DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 240 PRO ADD RGB M/B Control Ceramic Bearing Air pressure Adjustable Automatically Liquid CPU Cooler TR4 Compatible

Pros: - Gorgeous aesthetics - Excellent cooling performance - Easy setup/install - Compatible with a wide range of socket types - Great price

Cons: - None!

Overall Review: If you are a casual overclocker, like me, or even someone more experienced, the DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 120EX is an excellent choice. Let me start by saying I am a casual overclocker. I like to tinker, and squeeze as much performance out of my PC as possible, but without going to extremes. I generally don't like to push voltages much higher than stock, or tweak for hours on end, but I will go for the quick/easy overclock every time. When I bought my 6700k, I first tried overclocking with the stock Intel cooler, but that obviously did not go well. Even with a slight bump in voltage, temperatures climbed quickly. Gaming pushed them into the danger-zone, so I needed a new solution. Enter then CAPTAIN 120EX. I've always been a big fan of all-in-one coolers, mostly because they tend to offer the best cooling to noise ratio, and because I'm too much of a weenie to risk a real watercooling setup! When I found the CAPTAIN 120EX, I loved the look, and a quick glance over the reviews told me it was exactly what I wanted. When it arrived, it actually looked better than expected, but needed more LEDs - doesn't EVERYTHING? - so I added some! Installation was easy - even for beginners - and took maybe 30 minutes. Don't forget your favorite flavor of thermal paste! I tried with dual fans in a push-pull setup where the exhaust exited the case, and again with the fans pulling outside air into the case. In my situation, pulling outside air across the radiator gave better results. Here is a brief rundown of the temperature drops Gaming (cpu under load) 17C drop - yep dropped load temps by a full 17 degrees Idle temperature dropped a full 20 degrees Torture test (cpu at full load for 1 hour) - 15 degree drop I can't guarantee the same results for everyone, but they should be close! The DEEPCOOL Captain 120EX is exactly what I wanted, and it delivers a great look, and more importantly, excellent cooling while remaining very quiet.

Pros: There is a lot to like about this little all-in-one liquid cooler. The overall build quality is fantastic. The power wires are braided and the pump hoses are as well. The included 120mm fan has a PWM connector and can move quite a bit of air. It also feels very well built. The clear tubing on the pump/cooler looks really cool and the breathing red LED light on the block is nice. It seems to breathe more often and brighter as it ramps up if you leave the pump at a variable speed. The instructions are simple to follow, though a few words would have been helpful. However, I had no issues getting this installed with little hassle. The mounting system is very well made and secures the cooling block with a metal bracket. Figuring out the orientation of the block and hoses takes a little planning, but the mount allows for the block to be installed in all 4 positions, which is very helpful.

Cons: The only thing I can complain about with this cooler is that it doesn't perform quite as well as I'd hoped. My 10 year old air cooler edged out this AIO liquid cooler. See my comments below for more details. However, I think unless you are limited by space I would spring for the 2 fan version for a little extra money. I feel it would remove this complaint and provide the additional cooling I was expecting.

Overall Review: Over all, this cooler definitely has a "cool" factor. It looks great in my RED LED themed case. It's clean looking and relatively easy to install. It just doesn't perform quite where I would like. I think I'll look into a 2 fan liquid cooler if I ever replace my trusty Thermalright. I will say it held my overclock without issue, despite the slightly higher temps. It would also do VERY well in a small case where the radiator can be mounted as a rear exhaust. I tested this cooler against my trusty old Thermalright U-120 eXtreme air cooler that I've had for many years. Below is my system, which I tested the Deepcool Captain 120EX. With AIDA64 I mistakenly forgot to check the FPU test so temps are pretty low. However, I’ve included those with 3 current games I am playing. I use AIDA64 to record temps during 20+ minutes of gameplay. I included the max CPU temp as well as the hottest individual CPU core temp. Both installs used the same IC Diamond paste and running at the same "Normal" fan profile in the UEFI BIOS. AIDA64 (without FPU) Deepcool: CPU 58C / Core2 62C Air: CPU 57C/ Core4 59C Arma 3 Deepcool: CPU 56C / Core2 64C Air: CPU 56C/ Core1,2,4 57C TitanFall 2 Deepcool: CPU 55C / Core2 60C Air: CPU 59C/ Core4 63C 7 Days to Die Deepcool: CPU 67C / Core2 71C Air: CPU 64C/ Core2,4 68C Machine Specs: --------------- Intel i7-6700K (4.6GHz) Gigabyte Z170X-Ultra Gaming G.SKILL Ripjaws 16GB DDR4 2800 Gigabyte GTX1080 G1 (2) Intel 330 Series 240GB RAID0 2TB WD Blue Antec HCP-750 Platinum PSU Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX case

