DeepCool AK620 – Solid dual-tower cooler for a good price

Conclusion and evaluation

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Key features of the cooler

It’s obvious at first glance that the DeepCool AK620 is designed for high thermal output. The manufacturer states a value of up to 260 W. I won’t get to such a high thermal output in my tests, but even the 210 W I use is already a considerable load that will thoroughly test this cooler.

   

The design of the DeepCool AK620 is no surprise and is based on a pair of aluminium fin towers. These towers are connected by six copper nickel-plated heatpipes, which are soldered to a large copper base, also with a nickel-plated surface. The plane of the base is slightly convex, which should ensure optimum contact with the centre of the processor’s heat spreader. The top of both towers is covered by a modern, almost futuristic looking black perforated cover with an aluminium edge, which is complemented by an inconspicuous manufacturer’s logo. Overall, I rate the workmanship of the cooler very well and there is nothing I could complain about.

   

As it is the case with dual-tower coolers, there are also some limitations in terms of compatibility with the height of RAM modules. This cooler can accommodate RAM modules up to 43 millimeters tall, or up to 59 millimeters tall if you don’t mount a fan on the front tower of the cooler. This is a fairly common situation with most dual-tower coolers, although you could certainly find some exceptions.

Standard accessories are included in the package and there are no missing essentials. You will find mounting systems for installing the cooler on modern CPU sockets including LGA 1700 and AM5. Threadripper processors are unfortunately not supported, but that’s not too surprising given the need for a specific mounting system. The accessories also include thermal paste, a fan splitter and a handy steel screwdriver among other things to make the installation easier. While the user manual with installation instructions is physically missing, you will find a QR code label in the cooler’s packaging. This will take you to a website where you can download or print the instructions.

   

Installing the cooler is simple and anyone will be able to do it. Just mount the corresponding arms according to the socket using metal posts through the holes in the motherboard to the included backplate for Intel socket, or use the native backplate for AMD socket. The included backplate is metal and very solid, which I commend. The screws for attaching the cooler to the mounting system are equipped with springs for optimal pressure and overall the whole installation of the cooler is a matter of a few moments. The design of the cooler is also symmetrical, so you don’t have to think about the orientation of the cooler during installation.

Cooler and fan parameters

The DeepCool AK620 with its dual-tower design is understandably not a compact cooler. But thanks to the fact that it uses 120mm fans, its dimensions are still a bit smaller than its competitors. An overall height of 160mm is usually the limit of compatibility for a large range of cases, but this parameter will also depend on the position of the fan on the front tower. If you’re using low RAM modules, you won’t have a problem. But for tall RAM modules, you will need to move the front fan higher, which will add a few millimeters to the overall height of the cooler. It’s nothing major, just something to keep in mind.

On paper, the included fan offers solid airflow and high static pressure. Given the overall dimensions of the heatsink, these higher values are entirely appropriate. I find the geometry of its blades a bit strange, but this will surely be discussed by my colleague Samák in his own review of DeepCool fans.

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Measurement methodology

As a test processor and heat generator, I am now using an Intel Core i7-11700K on the Asus TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi motherboard. The entire build is mounted on a Streacom BC1 frame with no fans to provide airflow. Acoustic shielding (acoustic foam on OSB boards) is installed around the test setup to eliminate ambient noise.

   

The Voltcraft SL-100 calibrated noise meter is placed perpendicular to the cooler in a fixed position relative to the motherboard at a distance of approximately 35 cm from the processor socket. Stress tests are performed using Prime95 with a duration of 30–35 minutes. The coolers are tested at three standardized noise levels (36, 39 and 42 dBA) and finally at maximum speed. The tests are run in two sets according to the heat output of the processor.

The first set of tests is at 125 W, the PL1 processor’s enforced limit. The second set of power draw is then about 205–210 W (4500 MHz at 1.285 V). However, this second level represents a very high concentration of heat per mm² due to the small size of the chip itself. Thus, not all coolers can be expected to pass this set of tests at all noise levels. At the end of the test, the highest temperature achieved is always recorded.

All data regarding CPU temperatures and heat output are obtained from the HWiNFO64 application. The measured values are then corrected against the room temperature as the resulting Delta T value. Any higher value means a processor temperature over 95–100 °C and a risk of thermal throttling. Therefore, if the cooler does not pass the load with a Delta T value below 75 °C, such a test is marked as a failure.

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Results – 36 dBA

Unfortunately, I was not able to get results at 36 dBA. The lowest measured noise level of the DeepCool AK620 was 37 dBA due to the resonance and vibration of the fans even at minimum speed. This is also the reason why I did another series of tests with Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans out of curiosity.

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Results – 39 dBA

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Results – 42 dBA

While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Results – maximum speed

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While modern processors offer high performance, this is inevitably linked to the need for highly effective cooling. So I’m always happy to welcome a cooler on the market with the promise of high effectiveness at an interesting price. One of them is the AK620, which represents the top of DeepCool’s range. It offers a modern design, an attractive price tag and the potential to cool even high-end processors. So we’ll see how well it performs in our stress tests.

Conclusion and evaluation

DeepCool AK620 is overall a very solid cooler. It’s just a shame that the manufacturer didn’t use higher quality fans with better acoustics and lower vibration levels. This is quite clearly illustrated by additional tests with Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans, which push this cooler to near the level of the Noctua NH-D15. However, the DeepCool AK620 clearly leads in the price to performance ratio, offers quality workmanship and last but not least a neat modern design.

Some might be bothered by the lack of RGB backlighting, but personally I don’t see it as something this cooler lacks in any way. Additionally, RGB LEDs usually lead to the need for transparent fan blade material, which will usually degrade their strength and vibration resistance. Thus, those who want illumination need to swap out the fans (knowing the potential degradation in acoustics and/or cooler efficiency).

Overall, I rate the DeepCool AK620 as one of the better coolers, which is not perfect, but offers a very interesting ratio of price, quality and performance. Thus, it rightfully earns the editorial award “Approved“.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Key features
• Measurement methodology
• Results – 36 dBA
• Results – 39 dBA
• Results – 42 dBA
• Results – maximum speed
• Conclusion and evaluation