DeepCool AK400 CPU Cooler Review
Summary
The DeepCool AK400 White is an excellent cooler in its budget segment offering a good balance between the thermal performance and the noise output. The only caveat is the 2-years warranty other than that, this cooler will serve the needs of budget users in quite some style.
Overall
-
Quality - 9/10
9/10
-
Design - 9/10
9/10
-
Performance - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Features - 8.5/10
8.5/10
-
Value - 9/10
9/10
Pros
- Single-Tower Slim design
- Stylish design particularly on the White edition
- Adequate cooling performance
- Matrix Fins Array Layout
- FC120P Square Frame White Fan
- Easy Installation
- Metallic backplate
- Almost a silent fan at full speed
- Push/Pull possibility
Cons
- No extra thermal paste
- 2 years warranty
After a successful launch of the new flagship cooler AK620, DeepCool has released a budget-friendly cooler AK400 based on the same design concept as on the AK620. The CPU cooler is available in two colors; white and black. This cooler is a single tower of 120mm size. There are differences between the AK620 and AK400 besides dual-tower and single-tower; however, I’ll mainly be focusing on the DeepCool AK400 White today.
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Key Takeaways
- The AK400 White is made for users looking for a value-oriented air cooler that also delivers on its aesthetics.
- The AK400 White is not for anyone seeking a top-of-the-line cooling experience to cool flagship processors.
- The AK400 White delivers impressive thermal performance, maintaining a temperature of 70°C on an i7-12700K at an ambient of 25.4°C.
Let’s go over the specifications:
Packaging and Unboxing
Unboxing the DeepCool AK400 White.
Contents
Let’s take a look at what is provided in the box.
Closer Look
This cooler is a stepped-down version of the new flagship AK620 from the manufacturer with the following salient differences:
| AK620 | AK400 |
| 6x Copper Heat Pipes | 4x Copper Heat Pipes |
| Dual-Tower | Single-Tower |
| 50 Fins x 2 | 54 Fins |
| Stepped Fins Design | Non-Step Design |
| Nickel Plate Copper Base | Direct Contact Technology |
| 2 FK120 Fans | 1x FC120 Fan |
| 129x138x160mm (LxWxH) | 127x97x155mm (LxWxH) |
| 1456gm net weight | 661gm net weight |
We have also tested the DeepCool AK620 and the DeepCool AK620 Digital, you can check those reviews for their benchmarks and design.
The assembled cooler measures 127x97x155mm (LxWxH), with a slim design compared to the larger AK620 at 129x138x160mm (LxWxH). The heatsink alone is 127x45x157mm (LxWxH), and the cooler weighs 661g.
The left and right sides of the tower are identical in layout. Moreover, the fins have a joint assembly here. In the middle section, there is an inset, and on the sides, there is a raised surface. This is where the heads of the fan clips are rested. Notably, the tower has a width of 45mm.
The single tower features a white plastic ribbed cover on top with a teal DeepCool logo. This cover is designed to match DeepCool’s new PC cases. Importantly, it’s removable and can be rotated for customization. Beneath the cover, you’ll find an aluminum base, with the white tips serving as the ends of the heat pipes.
The tower’s front and rear sides share a symmetrical matrix fins array layout with 54 fins. These matrix fins alternate between inset and protruded designs, beginning from the tower’s edges. The DeepCool AK400 incorporates 4 copper heat pipes, 6mm thick, with a white sprayed plated finish, integrated into the fin assembly. I noticed we don’t have a soldered assembly here. They are making an evenly spread-out contact with the fins.
DeepCool includes pre-applied thermal paste on the cooler, and there’s no extra paste in the package, so ensure correct placement on the first attempt. The base of the cooler features CDC (Continuous Direct Contact) technology for the middle two heat pipes, while the outer pipes have non-continuous direct contact. Adding on to that, the mounting bracket can be removed by removing the two silver color screws from the base. It’s worth noting that the size of the base is 39x35mm approximately.
The mounting plate is pre-installed and has spring-loaded screws on both sides.
DeepCool includes a white FC120 120mm fan with the AK400, which lacks RGB LED. In contrast, the black version pairs with the FK120 fan. The peculiar design element is the all-white color scheme and square frame of this fan. A total of 9x blades can be found on the fan along with DeepCool branding on the center. Lastly, the corners have full-height anti-vibration rubber mounts.
There is a dotted arrow symbol showing the direction in which the blades would spin. The other side of the frame has a dotted arrow symbol showing the direction of airflow through the fan.
The fan is rated for 0.13A at 12VDC, and the fans are made in China. Additionally, one of the 4x arms has a wider body with latches to catch the wires, while the fan has a flat cable with a 4-pin PWM connector.
Here are the specifications of the fan:
| Speed (RPM) | 500 ~ 1850 ±10% |
| Airflow (CFM) | 66.47 |
| Air Pressure (mmAq) | 2.04 |
| Noise dB(A) | ≤ 29 |
| Connector | 4-pin PWM |
| Bearing Type | Fluid Dynamic Bearing |
| Rated Voltage (V) | 12 |
| Rated Current (A) | 0.13 |
| Rated Power Consumption (W) | 1.56 |
Here are the pictures of the assembled cooler:
Installation
I appreciate DeepCool’s design team reducing the installation steps and making the installation process convenient. The use of a metallic backplate and mounting bracket would come in handy on the Intel LGA1700 socket. We have to deal with 10 components in total to mount the installation kit. However, we won’t be going into the details as the user guide is there to help the user.
