be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 CPU Cooler Review

Mike Sanders / 3 years ago

How Much Does it Cost?

Available to buy now, the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 comes with an official expected MSRP of $85.90 / €85.90 / £79.99. – Admittedly, this isn’t inexpensive and does put it in the price bracket with other premium-level air cooling solutions. When you look at just how well this performance in our testing, however, I would freely acknowledge that this is perhaps one of the best air coolers money can buy at the moment.

Yes, it’s expensive, but trust me when I say that you’re not only getting excellent value for money, but you’ll also get a level of performance well in excess of that price tag!

Overview

I knew that the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 was going to be good. As seen earlier in this review, its build quality is clearly to the highest standards and it was pretty evident that be quiet! had put a lot of work into the design of this cooler to bring something new and exceptionally potent to the market. Did I think it was going to be this good though? I’ll freely concede not.

Admittedly, my misconceptions on just how potent this was going to be were perhaps based (and perhaps biased) on my own opinions and experience with top-flow cooling solutions. Generally speaking, you tend to associate these designs with being practical low-profile solutions. As a whole, however, the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 is surprisingly large when fully assembled, but thanks to its top-flow nature, still offers total RAM compatibility.

It’s an exceptionally smart design, and I have to tip my hat off to be quiet! here for bringing something new to the market that has not only managed to impress me but has also practically blown my mind!

Should I Buy One?

If you’re after a sleek cooling solution without any of the seizure-inducing razzle-dazzle of ARGB lighting, then hands down the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 is the best choice you could make right now. Admittedly, it comes at a price point that perhaps tips this out of the balance of more cost-minded consumers. If you value excellent levels of CPU temperature control with barely audible noise output, however, then the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 is, without a doubt, one of the best coolers money can buy right now.

I’m giving exceptionally serious thought to sticking this in my PC. And if that doesn’t tell you how impressed I am with the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2, and particularly so when you consider the masses of cooling solutions I have access to, then nothing will!

Pros

One of the best coolers currently available in the market
Exceptionally low CPU temperatures while providing barely audible acoustic output
Build quality is to the highest level
A unique design that should provide near 100% system and RAM compatibility
Exceptionally good value for money
Entirely suitable for some overclocking efforts