The Pure Rock 2 by be quiet!

We have enjoyed various products from be quiet! in the past, and they have yet to disappoint. So when be quiet! asked us if we wanted to see something new – the Pure Rock 2 – we chomped at the bit and I, for one, may have done some unsanctioned dancing in the office. (He did the Harlem Shake. We saw him. ~Ed.)

New tech always makes me happy. New tech from a company that never fails to impress makes me all the happier. And we indeed have no doubt that they can continue their trend.

Pure Rock 2 – Pure Unboxing

The unboxing experience was obviously what we’ve come to expect from be quiet!: their matte black box adorned with an image of the cooler, a couple of sentences explaining its features, an accompanying table for the technical specs, and a QR code for a digital installation manual.

Inside the box was the Pure Rock 2 cooler, a Pure Wings 2 fan, a couple of leaflets for an installation manual and a small accessory box that housed the mounting assembly for both compatible AMD and Intel sockets [Intel: 1200 / 2066 / 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 2011(-3) Square ILM, AMD: AM4 / AM3(+)] Learn more about compatibility from be quiet!’s product page.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Highlights

The datasheet from be quiet! gave some highlights:

• A high 150W TDP cooling efficiency
• Four high-performance 6mm heat pipes with HDT technology
• Asymmetrical construction avoids blocking memory slots
• Pure Wings 2 120mm PWM fan for silent operation of up to 26.8 dB(A)
• Airflow-optimized fan blades that reduce noise-generating turbulence
• Rifle bearing for a very long lifespan
• Brushed aluminum finish or elegant black surface
• Easy installation kit can be mounted from atop the motherboard
• Three-year manufacturer´s warranty

The Build

The four 6mm thick heat pipes are chunky, but they look good and give me confidence in BeQuiet’s claim of a 150w TDP. The asymmetrical design certainly left more room at my memory slots than the Noctua NH-12S (the cooler I used regularly on my test bench prior). While the Pure Rock 2 leaves more room near the memory slots, it is overall a slightly taller and thicker cooler, coming in at 87mm x 12mm x 155mm when the fan is installed.

Note: the Pure Rock 2 has an aluminum base plate. This is safe for standard TIM (thermal interface material) like thermal paste but DO NOT use Gallium base TIMs like Thermal Grizzly conductonaut.

• 

• 

• 

The Fan

I am a huge fan of be quiet!’s renowned Silent Wing 3 fans (pun intended), and the new Pure Wing 2 fan that comes with the Pure Rock 2 without a doubt does not disappoint. The Pure Wings 2 is 120mm squared and 25mm thick. While rated for up to 26.8dB(A), I can tell you that when running Folding@Home on the CPU at full capacity, I cannot hear the test bench sitting not 5′ behind me. Even my Dark Rock Pro 3 makes some audible noise when folding. I would in fact attribute this to the “airflow-optimized” fan blades on the Pure Wings 2 and its rifled bearing.

• 

• 

Installing the Pure Rock 2

My sample of the Pure Rock 2 is the brushed aluminium. Normally I feel this looks too matted or dull, but be quiet! managed to give it a hint of shine, which really stood out while I was installing it. Speaking of installation, the process was dead simple. It can be compared to to Noctua’s SecuFirm2™, and it’s great to see. For AM4, the standard back plate stays in use. Four plastic standoffs hold the brackets just off the socket. The heat sink mounts with a single screw on either side. I feel that all air coolers should go this route; as I have said, it’s dead simple to install.

• 

• 

• 

OK – so how does the Pure Rock 2 perform?

The test bench is my normal setup, though slightly upgraded from previous tests. Also, a huge shout out to a local reader (and my dad) Phil for building the awesome riser for the Streacom BC1. It not only sets the whole bench a little higher, it also angles it about 30 degrees to make it easier to work on.

• 

MB	ASUS Prime B350-PLUS
CPU	AMD Ryzen7 1700x
RAM	16GB TeamGroup TForce (2400MHz)
SSD	240GB Kingston
GPU	Sapphire Pulse 5600 XT
Case	Streacom BC1 (OpenBench Table)
Fans	N/A

Across three separate 30 minute AIDA64 Extreme Stability Tests, the Ryzen 7 1700x started at 30ºC. Within 5 minutes, it had climbed to 66º~67ºC and held that temperature for the duration of the test. As soon as the test was ended, the CPU returned to 30ºC within a minute and a half. Keep in mind that TJMax for the Ryzen7 1700x is 75ºC; while we held steady between 66ºC and 67ºC (depending on the run), we never got to the point where performance would throttle to reduce heat.

• 

Final Thoughts on the Pure Rock 2

The Pure Rock 2 is an impressive tower cooler that not only looks good and performs impeccably, it did so silently. Under full load for 30 minutes at a time, I could not hear the cooler unless my face was within inches of it. It is also the most consistent cooler I’ve tested as far at the results go.

One thing I haven’t mentioned until now is price. The Pure Rock 2 is marketed under be quiet!’s “essential” line. The silver version can be had for $39 USD. And for just $5 more, you can get the black version.

So to recap: $39 for a cooler that’s marketed in their “essential” line of products, is superbly quiet, and punches well above its weight class. The Pure Rock 2 has me sold. This cooler’s performance is comparable to their “high-end” or “premium” line. I would recommend the Pure Rock 2 to anyone looking to run air cooling, especially in an environment where silence is key, such as an HTPC.