In the grand scale of cpu cooling you have a few basic styles that all have their strengths and weaknesses. Tower style coolers are every efficient and can be designed for performance or silent running. OEM style solid heatsinks are often inexpensive and surprisingly quiet but lack the mass required to support any real overclocking. A good mix is when you can combine features like having a low profile cooler which can support higher heat loads and replace an OEM alternative.

For this review I?m looking the beQuiet! Shadow Rock LP which is a ?down-market? cooler from beQuiet! designed to deliver exceptional performance but at a fraction of the cost. Of course the larger and more expensive Dark Rock designs can offer higher heat capacity and improved styling but there comes a time when you really don't need any of that.