Behind the name DeepCool is a Chinese manufacturer of PC components. DeepCool was founded in Beijing in 1996. The manufacturer’s product portfolio includes cases, CPU coolers and compact water cooling systems, some of which we have already tested. One of these coolers was the impressive DeepCool AK620, which has now been given not only a visual but also a technical upgrade in the form of a new digital display and new heatpipe technology with the Digital Pro version. Read this review to find out whether the new CTT 2.0 heatpipe technology can catapult the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro to the top.
DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro review: Technical details
General specifications |
|
| Dimensions (with fan, H x W x D) | 163 x 129 x 138 mm |
| Weight (with fan) | 1491 g |
| Material | Copper (heatpipes), aluminum (cooling fins) |
| Heatpipes | 6x Ø6 mm |
| Cooling capacity | N/A |
| Compatibility AMD | AM5, AM4 |
| Compatibility Intel | LGA2066, 2011-v3, 2011, 1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150, 1155 |
| Warranty period | 3 years |
| Price for | |
Fan specifications |
|
| Number of fans | 2 |
| Fan designation | DeepCool FT12 SE FDB |
| Bearing type | Hydrodynamic plain bearing (FDB) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan speed | 500 ~ 1750 rpm |
| Max. Noise level | ≤ 25 dB(A) |
| Max. Volume flow | 103.45 m³/h |
| Max. Air pressure | 2.91 mmH2O |
| Nominal voltage (fan) | 12 V |
| Nominal voltage (LED + display) | 5 V |
| Rated current (fan) | 0,25 A |
| Rated current (LED + display) | 1,11 A |
| Rated power (fan) | 3 W |
| Nominal power (LED + display) | 5,55 W |
| Connection (fan) | 4-pin PWM |
| Connection (LED + display) | 3-pin 5V (ARGB) + 9-pin USB 2.0 |
| Cable length (fan) | 300 mm + 500 mm (extension) |
| Cable length (LED + display) | 400 mm (3-pin 5V-ARGB) + 600 mm (9-pin USB 2.0) |
Packaging & scope of delivery
DeepCool packs the AK620 Digital Pro in a large box made of almost unprinted brown cardboard and slides a white banderole over this box. This was printed with a product image, the type designation, a list of the most important features and a table with all the technical data. To open the packaging, the reusable sleeve must be removed.
If you open the top flap of the box, you will find the CPU cooler encased in two white foam blocks and a box on the side. This box contains all the screws, spacers and retaining brackets required for assembly, as well as a backplate, a tube of thermal paste, assembly instructions, a wrench and a Y-splitter cable for connecting the two fans. In addition, the display of the AK620 Digital Pro and the base plate are covered with a protective film.
Design & processing
At first glance, nothing has changed visually on the heatsink of the AK620 Digital Pro. The black-painted heat sink consists of two cooling towers, each with 50 fins, which are made of aluminum. The cooling towers are connected by a total of six heat pipes, also painted black, each with a diameter of six millimeters. What is special here, however, is the use of the new CTT 2.0 heatpipe technology, which positions the heatpipes much more centrally and therefore closer to the processor chip under the CPU heatspreader. However, the cooler base itself is still made of nickel-plated copper and is very smooth.
The second new feature of the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro is the digital display above the cooling towers, which can be mounted or removed using magnets. Compared to its predecessor, this now displays not just one but four values simultaneously. The CPU temperature, CPU load, processor power consumption and processor clock can be read out. DeepCool also places a thermometer symbol in front of the temperature display, which lights up green, yellow or red depending on the CPU temperature. Finally, there is of course some RGB lighting. This has been implemented at the bottom and top of the display in the form of thinner strips.
The two DeepCool FT12 SE FDB fans used are two well-known fans that are also used in the DeepCool Mystique 240, for example. Both the frame and the 9-bladed rotors are made of black plastic and the rubber elements in the corners are also dark in color. The dimensions are 120x120x25 millimetres and the connection to the mainboard is made via a PWM connection or the supplied Y-switch. DeepCool specifies a speed range between 500 and 1750 revolutions per minute for the fans.
Overall, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro weighs a considerable 1.5 kilograms and is very bulky with its dimensions of 163 x 129 x 138 millimeters. When switched off, the CPU cooler looks very simple. We could not find any defects in terms of its workmanship. All elements are of high quality and no scratches, bent fins or paint defects could be detected.
DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro Test: Assembly
For the performance test, a test system is used which is mounted on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat build-up in the housing. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 5 1400 @ 3.8 GHz at 1.175V*
- ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus*
- Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray 32 GB DDR4-3000*
- TeamGroup T-Create Classic PCIe 4.0 DL*
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G*
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W*
As with any CPU cooler, the method of installation depends on the socket used. However, both the cover with integrated display and the middle fan between the two cooling towers must be removed beforehand. You should also remember to remove the protective film on the underside.
With our AM4 socket, the plastic brackets of the AMD retention module then had to be removed and four spacers screwed into the remaining backplate and two retaining brackets placed above them instead. In the next step, these retaining brackets were secured with four nuts and the heat sink could be screwed to the retaining frame. Finally, we were able to refit the middle fan and the display.
DeepCool includes a metal backplate for mounting on an Intel socket. The rest of the assembly is then similar to our AM4 socket, except that we had to use different mounting brackets on the front.
