be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX Air CPU Cooler Review

Installation

In something of a matter of full disclosure, we’ve never made a secret of the fact that be quiet! has a bit of a troubled past when it comes to installation methodologies. And, for what it’s worth, I don’t think they do either. – Over the last few years, however, be quiet! has made moves to significantly improve this to what is today a vastly improved methodology.

The instruction manual for the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX gets us off to an excellent start with nice and clear diagrams well supported by written text. Admittedly, however, this is still not perfect. There are still aspects of the design which are a little unclear and specifically so in which way around the motherboard mounting brackets fit (in way points in, the other points out). Yes, going inward is clearly the more obvious choice, but for a beginner, this does leave things open for a mistake to happen. Albeit, one that would get very quickly identified when it came to fitting the radiator to find that the screws didn’t align.

Mounting

Overall, the mounting methodology for the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX isn’t bad. By proxy though, you can clearly infer that I don’t think it’s one of the best either. Overall, it’s just fiddly with a lot of small components that can easily (for those of us with chubbier fingers) go missing. This most notably comes down to two particular components. Firstly, the rubber spaces which provide cushioning to the motherboard, and secondly, the screws which attach the mounting brackets.

My issue with this really boils down to the vast that be quiet! doesn’t provide you with any spare screws or parts meaning. As such, installing this within a case (rather than the benefit we have of an open bench) will be nerve-racking work. – Not impossible, and not even necessary difficult. It’s just, as above, fiddly.

Another factor we should raise is that the radiator fins are exceptionally prone to bending through even the lighting of contact. Admittedly, this is not an uncommon problem on air coolers and especially those, like this, that are notably thin. Extra case will be needed when handling, however, and undoubtedly so when fitting the fan.

I should also note that while the radiator is recessed so you can install the cross mounting bar, the gap provided still isn’t overly huge. With be quiet! not providing you with a screwdriver, you are going to need one that is quite long (in terms of from the handle to the base), and better still, fairly slim. Put simply, while the design helps, it’s still not overly friendly for chubbier more conventional screwdrivers.

Overall Thoughts

From out of the box and onto our test bench, the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX took us roughly 15 minutes to install. While not overly difficult, this was mostly due to the fine work required as part of the installation methodology. Once installed, however, and even with the ARGB off, I think most will agree that it looks more than a little impressive!

What about that ARGB though? Well, the Light Wings fan looks absolutely fantastic with it providing bright, bold, and vivid lighting effects. Through the ARGB control as well, it can provide a nice varied amount of colours to suit practically all tastes.

So, overall, the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX certainly ticks all the right boxes in terms of aesthetics, and even its installation methodology wasn’t overly bad. How will it manage in terms of performance though? Well, with it all hooked up, let’s find out!