ Excellent performance for its retail price ($45.90 / €45.90 / £43.99)
+ Relatively easy installation process
+ 3 years of warranty

Neutral:

• Adding a second fan didn't improved much performance with a AMD Ryzen 5600X, probably avoid it to save $

The bad

- None...