DeepCool LS520 SE review - colorful and high-quality workmanship

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 as well as CPU coolers and compact water coolers. In January 2023, DeepCool added two new all-in-one water cooling solutions to its portfolio. One of these new cooling solutions is called DeepCool LS520 SE and is in our test today.

If you take a look at the product name, you might notice that DeepCool already released an LS520 as a product not too long ago. Then it quickly becomes clear that the “SE” in the product name stands for “Second Edition”. The main changes in the new version are the design and the internal construction of the pump block. The SE version has a pump housing with “Infinity Mirror” and ARGB LEDs as well as an adapted microchannel layout, which is supposed to improve the coolant flow. The included fans have also been adapted, as well as the socket compatibility.

DeepCool LS520 SE review: technical details

Cooler specifications.
Dimensions (with fan)	282 x 120 x 52 mm (W x H x D)
Weight (with fan)	1346 g
Material	Copper (radiator bottom), aluminum (fins)
Cooling capacity	N/A
Compatibility AMD	AM5, AM4
Compatibility Intel	LGA 1700, 1200, 115x
Price	€ 99.90 *
Special features	RGB illumination

Fan specifications
Fan designation	2x DeepCool FE120
Dimensions	120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm
Speed	500 – 2250 rpm
Loudness	max. 32.9 dB(A)
Delivery volume	max. 145.9 m³/h
Air pressure	max. 3.27 mmh²O
Nominal current	0.25 A
Power consumption	3.0 W
Special features	Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB)
Connection	4Pin PWM + 3-Pin 5V ARGB

Pump specifications
Dimensions	85 x 55 x 73 mm (W x H x D)
Pump RPM	3100 rpm
Loudness	19 dB(A)
Floor plate	Copper
Connection	3-pin + 3-pin 5V ARGB
Nominal current	0.38 A
Power consumption	4.56 W
Hose length	410 mm
Hose diameter	N/A

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Packaging & Scope of Delivery

DeepCool packs the LS520 SE in a plain cardboard box made of brown cardboard and does almost without any lettering or technical data. Only the manufacturer’s logo and a turquoise line were printed on the cardboard. The manufacturer places all other information on a white sleeve, which shows a picture of the product and all technical data. All the information is written in English only.

Inside the box there is another protective form made of recycled cardboard, where all the components and mounting accessories were placed. The AiO water cooling system is not pre-assembled, but it is wrapped with two additional protective foils. The same applies to the separately packaged FE120 fans. The additional cardboard box also contains all the necessary mounting components for current CPU sockets, as well as an illustrated assembly manual.

AiO-Wasserkühlung und Zubehör in Verpackungsform

Design & Workmanship

DeepCool stays true to its style and leaves it at the LS520 SE, at least at first glance, with a very simple design. Radiator, hoses and the pump block are black or gray designed and visually thus very inconspicuous. The radiator, which is made of aluminum, is 27 millimeters thick and thus lies within the average of many commercially available compact water cooling systems. It also has a valve on the side, which is responsible for pressure equalization.

The water hoses are longer than average at around 410 millimeters and were encased in a fine black sleeve. They are firmly connected to both the radiator and the pump unit via pressed steel sleeves. In addition, the CPU block has movable joints that allow the hoses to move flexibly and thus adapt to the mounting position in the case.

Verschlauchung am Radiator mit festen Stahlmuffen

Verschlauchung an der Pumpe mit flexiblen Stahlmuffen

The housing of the pump block is mostly made of a gray metal, which was finished with cover area with a mirror surface. The pump built into the block rotates at a maximum of 3100 rpm and is supplied with power via a 3-pin connector. Heat is transferred from the CPU’s heatspreader to the pump block via a large copper plate that has been factory coated with a layer of thermal paste. Below the mirror plate, DeepCool positions numerous ARGB LEDs that can be controlled via the motherboard using the 3-pin 5V ARGB connector.

Kupferplatte mit voraufgetragener Wärmeleitpaste

The included FE120 fans are made of black plastic for the frame and milky plastic for the rotors, respectively, and feature a speed range between 500 and 2250 rpm. DeepCool has also equipped the fans with an unknown number of ARGB LEDs in the fan hub. The fans are connected using 4-pin PWM–header for power and 3-pin 5V ARGB header for lighting.

