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Review Summary
The be quiet! Pure Rock 3 Black is a budget-friendly air cooler that delivers solid performance for mid-range CPUs like Intel’s Core i5 and AMD’s Ryzen 5/7. With a 190W TDP, it can handle moderate workloads well but struggles with high-end processors under full load. The all-black design, quiet operation, and easy installation make it a great value choice. If you need an affordable, good-looking cooler for a mainstream build, this is a solid pick.
Hours Tested: 6
Overall
-
Performance - 7/10
7/10
-
Design - 9/10
9/10
-
Quality - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Value - 9/10
9/10
Pros
- Decent Thermal Performance
- AMD AM5 and Intel LGA1700/1851 Socket Support
- Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM Fan
- Noise
- Price
- Standard PWM Connector
- Warranty
Cons
- Heavy core load is not in the scope of this cooler
Pure Rock 3 is a new cooler from be quiet!, and the company aims to cover two market segments with this cooler; system integrators and mainstream budget consumers. This cooler is available in three configurations:
- Pure Rock 3 for system integrators only
- Pure Rock 3 Black MSRP USD 29.90 | € 29.90
- Pure Rock 3 LX MSRP USD 34.90 | € 34.90
This cooler is compatible with Intel LGA 115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. This is a single tower in a 120mm size design and comes with either a Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM or LX 120mm PWM fan subject to the variant. Be quiet! has provided AMD offset mounting brackets with these coolers.
I have also tested and reviewed the be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3, which is a dual-tower, more performance-focused cooler, make sure to check it out as well.
Key Takeaways
- The be quiet! Pure Rock 3 is a great budget-friendly cooler that handles up to 190W with ease. Its all-black design makes it perfect for stealth builds, and with HDT technology, it keeps your system cool and running smoothly.
- You should buy the be quiet! Pure Rock 3 if want a value-oriented cooler with good looks that offers solid performance for the price.
- You should skip the be quiet! Pure Rock 3 if you have a high-end/flagship CPU that requires lots of cooling power.
In this review, I will be testing the Pure Rock 3 Black. Its specifications are:
| Dimension including Fan | 71x124x154mm (LxWxH) |
| Net Weight | 570g |
| Socket Compatibility |
|
| Rated TDP | 190W |
| Fan Model | Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM |
| Fan Dimension | 120x120x25mm |
| Speed | 2000 RPM Max |
| Airflow | 59.6 CFM Max |
| Air Pressure | 2.41 mmH₂O Max |
| Noise Level | 31.2 dB(A) Max |
| Connector | 4-pin PWM |
| Lifespan | 80,000 hours |
What Makes It Different?
The Pure Rock 3 Black is a no-frill budget-oriented air cooler that can handle the thermal load of up to 190W and is best suited for Intel Core i5 and Ryzen 5/7 locked SKUs. Even on an unlocked i7, it prevents the CPU from throttling at 190W which is good.
Packing And Unboxing
be quiet! ships this cooler in its standard black theme packing box. The packing box does provide the specifications and features that would be helpful for on-the-go buyers.
The following are provided in the box:
- 1x Heatsink
- 1x Fan
- 1x Intel Backplate
- 2x Intel Mounting Brackets
- 4x Intel Screws
- 4x Intel Screw Fasteners
- 2x AMD Mounting Brackets
- 4x AMD Screws
- 4x thumb Nuts
- 4x Black Spacers
- 1x Set of Fan Metal Clips
- User Manual
- Safety Page
As you can see, there is no thermal paste tube in the box. The base comes with pre-applied thermal paste but that is all. In the longer run should you desire to service your PC, you would need to buy a thermal paste.
Design
The complete assembly of this cooler is black ceramic coated. The silver variant is for system integrators only. The heatsink has a dimension of 71x124x154mm with a fan. 154mm is the overall height of this cooler. The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. The rated TDP of this cooler is 190W.
What’s Improved In The Heatsink?
Looking at the top of the heatsink, you can see a plastic shroud or cover. It is fixed permanently. It has a stylish outlook with be quiet! branding in the center. The fixed design of the top cover has implications for heatsink orientation when installing this cooler.
Taking a look at the side, you can see the interlocking of the fins. The insets on the edges are designed to catch the fan clips for fan installation. This cooler has no offset design unlike the Pure Rock Pro 3.
The front and back sides of the heatsink have the same design. It is a simple and plain layout in a straight-line pattern. It has no wave or hive design elements. My counting shows that the heatsink has 55 fins which are also black-coated.
However, be quiet! is paying attention. To ensure the safety of the handler, the fins on the edges are rounded. This would help prevent hand injury.
The cross-bar is pre-installed on top of the base. It is secured using a Philips screw. I am just trying to figure out how to access this screw from the top as the top bracket is fixed or it seems.
The base of the heatsink has aluminum heatsink design to provide maximum heat dissipation coverage. The cross-bar has two spring-loaded screws pre-installed.
The heatsink has 4x copper heat pipes. These have a thickness of 6mm each. Each heat pipe is ceramic black color spray coated. They are placed in the fin stack such as they make contact in a group of two with the fin stack. You can see a protective transparent cover over the base.
As I mentioned above, the thermal paste comes pre-applied on the base. It is a white color paste and unfortunately, there is no spare tube in the accessory box.
