Test – be quiet! Shadow Rock TF 2 |Specs | Price

Hi all!

We’re going back to be quiet! today with their latest air cooler, the Shadow Rock TF2! On the program a “Top Flow” type cooler placed in the mid-range, below its big brother the Dark Rock TF, therefore with a less high-end finish and performance which should also be lower. Offered at a price of around € 60, the Shadow Rock TF2 should be a good product in a box that has a restricted width preventing the installation of a tower model, to see in the tests!

As we can see the characteristics here are very close to what we can find on classic “Top Flow” models, compatibility with all the sockets on the market with of course the latest AM4 from AMD and rather limited dimensions. especially in terms of height with only 11.2 cm which will allow it to be installed in almost all ATX boxes on the market. The weight of 680 grams is also average, we are far here from the biggest double tower type coolers like the Noctua NH-D15 and be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 🙂
Cooling level there are 5 heat pipes which pass through aluminum fins and all cooled by a 13.5 cm fan. The latter is a model with “Rifle” bearing, which will allow it to be quieter than a ball bearing while being less enduring (even if the 80,000 hours of MTBF should be more than enough), it runs at a maximum speed of 1400 RPM for a theoretical sound level of 24.4 dB.
Offered at a price of around 60 € it is placed in the average of the “Top Flow” coolers, let’s see if the performance will also put it in the average 🙂

As usual, sobriety is the order of the day, in fact on the front there is a photo of the beast on a black background, the logo of the brand is of course present. Of course, there is a small listing of the strong points, such as the 13.5 cm silent fan, “Top Flow” design and extensive compatibility with different platforms.
At the back of the tables of the technical characteristics are available, for the radiator but also the fan, in order to have all the elements in hand (if you still buy in store 😀).

Inside the box we find the beast caught between a mixture of foam and cardboard, surrounded by a whole bunch of notices in different languages. Even if the packaging is not as elaborate as on high-end models, transport should not be a problem.

Regarding the bundle, we are faced with a great classic with a manual available in several languages, an AMD fixing kit, an Intel fixing kit as well as the necessary screws. It is a pity not to find a thermal paste tube for further installation, the thermal paste is pre-applied.

Here is the beast! Regarding the look, we are facing a classic with a radiator parallel to the motherboard and crossed by heat pipes. The build quality as well as the finishes are really very good, it does not have much to envy the more high-end models. The brand even thought of putting caps on the heat pipes as well as an aluminum plate marked with its logo to give a more upscale look.

Here the great classic, a radiator parallel to the motherboard and raised to allow the installation of memory modules equipped with fairly large radiators (but not too much: p). be quiet! even decided to add fins connecting the base to the top radiator, in order to still scratch the performance. Here as you can see no nickel plating of the heat pipes, cost reduction obliges!

Not much to say above and below, except that we drink well the distribution of heat pipes that cross the 62 fins (plus the plate marked with the logo). One thing is strange though, the arrangement of the central heat pipe which is finned only on half of its circumference.

The base as I said has a pre-applied thermal paste, so those who do not know how to apply it or how much to put will not have to ask questions, too bad not to have a tube that said . Underneath there is a convex copper plate in order to apply the maximum pressure to the center of the processor, where the dies are generally found. There is no mirror finish here, but that shouldn’t pose any performance concerns.

Here is the fan, a design that is now known to the brand, a 13.5 cm model equipped with a “Rifle” type bearing rotating at a speed of 1400 RPM. Knowing the fans from be quiet! it should behave very well, but with 1400 RPM at most it should be heard.