Behind the name Deepcool is a Chinese manufacturer of PC components. Deepcool was founded in 1996 in Beijing, China. The manufacturer’s product portfolio includes cases as well as CPU coolers and compact water cooling systems. About three months ago, we already tested the Deepcool Assassin III. This CPU cooler brings a brute performance, but is very bulky and thus unsuitable for many cases. This is where the Deepcool AS500, which was introduced in October, comes into play.
The Deepcool is a slim tower cooler with a 140-millimeter fan and fancy RGB effects. Despite its smaller dimensions, the AS500, which weighs about 1 kilogram, is still supposed to offer high cooling performance and is compatible with all current sockets except TR4. The overall package is supposed to be rounded off by a chic look, which is supposed to be achieved by nickel-plated heatpipes and fins as well as a digitally-addressable RGB lighting. Whether the just under 70 euros (current: € 43.90 *) expensive Deepcool AS500 is really such a good cooler, you can find out in this review.
Technical details
Cooler Specifications
| Dimensions (with fan) | 142 x 164 x 98 mm (W x H x D) |
| Weight (with fan) | 1030 g |
| Material | Copper (base plate, heat pipes, nickel-plated), aluminum (cooling fins) |
| Heatpipes | 5x Ø 6 mm |
| Cooling capacity | N/A |
| Compatibility AMD | AM2(+), AM3(+), AM4, FM1, FM2(+) (backplate required) |
| Intel compatibility | LGA2066, LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1200, LGA115x, LGA775 |
| Price | € 43.90 * |
| Features | Addressable-RGB cover |
Fan specifications
| Fan designation | Deepcool TF140S |
| Bearing type | Fluid Dynamic Bearing |
| Dimensions | 140 x 140 x 25 mm |
| Speed | 500 – 1,200 rpm |
| Volume | 29.2 dB(A) |
| Support volume | 120.30 m³/h |
| Air pressure | 1.14 mmH²O |
Packaging & scope of delivery
The Deepcool AS500 comes in a large cardboard box printed with the manufacturer’s distinctive gray and turquoise colors. Also on the box is a product picture of the cooler, important features, a technical drawing and all relevant technical data about the AS500.
Opening the lid of the box, you are immediately greeted by a brown box. This contains all the mounting accessories (screws, backplate, spacers, bracket, thermal paste), installation instructions, a pair of brackets for another fan and two different cables for the RGB element. Hidden underneath the box is the first mold made of soft foam. In total, the AS500 is encased in two such foam molds inside the packaging and the 140-millimeter fan has been pre-assembled. The packaging looks very well thought-out and should protect the CPU cooler from damage in the best possible way.
Design & workmanship
The heatsink on the AS500 consists of a solid cooling tower with a total of 56 aluminum fins. The tower is symmetrically placed over the base and is barely wider than the base itself. This is to achieve a great compatibility with tall RAM coolers. The heat of the CPU is absorbed by a nickel-plated base plate made of copper and dissipated to the total of five heat pipes with a diameter of six millimeters. To achieve a better look, the heatpipes have also been nickel-plated. The heatsink is finished off with a black plastic cap, under which there is a milky edge all around. Most people can probably guess it by now, this is an RGB element with digitally addressable LEDs. The connection cable runs down in a small channel behind the fan and thus does not unnecessarily disturb the airflow.
The included fan type TF140S from our own company has a frame width of 140 millimeters and was designed relatively plain. The frame and fan blades are kept black and have been provided with a discreet pattern of triangles. Rubberized corners are supposed to prevent vibrations from being transmitted to the heatsink. Unique to the TF140S, however, is the design of the nine fan blades. These have been equipped with a spoiler at the rear end and are thus supposed to have a higher airflow. The fan is connected via a black 4-pin PWM cable.
Fully assembled, the Deepcool AS500 weighs about 1 kilogram despite its shallow depth of 98 millimeters. This is a decent value that makes us optimistic for the following stress tests. In terms of packaging, build quality and design, the AS500 can already convince us.
