Deepcool AK400 CPU Tower Cooler Review – Good all-rounder for the midrange

1 - Einführung und technische Daten 2 - Optik und Haptik 3 - Methodik, Ergebnisse und Fazit

Methodology

A Ryzen 5 3600 has to be cooled at factory settings, joined by 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x8GB) DDR4 memory on an MSI B550 Tomahawk (BIOS 7C91vA3). The Asus ROG Strix GTX 1060 6GB runs in zero-fan mode for the CPU stress tests only and a Fractal Design Ion Gold 750W serves as the power source. The whole thing is housed in the Thermaltake Core P3 as an open benchtable.

All records are logged with HWInfo64 v6.30-4240 – 2000ms logging, the specified temperature is derived from the sensor CPU Die (Average). The load of Prime95 produces an average of 88 watts of CPU package power. Since I don’t have air conditioning, the values in the graphs are the delta between room temperature and CPU temperature.  This allows all cooling systems to be compared fairly, even if the ambient temperature is different.  The thermal paste included with the cooler or pre-applied is used in each case.

I determine the sound level with a Voltcraft SL-200 meter at a distance of 40cm, which operates in 125ms cycles in Lo mode. The room was measured at 33.3 dB(A), an external sample table helps to break it down.

Benchmarks

With only one fan installed, there are not many configurations to test. As previous reviews of comparable coolers have shown, a second fan is hardly worth it either. So that’s how the AK400 performed:

And that’s how it compares to similar air coolers:

=> Review SilentiumPC Fortis 5 Dual
=> Review bequiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2
=> Review SilentiumPC Fera 5 Dual
=> Review Scythe Mugen 5 Black
=> Review bequiet! Pure Rock Slim 2

Summary and conclusion

Apart from the missing tube of thermal paste, there are actually no points of criticism for this air cooler. The sleek design should fit well with most systems, and thanks to the small dimensions, there are also no compatibility issues with high working memory. With a maximum installation height of 155mm, you won’t get claustrophobic even in midi cases.

At release, the price of the AK400 was around 35€, which is absolutely reasonable for mid-range coolers in my opinion. All the more so when you look at the results. That’s because you’re right at the front of the pack, and the competition starts in the decimal places. Deepcool does not need to hide even in small coolers, they deliver a really good offer here!

The test sample was provided by Deepcool without obligation. There was and is no influence on the tests and results. There was also no compensation for expenses and no obligation to publish.