Pros: The same as my previous two Deepcool coolers, all the components are separated based on socket, and labeled numerically so that they’re easy to find and can be referenced in the installation instructions. I have used a DeepCool AIO (All In One) liquid cooler before, almost a year ago. In one year, they've certainly made some improvements in quality. A year ago I said it was a well made AIO cooler, since then, they have made noticeable improvements to the fan included with the cooler, and the tubing. The fans have received built in sound damping, more blades, and just generally, better build quality, and the tubing has been switched to a much more flexible material. The previous point is actually a huge improvement, as it totally knocks one of my cons off the list from the model I received previously. The pump still looks awesome. BENCHMARKS 1 These benchmarks were obtained using Real Temp. Each test was run for 30 minutes. Data points were taken every minute and then averaged. Clock speeds are reported in MHz, CPU temperatures are reported in Celsius and CPU load is reported as a percentage. My test rig was as follows: CPU i7 4770K, MOBO ASUS Sabertooth Z87, Case CM Storm Scout 2, Thermal Paste Antec Formula 7 Nano Diamond. DEEPCOOL CURRENT Idle Clock 3876 CPU1 30 CPU2 25 CPU3 30 CPU4 28 AVG 28.3 Min 22 Max 34 Load 0.8 Moderate Clock 3845 CPU1 44 CPU2 34 CPU3 35 CPU4 34 AVG 36.6 Min 32 Max 49 Load 16.8 Metro Last Light Clock 3816 CPU1 45 CPU2 42 CPU3 45 CPU4 49 AVG 45.5 Min 41 Max 54 Load 23 DEEPCOOL NEW Idle Clock 3870 CPU1 29 CPU2 23 CPU3 28 CPU4 28 AVG 25.5 Min 22 Max 32 Load 0.8 Moderate Clock 3842 CPU1 40 CPU2 35 CPU3 35 CPU4 36 AVG 36.5 Min 32 Max 45 Load 16.8 Metro Last Light Clock 3815 CPU1 44 CPU2 42 CPU3 44 CPU4 47 AVG 44.25 Min 40 Max 50 Load 23

Cons: Although nothing was wrong with the cooler, the packaging was sparser than I would have liked to see. The radiator and heat sink had no additional cushioning besides their semi form fitting cardboard carton. Unlike the previous model I tested which came with a four way fan power splitter, this model does not come with any sort of splitter. If you want to do a push/pull configuration with this cooler then, you're going to be using your own splitter, fan controller, or multiple molex connectors. I guess this can go under cons, some people will certainly see it as such; the mounting bracket that sits on the back of your MOBO is now plastic. My previous model used a metal bracket. Improved is that the long screws which go through the bracket and through your MOBO now sit very snuggly in the bracket. Not so good, is that it's plastic now. It's not flimsy or anything, just would have preffered metal. Benchmarks 2 These benchmarks were obtained using Real Temp and Prime95. Each test was run for 15 minutes. Data points were taken every 15 seconds and then averaged. Clock speeds are reported in MHz, CPU temperatures are reported in Celsius and CPU load is reported as a percentage. An additional data point in these tests denoted as “Time” describes the time taken to reach idle temperatures after a test and is measured in M:SS. My test rig remained unchanged except where denoted with OC. DEEPCOOL CURRENT Stock Clock Clock 3498 CPU1 71 CPU2 68 CPU3 70 CPU4 65 AVG 68.5 Min 64 Max 75 Load 100 Time 0:15 OC Clock 4107 CPU1 98 CPU2 96 CPU3 95 CPU4 88 AVG 94.3 Min 86 Max 103 Load 100 Time 0:20 DEEPCOOL NEW Stock Clock Clock 3498 CPU1 50 CPU2 49 CPU3 51 CPU4 50 AVG 50 Min 47 Max 54 Load 100 Time 0:15 OC Clock 4107 CPU1 55 CPU2 52 CPU3 53 CPU4 54 AVG 53.5 Min 51 Max 57 Load 100 Time 0:20

