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Worth It?
Review Summary
The be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 is an affordable dual-tower air cooler built for mid-range and high-performance CPUs. With a 250W TDP, it handles heavy workloads well and keeps an Intel Core i7-13700K from throttling, though temperatures can reach 96°C. Its sleek design, quiet operation, and solid cooling performance make it a great option for gamers and everyday users looking for reliable cooling without breaking the bank.
Hours Tested: 6
Overall
-
Performance - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Design - 9/10
9/10
-
Quality - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Value - 9/10
9/10
Pros
- Thermal Performance
- AMD AM5 and Intel LGA1700/1851 Socket Support
- Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM Fans
- Noise
- Price
- Standard PWM Connector
- Good value for Gaming Load
- Warranty
Cons
- No extra thermal paste
In the last review, I tested Pure Rock 3 from be quiet!. This time, I am taking a look at a more powerful Pure Rock Pro 3 cooler. This is a dual-tower design in 120mm size. Like the Pure Rock 3, this cooler has three configurations:
- Pure Rock Pro 3 MSRP USD44.90|€44.90
- Pure Rock 3 Black MSRP USD49.90|€49.90
- Pure Rock 3 LX MSRP USD54.90|€54.90
The standard version that I am testing has a silver or industrial finish. The black version has a black ceramic coating and the LX version is a black heatsink with LX 120mm PWM ARGB fans.
This cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. It is rated for 250W TDP.
Key Takeaways
- The Pure Rock Pro 3 is a great air cooler built for mainstream use, capable of handling up to 253W of heat. It comes equipped with two 120mm fans that are designed to be both powerful and quiet.
- You should go for the Pure Rock Pro 3 if you want a black air cooler that has stealthy looks and offers great value for its price.
- You should not buy the Pure Rock Pro 3 if you have a flagship CPU like an i9 or a Ryzen 9 and plan to overclock as well.
I have got Pure Rock Pro 3 which comes with a Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fans. Its specifications include:
| Dimension with Fan | 134x124x155mm (LxWxH) |
| Net Weight | 1077g |
| Socket Compatibility |
|
| Rated TDP | 250W |
| Fan Model | Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM |
| Fan Dimension | 120x120x25mm |
| Fan Speed | 2000 RPM Max |
| Fan Airflow | 59.6 CFM Max |
| Fan Air Pressure | 2.41 mmH₂O Max |
| Fan Noise Level | 31.2 dB(A) Max |
| Fan Power Connector | 4-pin PWM |
| Fan Bearing Lifespan | 80,000 hours |
Packing And Unboxing
The packing box is similar to the one we saw for Pure Rock 3. The following are provided in the box:
- 1x Heatsink
- 2x Fans
- 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
The mounting kit is also silver for this cooler. The black and LX version comes with a black mounting kit. Like Pure Rock 3, these coolers also have pre-applied thermal paste with no spare tube.
Design
This cooler has a dimension of 134x124x155mm. This cooler has a height of 155m which is only 1mm taller than the Pure Rock 3. This cooler has a weight of 1077g and it is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. It is rated for 250W TDP.
Heatsink
This cooler also has similar plastic shrouds or covers on the top like Pure Rock 3. Each cover has a be quiet! branding in the center. These covers are fixed. Like Pure Rock 3, you need to be mindful of the orientation of this cooler so that be quiet! text remains up right.
The fin stack has a similar design on the exterior as on the Pure Rock 3 except for the inner side layout. It has no wave or hive design. Each tower has 51 fins making a total count of 102 fins. The area near the edge has a wave pattern. Other than that, the fins are in a straight-line pattern. The rounded fins on the edges help prevent injury to the hand.
The inner sides of the towers have a stepped layout of the fins. The center portion has an extended layout with the deepest inset area.
The fins interlocking is done on the side of the heatsink. There are insets on which the fan clips are placed for installation.
This cooler has an offset design. The front tower has heat pipes closer to each other and provides better clearance.
The cross-bar is pre-installed and has two spring-loaded screws. This bar is removable as well. The base area below the cross-bar has aluminum heatsink design to provide maximum heat dissipation coverage.
This cooler comes with 6 heat pipes, each with a thickness of 6mm. They make contact with the fin stack at regular intervals. You can see a protective transparent cover over the base.
This cooler also comes with a white thermal paste pre-applied like Pure Rock 3. However, this is not an HDT design. Hence, a nickel plate copper base contacts the CPU, unlike the HDT on Pure Rock 3. The base measures approximately 39x36mm.