The one observation is that the spacers don’t lock on the standoffs of the backplate so this could be a little tricky when installing the cooler inside the PC Case. We could not make the cooler fit properly in the first go as the thermal paste spread was uneven. However, the second attempt was fruitful.
Clearance
The height of the cooler is 155mm. Keep this in mind while planning your build with respect to the PC case as the chassis should have support for the CPU cooler‘s height of a minimum of 157mm or so. The cooler has a universal clearance for the RAM making it free of any such consideration. The fan’s height can still be adjusted which is a wise implementation. PCIe clearance is also excellent.
Testing
The following test bench is used: –
- Intel i7 12700k
- GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G
- Sabrent Rocket 2x16GB DDR5 kits
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
- Sabrent Rocket Q 500GB NVMe SSD for OS
- be quiet! Straight Power 11 1000W Platinum PSU
- Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in an open-frame layout
Here is the settings table for testing:
| P-Cores Clock (MHz) | 4800 All Cores |
| E-Cores Clock (MHz) | 3800 All Cores |
| VCore (V) | 1.140V [Overrides to 1.183V] |
| Turbo Boost | Disabled |
| C-States | Disabled |
| Speed Step | Disabled |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Thermal Paste Application | 4 small and 1 large dots on the IHS. |
| Test Run Time | 30 minutes for XTU Stress Test and 20 minutes CINEBENCH R23 |
| Idling Time | 10 minutes |
| Fan Speed | 100% PWM Duty Cycle |
| Header | CPU_Fan/CPU_Opt Headers |
| Software | Intel XTU and CINEBENCH R23 |
Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application and varying ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics.
This is our first cooler tested with the Sabrent DDR5 kit hence we are not showing any graph. The graph will be added once more coolers are tested.
The ambient temperature was in the range of 24.5° ~ 25.4°C. Let’s take a look at the results.
| Load | Idle Temperature | Load Temperature |
| Intel XTU CPU Stress Test | 26.7°C | P-Cores Average: 70°C E-Cores Average: 67.2°C |
| CINEBENCH R23 with AVX | 26.8°C | P-Cores Average: 76°C E-Cores Average: 69°C |
Noise
We are not measuring the noise level at the moment due to environmental noise which is beyond our control. The fan at full speed is almost silent.
Should You Buy It?
If you are interested in purchasing the DeepCool AK400 White, I have listed a few points to help your decision.
Buy It If:
You want a value-oriented CPU Cooler: The DeepCool AK400 boasts a phenomenon price-to-performance ratio.
You are building a white-themed system: Its clean white appearance makes it a suitable fit for a white-themed build.
Don’t Buy It If:
You want to overclock your processor: While performance on the AK400 White is satisfactory, you might not be able to overclock your processor with this cooler.
You prefer RGB: The DeepCool AK400 White does not come with A-RGB lighting.
Conclusion
The DeepCool AK400 cooler is a great addition to the DeepCool design ecosystem. It’s top-notch when it comes to build quality while providing mounting hardware and a thorough user manual that makes installation a breeze. The DeepCool AK400 cooler does not have RGB elements, making it ideal for neutral or stealth builds.
Speaking of installation, it requires 10 components. Our initial attempt on Intel LGA1700 had uneven thermal paste application, but the second attempt succeeded. We found no clearance issues and it also fits within the common 155mm height limit for air coolers.
As for performance, this budget-friendly cooler impressively handles thermal loads of up to 220W. During testing with an Intel i7 12700k (4.8GHz all cores), it reached a maximum temperature of 76°C under AVX load at an ambient temperature of 24.4°C.
In conclusion, the DeepCool AK400 offers excellent cooling performance and aesthetics within its budget segment. However, be prepared for a potentially tricky installation process and ensure even thermal paste application. This cooler is recommended for those seeking a cost-effective solution for efficient CPU cooling in their non-RGB, neutral-themed setups.
We are thankful to DeepCool for giving us the opportunity to review their AK400 CPU Cooler.
Awards Received By The DeepCool AK400
The Deepcool AK400 won the following Tech4Gamers Awards after testing.
Recent Updates
- November 8, 2023: Few text changes to improve readability. Added galleries
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[Hardware Reviewer & Editor]
Meet Nauman Siddique, a highly experienced computer science graduate with more than 15 years of knowledge in technology. Nauman is an expert in the field known for his deep understanding of computer hardware.
As a tech tester, insightful reviewer, and skilled hardware editor, Nauman carefully breaks down important parts like motherboards, graphics cards, processors, PC cases, CPU coolers, and more.
- 15+ years of PC Building Experience
- 10+ years of first-hand knowledge of technology
- 7+ years of doing in-depth testing of PC Hardware
- A motivated individual with a keen interest in tech testing from multiple angles.
- I majored in Computer Science with a Masters in Marketing
- Previously worked at eXputer, EnosTech, and Appuals.
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