Overall Review: Overall, the difference in the Prime95 benchmarks makes me wonder if there was something wrong with my old DeepCool AIO that I didn't peg. This new one runs ice cold compared to the old. Even the more realistic "real world" benchmarks point to a slight gain for the new cooler. Installation is time around was simpler (due to additional experience) but still did not go at all as the instructions illustrated. I have the radiator sitting outside on top of my case with one of my own case fans pulling through, and the included fan pushing through from the inside of my case. The more flexible tubing made installation simpler this time around, but there was still a decent amount of fiddling with the orientation of the whole package. A sub point to the above, more of a word of caution actually: be wary of how much space you have inside your case. Realistically, you’ll want about two inches of open space for the radiator and fans wherever you decide to mount them. I’ll save you the research: This cooler has an average warranty. I’ve seen similar coolers with warranties as low as a year, and as high as six. This one has a three year warranty. Came with thermal paste this time around, but, meh, don't skimp, use stuff of a known quantity and quality. Overall, I'd say this cooler is a very welcome improvements from DeepCool's older models. Installation has been made slightly easier, quality has gone up, and temperatures have gone down. Same as my previous DeepCool AIO, it has been running great for the past month. I've not had to mess with it since I finished the installation. I would definitely recommend this cooler if you're in the market for an AIO liquid cooler.

Pros: * Great packaging. * Everything you need in the box. * Components well wrapped. * Tubes aren't too stiff and are nicely covered. * The radiator is pristine. * Installation was straightforward. * Cooling was super for a 1 fan AIO liquid cooler. * A super value for the money.

Cons: * Too much plastic for my tastes. *The instructions are useless for beginners. Use You Tube installations video for help. * I wouldn't use a 1 fan rigg for overclocking. * Only looks good with a black or black/red color scheme.

Overall Review: The Captain 120 EX is a very nice AIO closed loop cooling solution for the money. It is well made and cools very well. I would highly recommend this this to anyone requiring these specifications. You can't go wrong.

Pros: Very cool looking with a relatively high end feel. Their website markets it as being "Steampunk" in appearance. I don't know about that, but it does look cool. If you have an enclosed case, you may not care as much, but if you have a window in your case, this will make you happy. Pretty quiet, which all liquid cooling systems should be. You'll be happy with the noise level. Tubing seems to be high quality. Their website notes it's "upgraded anti-explosion rubber tube." Sounds like a plus to me! Supports all the major, modern CPU socket types. DEEPCOOL's website has a YouTube video walk-through as well as a PDF regarding installation. Very handy for people who have never installed one of these guys before. This is very easy to install, so if this is your first build with a liquid cooler, you shouldn't have any issues. Cooling performance was very good. My CPU never got over 105 f (40.5c) under full benchmarking load.

Cons: More plastic than I'd prefer, but for the price I suppose that's what you get. Just be careful with installation as you don't want to push too hard on those plastic pieces lest you hear the snap crackle pop that will ruin your day. Can't configure the push/pull of your fans. Not a huge deal, but not good if you prefer advanced customization. It's a tad bit big, so if you have a really small or cramped case you may have a hard time getting this in there and situated correctly.

Overall Review: Be aware of possible reliability issues as noted below. I also had an issue with a previous (not this unit) DEEPCOOL liquid cooling system (the fan died), and will note the support for that was very easy. An email to the company and a new fan was on its way. Support is Chinese-based.

Pros: The kit was easy to install. With detailed and easy to understand pictures, the instructions are easy to follow. The included mounting hardware can support a wide array of AMD and Intel sockets. The mounting solution feels solid. The radiator will exhaust all of the heat out of the computer case. Air cooling HSF units exhaust the heated air into the case. Although it is not included, you can add a second fan to the radiator so you have a push pull configuration to move more air. The Captain 120 EX does a good job of keeping the CPU cool. The pump and fan are quite. The fan did get louder as it sped up under load. The other fans in my case are quiet and the 120EX did not standout as being any louder than them. The 120 EX just blended in.

Cons: The parts bags were labeled for AMD or Intel. I needed to use parts from both bags to mount the 120EX cooler to an AMD motherboard. A little confusing but I was able to sort out the pieces by looking at the detailed install instructions.

Overall Review: Some cooling solutions are difficult to install because of their size. Some of the popular heat pipe units are taller than many cases will allow. Other solutions do not fit because they interfere with heat spreaders on the RAM modules. The 120EX fits inside the mounting bracket area. I compared the shape of the 120EX to 7 different motherboards I have and it would fit every one of them. It took me about 15 minutes to remove my motherboard, attach the 120EX bracket and reinstall the motherboard. Another 10 minutes to install the cpu cooler onto the motherboard, mount the fan on the radiator and then mount the radiator to my case. In less than 30 minutes I was able to start pushing my overclock to see how the 120EX would perform. The Captain120EX did not disappoint in the results category. I tested on a couple of different AMD and Intel systems. I used stock speeds and went from a mild overclock to pushing 5 GHz. The 120EX kept the cpu core temps at least 20 degress cooler than the stock HSF and a couple of degrees cooler than the aftermarket copper heat pipe coolers I compared it with. That being said, the 120EX is not the answer for every overclocking setup. I would definitely look at a solution with a larger radiator and multiple fans if you are looking at squeezing the most out of your overclock. Even if it performed the same as the heat pipe solutions, the added plus of exhausting the heated air outside of the case dropped the temperature inside the case. That helps keep the other components cool. For looks, the Captain 120EX is available in black or white. The black with red highlights blended in to my case color scheme nicely. The water block has a light that softly pulses. The light is subtle and actually looks nice. The pulsing red light does remind me of eye of a certain sinister computer.

