be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 CPU Cooler Review

Installation

Starting off with the instruction manual, which I’ve always personally considered an exceptionally important part of any retailed cooler, while the overall quality of the paper and printing does feel a little on the cheap side, you are absolutely drowned in good quality diagrams and written directions. My only mild complaint is that some of the diagrams could be better. And particular the one where it comes to the mounting bracket as it’s hard to ascertain from the picture exactly which way the clips are supposed to face.

We have, however, encountered this exact installation method in many other relatively recent be quiet! air cooling products and, as such, while still not quite perfect, we do at least know that this is the methodology they appear to be going with now and for the foreseeable future.

Mounting

Aside from a few fiddly aspects with exceptionally small screws, the mounting system used in the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 is pretty straightforward. With a lot of small parts, however, we would definitely say that having your motherboard (or case) laid flat is definitely to your advantage as this helps to ensure that if any screws or spacers decide to bounce away, they won’t disappear among your PC innards.

Overall Thoughts

From out of the box and onto our test bench, the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 took us roughly 9 minutes to install. While certain aspects of the installation method do require some nimble finger work, on the whole, this system is entirely suitable for both new or experienced hands. The only mildly tricky aspect of the design comes down to the fans. Given the exceptionally tight nature of the clips (likely to hold them firm to prevent any vibration), it’s not easy getting all four of them (2 for the top fan and 2 for the sandwiched one) in nice and firmly. And in something of full disclosure, when it came to us removing them, it was even harder with one pinging off about 4′ across the room which perhaps highlights best just how tight these are. Put simply, getting these fans fitted probably added 1-2 minutes to the overall installation time and, if you were to attempt this from within a pre-built system, would definitely provide you with a little bit of a challenge.

As noted above though, be quiet! has improved significantly on their prior installation methods, and, while still a fair way away from being absolutely perfect, we shouldn’t see the installation of the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 providing users with any problems.