Assembly
For the review, we are using a test system on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat buildup in the case. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 5 1400 @ 3.8 GHz at 1.25V
- MSI B350 PC Mate
- Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray 32 GB DDR4-3000
- Corsair Force Series MP510 960GB Nvme
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W
Depending on the socket, Deepcool relies on either a separate metal backplate (Intel) or the existing retention module (AMD) to mount the AS500. In our AM4 system, the two retaining clips of the retention module had to be removed first. The backplate, on the other hand, remains behind the motherboard and is then screwed to the front with four metal spacers.
These spacers serve as mounting points for two retaining brackets, which are tightened with a total of four thumbscrews. After applying the thermal paste, the AS500 can be placed on the CPU and screwed down. The screws on the socket are spring-loaded and should therefore provide an optimal and even contact pressure.
The last step is to clip the fan to the heatsink using the wire clips. Even with the fan mounted, the Deepcool AS500 doesn’t even tower over the first RAM slot on our ATX mainboard. What the AS500 lacks in depth, it makes up for in width. If you have a motherboard with a PCIe-16x slot in the first place, the AS500 could possibly come into contact with the backplate of a graphics card.
The assembly of the Deepcool AS500 is well thought out and was done quickly. Due to the sensibly designed instructions, even beginners should be able to get this tower cooler mounted without much trouble. The AS500 can also score points in the assembly.
Loudness and cooling performance
As pointed out in the previous chapter, we are using an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the MSI B350 PC Mate as our test hardware. The Ryzen runs at 3.8 GHz at 1.25V. To warm up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 for 15 minutes. The temperature of the CPU was then read with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was around 21 °C during the measurements.
| Cooler | Operating scenario | RPM | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Wraith Stealth | 50% PWM | 1600 rpm | 102 °C (crash) |
| AMD Wraith Stealth | 100% PWM | 2650 rpm | 86 °C |
| Enermax ETS-F40-FS | 50% PWM | 825 rpm | 57 °C |
| Enermax ETS-F40-FS | 100% PWM | 1300 rpm | 55 °C |
| Deepcool AS500 | 50% PWM | 700 rpm | 55 °C |
| Deepcool AS500 | 100% PWM | 1150 rpm | 53 °C |
Compared to the Enermax ETS-F40-FS, the Deepcool AS500 can set itself apart a bit in terms of temperature and, subjectively speaking, remains quieter. We cannot describe the volume as unpleasant at any time. The addition of another pair of fan clips could improve the cooling performance even more. Even CPUs with higher TDP should thus not be a problem for the Deepcool AS500.
Lighting options of the Deepcool AS500
In this day and age, a CPU cooler without RGB effects is only half a cooler. That’s why Deepcool decided to equip the AS500 with an RGB element in the lid. The element consists of a black plastic cap and an underlying component made of milky plastic. The corresponding cable runs down behind the fan towards the base plate and has a proprietary connector. Fortunately, two cables are included in the scope of delivery. One of these connection cables ends with an ordinary 5V-3Pin ARGB connector for direct connection to the motherboard. The second adapter has an integrated control unit and ends in a SATA connector. This allows the lighting to operate even if the motherboard does not have the correct connectors. Finally a few impressions of the lighting.
Summary of the Deepcool AS500 review
Now we have already come to the end of the review. The manufacturer Deepcool has created a very interesting CPU cooler with the AS500. During our review, we didn’t notice any real points of criticism. The AS500 comes in a neat package, has enough accessories and is very cleanly workmanship. The nickel-plated components and discreet RGB lighting also make it a real eye-catcher in any case with a viewing window. The assembly is also well thought-out and simple. All components are high-quality workmanship and made of metal. Last but not least is the cooling performance. Despite the low depth, the AS500 can cool our test system very well and at the same time supports high heatspreaders on the RAM modules.
Of course, you also pay a certain premium for the AS500 and it is not exactly cheap with € 43.90 *. However, it is about 20€ cheaper than the Assassin III and offers a similar, albeit slightly worse cooling performance. The only downer is the height of 164 millimeters. Thus, the cooler naturally does not fit in all cases. Overall, the Deepcool AS00 is absolutely worth the money and gets a clear buy recommendation.
The Deepcool AS500 is a powerful CPU cooler with a very good mounting system, fancy RGB effects and high-quality workmanship. The only downside could be the higher price and the height. Nevertheless, Deepcool AS500 is absolutely worth the money.Deepcool AS500
Design
Workmanship
Assembly
Cooling
Value for money
95/100
