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be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 top flow air cooler announced

by Mark Tyson on 29 July 2021, 12:11

Tags: be-quiet

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaeqwd

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German PC cooling, cases and PSUs specialist be quiet! has announced an updated Dark Rock CPU cooler. The new Dark Rock TF2 builds on the top flow design of its predecessor from 2015, with a new dual-heatsink design, which is a slightly different shape and adds approx 17 per cent more weight to the product. Thanks to the various refinements, the TDP rating for the Dark Rock TF2 is a little higher than its predecessor, at 230 vs 220W.

Key features of the new be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 are its high-end performance thanks to the dual-heatsink design, six high-performance 6mm heat pipes, and dual Silent Wings 135mm fans. Of course, the new design uses the latest Silent Wings 3 fans, upgraded from the first edition of this fan series. Be quiet! also highlights how stylish the new Dark Rock TF2 is, with brushed aluminium top cover plus special black coating with embedded ceramic particles.

Official Dark Rock TF2 highlighted feature bullet points

  • Extremely high cooling performance with 230W TDP
  • Two heat sinks with anti-vibration rubber inserts
  • Six high-performance 6mm heat pipes
  • Silent Wings 3 135mm with funnel shaped air-inlet and a Silent Wings 135mm for virtually inaudible operation of max. 27.1dB(A)
  • Optimized mounting system makes for an easy installation
  • Special black coating with ceramic particles enables perfect heat transfer
  • Brushed aluminium top cover for elegant look
  • Three-year manufacturer's warranty
  • Product conception, design and quality control in Germany

If you are considering the be quiet! Dark Rock TF2, the size/weight is 163 x 140 x 134mm and 945g, with fans installed. The manufacturer states that the cooler is compatible with Intel 1200 / 2066 / 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 2011(-3) Square ILM, and AMD AM4 / AM3(+) sockets. Noise levels across a sample range of fan speeds are as follows; 50 / 75 / 100 per cent PWM generates 11.1 / 19.7 / 27.1dB(A) noise levels. be quiet! supplies this cooler with pre-applied thermal grease, mounts for Intel/AMD, and instructions in English and German (other languages online).

The new be quiet! Dark Rock TF2 will become available starting from 10th August worldwide. Its MSRP has been set at $85.90/€85.90/£79.99. Thus, pricing in the UK hasn't changed compared to the previous version.

Earlier this week, HEXUS reviewed the be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 which, thanks to its accessible £44 ticket price and competent performance, won a HEXUS Good Value Award.

HEXUS Forums :: 7 Comments

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Posted by Skyflier - Thu 29 Jul 2021 16:20
Nice to see a new top flow cooler. They don't seem to get the attention the towers do, which is odd considering the added board/VRM cooling you get from them.

I wouldn't mind seeing a slim version of this, half the price & TDP but the same or similar look.
Posted by QuorTek - Thu 29 Jul 2021 18:10
I wonder why they on all over the lines use a material like aluminium… well yes it is light yes… but it is not that good at transfering heat, kobber would seem better to me, as well probably easier to cool as well… but the price to follow though.
Posted by LSG501 - Fri 30 Jul 2021 11:29
Skyflier
I wouldn't mind seeing a slim version of this, half the price & TDP but the same or similar look.
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=368&bno=38&tb=21&area=en might fit the bill, it's been around for ages, I used the nt06 (non pro) version back on my s939 rigs using the psu fan and it worked great (sugo sg01, psu above cpu etc).
Posted by Tabbykatze - Fri 30 Jul 2021 16:56
QuorTek
I wonder why they on all over the lines use a material like aluminium… well yes it is light yes… but it is not that good at transfering heat, kobber would seem better to me, as well probably easier to cool as well… but the price to follow though.

Mainly, strength. Copper is a very soft, malleable material and isn't good for something like fins on a radiator, they'll get damaged way too easily.

The other major factor for radiators is not the conduction of heat through the material (like the heat pipes) but the ability to transfer the heat to the air through convection, the comparative differences between copper and aluminium are quite small in that capability as far as I'm aware. I once read an article (can't see it immediately with a cursory google) where one of the cooler manufacturers tested this and published their findings and practically went “not worth the cost or effort to use copper”. That and copper is far more expensive than aluminium so if the differences are minor…

Edit: I stand corrected, there are some manufacturers that do make all copper radiators for water cooling it seems. But the point still stands, it's not about the conductivity of the metal and is more about the potential surface area of the radiator to transfer heat to as much air as possible.
Posted by LSG501 - Fri 30 Jul 2021 18:30
Tabbykatze
Mainly, strength. Copper is a very soft, malleable material and isn't good for something like fins on a radiator, they'll get damaged way too easily.

The other major factor for radiators is not the conduction of heat through the material (like the heat pipes) but the ability to transfer the heat to the air through convection, the comparative differences between copper and aluminium are quite small in that capability as far as I'm aware. I once read an article (can't see it immediately with a cursory google) where one of the cooler manufacturers tested this and published their findings and practically went “not worth the cost or effort to use copper”. That and copper is far more expensive than aluminium so if the differences are minor…

Edit: I stand corrected, there are some manufacturers that do make all copper radiators for water cooling it seems. But the point still stands, it's not about the conductivity of the metal and is more about the potential surface area of the radiator to transfer heat to as much air as possible.

There have been some full copper air coolers too, they never really took off though.

As to why they use aluminium over copper, weight could be another issue, (quick google) aluminium is about 60% as efficient as copper in heat transfer but it's also only 30% of the weight of copper. So at least in the case of the fins, which would add the bulk of the weight, it's just ‘better’ to use aluminium

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