BeQuiet! Pure Rock Pro 3: Dual towers in the entry-level class

An above-standard fin surface area is what characterizes the latest Pure Rock (3) coolers with the “Pro” designation. That “Pro” refers to the pair of fin stacks that the heatsink is composed of. And yet, we’re still in the lowest product line that BeQuiet! offers. The tested variant is also the least expensive of them all. Grey fins (without a black coating) and “ordinary” fans (no lighting) – that’s the Pure Rock Pro 3 with the product code BK041.

Dual-tower, relatively affordable coolers are a rare breed. But BeQuiet! does have one in its portfolio. The Pure Rock Pro 3 comes in three versions (BK041, BK042, and BK043), and for the purposes of this test, we’re examining the cheapest one (BK041), which can be assumed to offer the most attractive price/performance ratio.

The listed TDP (250 W) is the same across all Pure Rock Pro 3 variants, which makes sense given the comparable specs among them. The differences between them are purely cosmetic. For instance, the tested model doesn’t feature a black finish (like the BK042) nor does it include ARGB LED fans in combination with a black heatsink finish (BK043). The BK041 variant is the most basic and has its fins in a natural “aluminum” color. It’s actively cooled by two fans derived from the Pure Wings 3 (HS) models.

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* This dimension specifies the width of the heatsink along with the fan typically towards the DIMM slots. That is, assuming the cooler is installed vertically.
** The distance between the shorter sides of the fins of the cooler. The larger it is, the closer the cooler is to the first PCIe ×16 slot in the case of symmetrical heatsinks. Or in a horizontal position, possibly to memory slots already covered by the cooler.

Details of the BeQuiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 (BK041) cooler

The cooler is fundamentally composed of six U-shaped heatpipes, with the base situated at their center and fins extending outwards into two towers. Positioned between these towers is a fan that accelerates airflow through the middle of the cooler, thereby potentially increasing cooling efficiency.

With thicker heatsinks that have a comparable overall fin surface but are cooled by just one fan, you may encounter higher pressure or airflow drop at the rear section – something BeQuiet! evidently wanted to avoid. Hence the use of two fans. Such a configuration is, of course, noisier than a single-fan setup. The results then depend on how well BeQuiet! optimized everything in terms of cooling efficiency.

The fans have 9 blades, and their aerodynamic design is in line with the 120 mm Pure Wings 3 “high-speed” models. These on the Pure Rock Pro 3 are slightly slower than their retail counterparts. At least, according to the specs, there’s a 100 RPM difference. The PRP3’s fans are rated at “only” 2000 RPM, whereas the PW3 HS fans list “up to” 2100 RPM.

However, it’s possible this is a mistake and the fans on the cooler are the same as the ones you can buy separately. Despite the slight difference in speed listed in the specs, both are said to reach the same airflow at 100% PWM (101.26 m³/h).

The cooler’s fins are bright, with a brushed surface finish and a nickel coating. This nickel layer is also applied to the heatpipes and the base. The heatpipes are firmly pressed into the fins, and everything holds reliably in place. Even under increased mechanical stress, when force is applied to the fins, nothing comes loose.

   

The base is copper but nickel-plated to prevent oxidation. It’s a traditional coldplate, to which the heatpipes are soldered. This type of base design is more expensive to manufacture than the DTH style typical of cheaper coolers. If there’s a cost-saving element in this part of the design, it’s in the thermal paste. It’s only pre-applied directly to the base; no additional tube of thermal paste is included for future installations. If you want to reinstall the cooler elsewhere, you’ll need to use your own thermal paste. While this may be considered a downside, it’s an understandable compromise in this price segment. The assumption is that most users will install the cooler just once.

From the base to the opposite end, where the plastic covers on the top fins are, it measures 155 mm. That places the Pure Rock Pro 3 among the taller coolers, but not the tallest tower-style ones, which means compatibility with PC cases should generally be better than with some slightly taller alternatives (of which there are only a few…).

Compatibility with taller memory modules is more limited. The cooler’s towers are offset relative to the base, which moves the front tower and fan slightly away from the DIMM slots. Still, in the first, second, and even third slot, any module taller than 42 mm will come into contact with the fan’s frame. Or not – if you move the front fan higher, which is possible (you can reattach it using the clips…). But then the overall height of the cooler increases, potentially causing clearance issues with cases where the fan might bump into the side panel instead.

Thanks to the relatively compact (120 mm) fans used, many memory modules will still fit, especially the lower-profile ones. Just be careful with the taller ones. You can always make it work, at worst by removing the front fan entirely (the heatsink fins themselves are already clear of the DIMM slots).

The offset front tower can also come in handy in horizontal orientations on motherboards where the PCIe ×16 slot is located closer to the CPU socket. That’s sometimes the case on smaller Micro ATX boards, like the Asus ROG Strix B860-G Gaming WiFi, but it can also apply to full-sized ATX boards. A good example of a short distance between the CPU socket and the first PCIe ×16 slot is the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Elite WiFi7. That board also features an unusual layout, with the first M.2 slot located below the first PCIe ×16 slot (whereas it’s typically the other way around), which brings the typical graphics card (in the PCIe ×16 slot) uncomfortably close to the cooler’s fins.

Mounting to the motherboard is done via a metal backplate with precisely curved edges. This ensures high structural integrity, which in turn means excellent mounting pressure and, ultimately, efficient heat transfer from the CPU to the cooler body.

To improve contact with AMD processors, the mounting brackets are designed with the bottom thread shifted for stronger clamping pressure on the lower portion of the CPU. That’s where the chiplets with cores are located – the area with the highest thermal density and greatest need for cooling. Evidence of this greater pressure on the southern side of Ryzen CPUs is visible in the thermal paste imprint in the photo below.

Please note: The article continues in the following chapters.