The be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 is the latest addition to the be quiet! Air coolers with a dual-heatsink design, which is different from the already tested be quiet! CPU coolers. This product aims for overclocking enthusiasts and the top-flow design promises ideal cooling not for the CPU but also for the surrounding motherboard components. The product supports many Intel/AMD platforms, but less than what the top of the line Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU cooler offers.

For sure this product doesn't need a full sized tower PC case, since for sure can be also fitted at middle sized PC cases but perhaps in other custom solutions, where big heighted CPU coolers simply won’t fit. The installation process is more or less the same as other be quiet! product, but for sure we could advise you to remove motherboard from the case and install it properly. We found out that the bottom 135mm fan needs some extra effort to get installed inside a case... Due to its external dimensions you shouldn't have any serious problem with memory modules. The retail package, as expected, 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 top of the line, Dark Rock Pro 4.

From price point, this product costs less than Dark Rock Pro, so we don’t expect to perform the same and almost double than the Shadow Rock Slim 2...So what can you expect from this CPU cooler? For sure this product is nicely designed and will cool down your CPU. The two included 135mm fans handle noise very well and will further boost performance. Compared with the AMD stock the performance gains are big. However comparing "normal" stretching with the half-priced Shadow Rock Slim2, performance gains aren't so big. However you are not buying such expensive CPU cooler for working at "normal" mode...Overclocking AMD Ryzen 5600X we found out that for sure Dark Rock Pro 4 will perform better, we expected this, since it’s a bigger volume size CPU cooler. With the OCCT CPU test, the Dark Rock TF2 gave around 4.5 more Celsius than the Dark Rock Pro 4 with similar noise levels.

Concluding this review, we found this product to be a good alternative solution to the already very good air coolers from be quiet! The overall design, black design and complete retail package however add to the overall retail price of the product. We feel the market for the Dark Rock TF2 is for users who simply don't have the spare internal volume case to use something bigger like the Dark Rock Pro 4 and get maximum performance, or simply have a different design case that only accepts top flow CPU coolers, and for this case it’s a perfect solution.

The product is available from August 10 at a recommended retail price (MSRP) of $85.90 / €85.90 / £79.99.

The Good:

+ Good retail package, it also includes thermal paste
+ Very good volume for medium sized cases
+ Supports up to 230watt TDP processors
+ Stock package include 2xSilent Wings 3 135mm fans
+ Supports many Intel / AMD sockets
+ Very good performance compared with AMD stock cooler
+ Very good noise levels
+ Relatively easy installation process
+ 3 years of warranty

Neutral:

• Installation should be performed outside the case

The bad

- Similar priced with the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 (which however has different size and volume)