Overall, we found the assembly of the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro to be very simple and well thought out. Regardless of the socket, only a few assembly steps are necessary and these are very well illustrated in the instructions. Spring-loaded screws on the heat sink also ensure correct contact pressure. Finally, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro is highly compatible with many current and older sockets.
Cooling performance and volume
As already shown in the previous chapter, we use an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus as test hardware. The Ryzen runs overclocked with 3.8 GHz at 1.175 V CPU voltage. To heat up the processor, we fully loaded it with Prime95 for 30 minutes per scenario (small FFTs). We then read out the temperature of the CPU with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was always around 20 °C during the measurements.
| wdt_ID | CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | Thermaltake TH280 V2 ARGB | 0,00 | 46,60 | 45,90 | 550 | 1.200 | 1.800 | 680 | 2.100 | 3.200 |
| 124 | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos ARGB | 0,00 | 50,40 | 46,50 | 560 | 1.340 | 2.270 | 1.965 | 6.620 | 10.230 |
| 125 | be quiet! Pure Loop 2 240mm | 0,00 | 50,70 | 46,70 | 800 | 1.070 | 2.080 | 4.150 | 4.700 | 5.530 |
| 126 | Alpenföhn Panorama 2 | 0,00 | 76,00 | 66,80 | 450 | 1.450 | 2.720 | |||
| 127 | Alpenföhn Brocken 4 | 0,00 | 53,60 | 49,60 | 410 | 870 | 1.610 | |||
| 128 | AMD Wraith Stealth | 95,00 | 95,00 | 76,00 | 800 | 1.430 | 2.630 | |||
| 129 | Corsair A115 | 0,00 | 49,40 | 46,90 | 190 | 920 | 1.560 | |||
| 130 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | 0,00 | 49,50 | 47,50 | 350 | 1.050 | 1.680 | |||
| 131 | Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE | 0,00 | 53,60 | 50,60 | 340 | 1.070 | 1.690 | |||
| 132 | DeepCool Assassin IV (Silent) | 0,00 | 51,40 | 48,70 | 500 | 860 | 1.330 | |||
| CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
As can be seen in the table and diagram, the CPU of our test system reaches a maximum of 56.9 °C (minimum speed), 48.6 °C (at 50% PWM) and 46.4 °C (at 100% PWM) under full load. With these values, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro ranks just ahead of the Corsair A115, making it the best performing CPU air cooler in our test course to date. An excellent performance!
We are also impressed by the supplied fans. Not only do they have a very wide speed range, they are also completely free of background noise. At a minimum speed of 550 revolutions per minute, they are very quiet or almost inaudible. At 50% PWM, which corresponds to a speed of approx. 1100 revolutions, the fans attract attention with a discreet but by no means disturbing noise. At a maximum speed of 1750 revolutions per minute, the fans are clearly audible, but also make a lot of noise.
DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro test: The display and lighting options
As already mentioned, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro has both RGB lighting and a digital display. The RGB elements on the side of the display are controlled via a 3-pin 5V ARGB connector or via the mainboard manufacturer’s software. Unfortunately, the DeepCool software does not offer any functions for controlling the RGB LEDs.
A dedicated internal 9-pin USB 2.0 header is available for the digital display. This must also be connected to the motherboard. To control the display, the “DeepCool DeepCreative” software must also be installed on the system. Compared to other software solutions, however, DeepCreative is quite simple and has a very clear range of functions. Apart from activating or deactivating the display, it offers no further configuration options, at least in conjunction with the AK620 Digital Pro.
Conclusion of the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro test
Now we come to the conclusion of the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro. The implementation of the new CTT 2.0 heatpipe technology seems to be bearing fruit and really catapults the AK620 Digital Pro to the top of the CPU air coolers we have tested so far. We would also rate the simple installation, the very good fans with a wide speed range and the high-quality workmanship positively. Finally, we should not forget the stylish black look, the discreet RGB lighting and the informative digital display in the lid.
Compared to other CPU coolers, however, the display can only show predefined values and cannot be personalized via the DeepCreative software. Unfortunately, even the RGB lighting cannot be controlled via the software. Furthermore, the fans are quite audible at full speed, but less annoying than those of the competition
As is so often the case, a purchase recommendation usually stands and falls with the price. Compared to the Corsair A115, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro is cheaper and also performs better. You also get discreet RGB lighting and the digital display in the lid. If you don’t need at least the display, you can save a lot of money with the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE and hardly lose any performance. Overall, however, the DeepCool AK620 Digital Pro is a very good overall package.
- Very good cooling performance
- Discreet ARGB lighting
- Digital display with four numeric fields
- Very good fans
- Simple installation with high compatibility
- Chic look
- High-quality workmanship
- High price
- RGB lighting cannot be controlled via DeepCreative
- Display cannot be personalized
- Fan audible at full speed
Deepcool AK620 Digital Pro
Design
Processing
Assembly
Performance
Price-performance ratio
94/100
The Deepcool AK620 Digital Pro offers excellent cooling performance, a stylish look including a digital display and RGB lighting as well as high-quality workmanship and easy assembly. However, the display also makes the AK620 Digital Pro quite expensive.