This cooler uses an HDT design wherein the exposed portion of the heat pipes makes direct contact with the CPU for efficient or faster heat transfer. However, this is not a vacuum chamber. The base measures approximately 39x36mm.
Pure Wings 3 120mm Fan
The Pure Rock 3 Black cooler comes with a Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fan. The Lux version comes with a LX 120mm PWM fan. The Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fan has 9x blades with striped layers for increased airflow.
There is an inner circle border that encapsulates the fan blade assembly. This design provides no leak when installed over the radiator. There is no anti-vibration pad over the mounting corners. I hope this optimized version of the fan retains the closed-loop motor design.
Looking at the rear or backside of the fan, you can see a slope-down design. The arms have an angular layout to direct the airflow. The power ratings are printed in the center. The fan is made in China. These fans use rifle bearings with a life span of 80,000 hours.
There are arrow markers showing the direction of airflow through the fan and the direction in which blades spin. The power cable uses a 4-pin PWM connector.
Installation
I have tested this cooler on an MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX motherboard using an Intel i7 13700k. The installation steps include:
- Pass the Intel screws on the backplate through designated holes.
- Secure the Intel screws using locker washers.
- Place the backplate over the motherboard and secure it using LGA1700 spacers.
- Place Intel mounting brackets over the threaded portions of the Intel screws.
- Secure the brackets using nuts.
- Place the heatsink over the CPU and install it via spring-loaded screws.
- Install the fan and connect the cable.
- Installation is complete.
Clearance
The height of this cooler is 154mm. You would need a minimum 158mm clearance in your PC Case just in case.
Testing
I have used below mentioned configuration to test the performance of this cooler: –
- Intel Core i7 13700k [Stock, Auto]
- MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX
- XPG Lancer RGB 32GB @ 7200MHz, CAS34
- Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD [For OS and Data]
- ASRock Radeon RX 7600 Phantom Gaming OC 8G [For Display]
- Fractal Design ION+ 2P 860W Platinum PSU
- Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in an open frame layout
Here is the settings table for testing:
| All Cores | 5.4GHz on P-Cores, 4.2GHz on E-Cores |
| VCore (V) | Auto |
| Power Limits | 253W, 190W |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Test Run Time | 30 minutes CINEBENCH R23.2 |
| Idle Time | 10 minutes |
| Fan/Pump Speed | 100% PWM Duty Cycle |
| Monitoring Software | HWInfo64 |
Here are the test results:
This cooler struggled to tame the roaring Core i7 13700k at 253W as the CPU reached 100ᵒC and throttled. However, with 190W, there was no thermal throttling and the cooler allowed the CPU to operate at its 190W potential.
This cooler makes a sound output of 41 dB(A) and is not loud even at full speed.
Should You Buy It?
Buy It If
✅You want a black, budget cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 3 Black has a stealth design including a black Pure Wings 3 fan.
✅You prefer a value cooler for your gaming needs: If you are on the Intel Core i5 segment or Ryzen 5/7 segment then this cooler gives you a good value.
Don’t Buy It If
❌You are on a high-end CPU: This cooler can face issues with high-end SKUs under full load. I would not suggest this cooler in this scenario.
Final Words
Pure Rock 3 is a new mainstream cooler from be quiet!. It caters for system integrators and budget consumers. Three variants of this cooler are:
- Pure Rock 3 for SI
- Pure Rock 3 Black comes with Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM Fan
- Pure Rock 3 LX comes with an LX 120mm PWM Fan
The Pure Rock 3 Black is a single tower configuration in 120mm size. This cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. Its TDP rating is 190W. The dimension of this cooler is 71x124x154mm (LxWxH). The complete assembly is black including the heat pipes except the base.
This cooler uses an HDT design. The heat pipes make direct contact with the CPU in this design. For that, the copper portion of the heat pipes making contact is exposed or not coated. This provides faster heat transfer.
The fin stack comprises 55 black-coated fins placed in a simple straight-line manner with no hive or wave pattern. This cooler has 4x heat pipes each with 6mm thickness. The cooler has no offset design. The top has a stylish plastic cover that is not removable.
The Pure Wings 3 PWM fan is rated for 2000 RPM speed at 12VDC. Its air flow rating is 59.6 CFM maximum. Its air pressure is rated at 2.41 mmH₂O and its maximum noise level is 31.2 dB(A). This fan uses a rifle bearing with a life span of 80,000 hours.
Be quiet! has streamlined the mounting hardware. The cooler is tested on an Intel LGA1700 socket for which 19 items are required to set up the mounting hardware. The cooler has a pre-applied thermal paste. No spare thermal paste is included.
This cooler has an MSRP of USD29.90/€29.90 and comes with a 3-year warranty. This cooler could not handle the 253W load on 13700k which is apparent. However, at 190W the CPU did not thermal throttle. This cooler would be a good pick for the Core i5 and Ryzen 5/7 series locked CPUs.
Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋
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[CPU Coolers & RAM Expert]
Hayyan Serwer is a tech enthusiast, with a love for PC building and article writing. Hayyan specializes in writing about CPU coolers and RAM kits. Hayyan has been familiar with the tech industry for over half a decade now, and has now stepped into providing quality reviews for the latest and greatest tech.
Get In Touch: hayyan@tech4gamers.com
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