Pure Wings 3 120mm Fan
The Pure Rock Pro 3 cooler comes with two Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fans. These fans have 9x blades per fan with striped layers. This design improves the airflow. The blade assembly is inside a circular frame to prevent air leakage. There is no anti-vibration pad over the mounting corners.
There is a 4–arms assembly on the backside. These are at a certain angle to provide a focused airflow. The slope-down design can be seen on the border. These fans are made in China and use rifle bearings with a life span of 80,000 hours.
The arrow markers show the direction of airflow through the fan and the direction in which blades spin.
The power cable uses a 4-pin PWM connector. There is a 3-pin socket as well that allows daisy-chaining both fans to be regulated by one source.
Installation
I tested this cooler on an MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX motherboard with an Intel i7 13700k. Here’s how to install it:
- Thread the Intel screws from the backplate through the proper holes.
- Secure these screws with locker washers.
- Position the backplate on the motherboard and fasten it using the LGA1700 spacers.
- Place the Intel mounting brackets over the screws’ threaded ends.
- Tighten the brackets with nuts.
- Put the heatsink on the CPU and secure it with spring-loaded screws.
- Attach the fan and connect its cable.
- Installation is now complete.
Clearance
The height of this cooler is 155mm. You would need a minimum 158mm or 160mm clearance in your PC Case. Leaving some margin is always wise.
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 |
| 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 |
These are the test results:
Despite having a 250W rating, this cooler like many others struggles on my core i7 13700k but here is a catch. This cooler did not allow the CPU to thermal throttle which allows the CPU to run at its full potential despite operating at 96ᵒC.
This concept needs clarification. There is a difference between running hot and over-heating. While 96ᵒC is hot (Even I am not comfortable with it) it is not over-heating. As soon as the CPU is over-heated, it will throttle down to ensure safety. This would lower the performance and subsequently the desired results. If the cooler is able to avoid over-heating, it means it has avoided the throttling and allows the CPU to run at its potential.
This cooler was operating at a sound output of approx. 42 dB(A). It is still not loud even at full speed.
Should You Buy It?
Buy It If
✅You want an all-black, stylish cooler. The be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 Black features a sleek, stealthy design with a dual tower setup, offering extra surface area for improved cooling.
✅You need a cost-effective cooler that delivers solid performance for gaming and heavy workloads.
Don’t Buy It If
❌You have a high-end CPU, such as a Core i9 or Ryzen 9, since this cooler may struggle under full load. (It still works well for gaming on these CPUs.)
Final Words
In this article, we have tested the Pure Rock Pro 3 cooler for evaluation. It is a dual-tower design which comes in a 120mm size. This cooler is available in three configurations:
- Pure Rock Pro 3 [Silver] comes with Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM Fan
- Pure Rock Pro 3 Black comes with the same fan as above
- Pure Rock Pro 3 LX comes with an LX 120mm PWM fan
This cooler is rated for 250W TDP so its performance is expected to be better than the Pure Rock 3. It is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. This cooler has a dimension of 134x124x155mm (LxWxH). It is 1mm taller than a Pure Rock 3. The cooler has an industrial finish.
Each tower comprises 51 fins with 6x copper heat pipes. The heat pipes are nickel-plated to match the silver color of the fins. Each heat pipe is 6mm thick. The heatsink has an offset design to provide a better overall clearance for the motherboard and DIMM slots.
The interlocking mechanism is on the side of the heatsink. The base is nickel-plated copper. It is not HDT design, unlike the Pure Rock 3 series coolers.
Like Pure Rock 3 Black, this cooler comes with 2x Pure Wings 3 PWM fans. Each fan is rated for a maximum of 2000 RPM at 12VDC. The air flow rating of each fan is 59.6 CFM maximum. The maximum air pressure rating is 2.41 mmH₂O and the noise level rating is 31.2 dB(A) maximum. These fans use rifle bearings rated for an 80,000-hour life span.
Be quiet! has streamlined the mounting hardware on these coolers. You would need 19 items to install the mounting hardware on Intel LGA1700 and 10 items on the AMD AM5 socket. The cooler has a pre-applied thermal paste. There is no extra thermal paste tube.
This cooler has an MSRP of USD49.90/€49.90 and comes with a 3-year warranty. This cooler allows the Core i7 13700k to operate at its desired potential while preventing thermal throttling despite operating at 96ᵒC under an all-core heavy work load. This is a win in itself for this cooler coming in at a low price tag as the thermals would even be lower for gaming load.
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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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