Fully assembled, the DeepCool LS520SE weighs in at 1346 grams and is definitely no lightweight. The depth of the fan-radiator combination is 52 millimeters. Thus, this AiO water cooling should find a place in very many cases. In terms of workmanship, the LS520 SE is on a very high level. We could not find any scratches or dents on the radiator or the aluminum fins. In addition, the CPU block looks very high-quality due to the use of a metal housing and has an excellent feel.

DeepCool LS520 SE review: 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.

The DeepCool LS520 SE comes with a compact but very good assembly manual. In this manual, all the main assembly steps are explained well and understandably with text and pictures. As always, you should first connect the radiator including the fans to the case. Then the CPU block is fitted with the AMD mounting brackets using four small screws.

The next step is to remove the front mounting brackets of the AMD retention module on the front of the motherboard and screw four threaded spacers into the backplate instead. After applying an appropriate amount of thermal paste and removing the protective foil on the copper plate, the CPU block could be placed on the stand-offs. The subsequent locking is done via four black thumbscrews. DeepCool did not use springs to regulate or control the contact pressure.

The mounting system for the AMD sockets, while simple in design, looks very solid and is easy to use. The same applies to Intel sockets, except that the included backplate is used there. This was also pre-assembled. The assembly instructions describe all steps very clearly, so no questions should remain unanswered. If there are any problems during installation, DeepCool also provides an installation video. Very good!

Lighting options

The DeepCool LS520 SE features various ARGB elements that can be controlled via the motherboard. These include both the fans, whose fan hubs have corresponding LEDs, and the pump block, on which there are additional LEDs below the mirror plate. The control is done via a 3-pin 5V ARGB connector in each case. To facilitate the connection to a mainboard with few connectors, the fans and the pump each have a splitter for the ARGB signal. Finally a few impressions of the activated lighting.

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 ASRock B450M Pro 4 2.0 as our test hardware, with the Ryzen running at 3.8 GHz at 1.25V. To warm up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 for 15 minutes. The CPU’s temperature was then read with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was around 20 °C during the measurements.

Cooler	Operating scenario	RPM	temperature
AMD Wraith Stealth	50% PWM	1450 rpm	99 °C
AMD Wraith Stealth	100% PWM	2650 rpm	89.8 °C
LC-Power LC-CC-120-RGB	50% PWM	950 rpm	61.1 °C
LC-Power LC-CC-120-RGB	100% PWM	1500 rpm	56.6 °C
DeepCool LS520 SE	Pump 7V Fan 50% PWM	2230 rpm 1460 rpm	52.2 °C
DeepCool LS520 SE	Pump 12V Fan 50% PWM	3020 rpm 1460 rpm	50.6 °C
DeepCool LS520 SE	Pump 12V Fan 100% PWM	3020 rpm 2230 rpm	48.6 °C

Even with the pump or fans throttled, the DeepCool LS520 SE’s conventional air cooler takes a significant beating. In this state, the LS520 SE also remains relatively restrained in terms of volume. However, this can no longer be said at full pump or fan speed. Especially the fans are clearly audible here and can no longer be recommended for silent systems. If you only consider the performance, then there is still a decent buffer for the DeepCool LS520 SE, even for stronger CPUs. The pump is also audible at full speed. This is overall much more restrained than the fans.

Summary of the DeepCool LS520 SE test

Even though we didn’t have the first version of the LS520 on test, we can say that the second revision brings meaningful improvements. The LS520 SE is excellently manufactured and makes a good visual impression with the RGB fans and the RGB pump with “Infinity look”. In addition, there is a high compatibility for all current CPU sockets as well as standard connections for power and the ARGB control. The already solid overall package is rounded off by the cooling performance of the DeepCool LS520 SE.

If we had one complaint, it would be the rather loud fans at full speed and the audible pump when running at maximum speed. However, both can be remedied by a courageous grip over the BIOS. At least in our test system, the reduced speeds hardly led to worse temperature values. Other AiO water cooling systems also have to struggle with loud fans from time to time.

With a price of € 99.90 *, the DeepCool LS520 SE is also just under the magic limit of 100€ and thus settles in the solid midfield in terms of price. However, since the DeepCool LS520 SE’s performance, features, compatibility and especially its looks and workmanship are above the midfield, we give it a clear buy recommendation.