Pros: Great flexibility, compatible with most (all?) popular sockets. I still recommend checking to be sure, no matter how common your chip/socket setup is. And if it feels like it doesn't fit, I hope I don't need to tell you, but don't force it. Don't be that guy. Relatively easy install. Parts organized, everything in the box is ready to go, quite easy. Instructions leave a little something to be desired, but not enough to knock ease-of-assembly off the "pros" list here. Your experience may vary (see "cons" for more). If you really can't figure it out or just want to be sure you're doing everything right, check youtube. Aesthetically pleasing (assuming you like the colors / theme). The "heartbeat" red LED is a bit clever, might or might not match your aesthetic. I think for all possible choices Deepcool could have made for the theme, it should be at least tolerable for most people. I don't care for LEDs or flashy stuff at all, but it's not intrusive or showy enough for me to care. I guess if you have an all-green or all-blue LED thing going on, this might clash. If you're at that level of color coordination, I don't even know what to tell you. Tubing is pretty flexible and pliant. Seems like it should be good wherever you need it. Of course, if you think you'll want the radiator located in some unconventional spot, you better double check. Then again, what are you even doing? This is an entry-level item, if you're looking for a custom build with a complex cooling setup, you want more than the entry-level all-in-one product here. Radiator seems to work well (see below for actual figures). It looks like it's a good radiator. Obviously, a visual inspection will not actually provide any clue as to the thermodynamic effectiveness of a jumble of metal parts, but it certainly looks good. Totally pristine out of the box. Silent fan pushes air pretty well, not sure the specially designed blades do as much as they might assert but they work. The quiet part is less important to me since none of my other fans are particularly silent. It's not actually very expensive (despite one or two people saying so). For a top-notch fan/heatsink system, you would pay a bit less maybe, but these components are really coming down and making themselves easily affordable for the performance they offer. More on this in the "other" section. I only have a stock Intel fan for comparison of fans, and I also have a Corsair Hydro H50, which is an older product, but in the same category as this one (one fan, all in one, entry level). I'll run an idle test (boot, log in, wait), a moderate test (playing a game, watching a video, running a few programs in the background, auto-refreshing a few big, scripty websites every 10 seconds), and an intensive test (full load on all CPUs running some mathematical tasks indefinitely). Note that I have a Geforce Titan, so my GPU actually gets hit pretty hard running games at 4x actual resolution and downscaling. I figured it would be fair to still do that for the test, and the results seem to show it. All temps listed are both the approximate "level" temperature that the CPU warmed up to while the tasks were going on and also the max as far as I knew (i.e. no spiking while coming up to level or once level). I have an older i7 and it's not over-clocked, so my temps may be less than what others are hitting with higher clock speeds and slightly newer processors. 120EX: Idle: 31C Moderate: 39C Heavy: 51C Corsair Hydro: Idle: 33C Moderate: 41C Heavy: 53C Stock Intel Fan: Idle: 36C Moderate: 54C* Heavy: 65C** *This is probably because the air in the case is being toasted by the GPU. Important to consider, since liquid cooling might allow you to avoid the synergistic heating if your CPU and GPU are both working. **Pretty close to Intel's max temp spec for Ivy Bridge. With the stock fan, what did I expect? I bet leaving it longer, it would have climbed up even more, maybe hitting 67-69, but I'm a "play it safe" guy. I know it could probably survive up to 80C with virtually no chance of damage, but isn't the point of having good cooling to not risk it?

Cons: Not entirely tool-less, depending on your set-up. For some of you, especially if you can't access the rear side of your motherboard while i'ts still in the case, you may need to take the motherboard out (which is probably not tool-less). Access to the back side of the board through your case is very helpful here. I don't think tool-less-ness is that important, so I'm going to say this isn't worth knocking off any eggs. We all know how to use a screwdriver, right? Some users do report quality / longevity issues (see "other" for more on this). This always concerns me. We do, fortunately, live in the age when a system will power down before the CPU fries itself (if everything else goes according to plan, at least). But this is a critical cooling component. In the end, I can't fully recommend a product of this type (cooling, essential) without knowing about its longevity. I have concerns about pump failure, as many have reported, and at the time of this writing, I really have no information to reassure me that this is something I could rely on without some concern. The 3-year warranty is nice, but replacing the cooler won't help if my CPU is fried. I know that's unlikely too, even in the event of a cooler going down, but like I've said, I'm a "play it safe" guy. I guess that might make me picky.

Overall Review: First, let's be clear about expectations: This is an entry-level product. It won't have the bells and whistles (selectable color theme, fancy software, profile creating, etc.). It has the 4-pin connector, so use your motherboard or some other control if you think you need that. This is a very competitive price, and with more diversity and improved products, we should see entry-level liquid cooling products continue to improve in quality and reliability. The price will continue to come down because, frankly, there isn't much besides engineering and time-tested quality that separates liquid cooling tech from fan-and-heatsink. As I mentioned above, I can't comment on the longevity of this item. As a Newegg EggXpert reviewer, I have to write my review 30 days after I receive the item. I didn't use it for the entire 30 days, but when I got it running, I kept it in until today. That was 23 days, give or take a few hours. I'm glad my unit works well, but I can't say that this gives me enough experience to comment in any way on the longevity of the product. I have mentioned that I surveyed other users' reviews after writing up most of mine, adding some comments about what I've seen there. Make sure you look at all reviews of all products to get a good idea of what products are reliable. EggXperts can't comment directly on how long anything lasts (beyond 30 days, anyway). The unit comes with thermal paste, but I always recommend going for the extra $5 tube of high-quality, name-brand paste. It's like if you bought a computer and it came with "Generic Best Antivirus Software Bundle Pack Extreme Demo Version!" I'd say you're better off with a better software package, even if the computer is fantastic, right? (Note: You'll also need a couple paper towels and some rubbing alcohol to clean the existing pre-applied paste of the cooler -- and presumably, whatever's currently on your CPU if it's not a new build.) The left/right vs. 4-corner methods of attachment debate I will leave open. Does it really matter? Is one superior? I think there are way more variables out there than just this. If you really prefer one or the other, choose accordingly, but I can't say this item is better or worse for being designed the way it is. Some of these parts are plastic. Some people dislike plastic generically, as a sign of inferior quality. In other cases, plastic is lighter or cheaper, and that might be good. I don't see anything here where plastic makes me seriously question the quality of the product. It's metal where it counts, and the plastic seems strong enough where it's plastic. This is one of a diverse line of CPU coolers. To see a more complete picture of the performance and reliability of these units, you can uncheck the box for "Item Specific Reviews." You'll see more reviews for other items in this line, which might have similar performance, quality, longevity, etc. Some of the products in this line will provide better cooling for more intense use or overclocked CPUs. And final thought wow, Deepcool, they really love using ridiculous phrases to describe their products. "Steam Punk"? "Upgraded anti-explosion rubber"? Read the blurb, it's pretty self-assured. It's not a bad product, so they should feel proud of it, but they do sound a bit silly.

Pros: Let's face it, the big selling point for this cooler is its looks. This is an entry level AIO liquid cooler and expectations have been adjusted accordingly. With that said, I must say it is definitely one of the best looking AIO liquid coolers out there. The pulsing reactor water block with the glass tube showing coolant flow makes this AIO really stand out. While running, the pump is definitely audible as a purr but is not overly annoying. Fan noise is also acceptable. This is a small water cooler, even among the field of 120 mm radiator liquid coolers. Take notice of how slim the radiator is compared to other 120 mm offerings and you'll see what I mean.

Cons: For comparison, with my current setup I've been running a tower HDT cooler with push-pull 120 mm fans. It's more bulky than this all-in-one, but it's also about the same price. In my setup, the DEEPCOOL Gamers Storm Captain 120EX gets about 3 °C warmer on each core of my 4700k at load. This is with the radiator and fan mounted at the front of my case drawing in cool air and using the same thermal paste. In short, for the money you can get as low, or lower, temps using a good quality air cooler.

Overall Review: So I have this AIO liquid cooler and a better performing air cooler. Which one am I using right now? I'm sticking with the DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm Captain 120EX. It has one less fan than my tower cooler and even with the purr from the pump it is quieter. The loss in cooling performance is not an issue for me since temperatures are still more than acceptable. The coolness factor of this AIO is enough to push it over the edge for me.