Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

All-in-One liquid coolers are nice for their easy installation, usually the hardest part is connecting the pump to the motherboard. Other than that, it’s a few screws to connect the fan and radiator assembly to the case. The installation for the Captain is just as easy as any other AIO liquid cooler; if not slightly easier due to the brackets securing directly to the pump. If you are capable of installing a standard air cooler, then installing the Captain 120 will be a breeze.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

The universal support bracket uses the inner four posts for AMD, and the outer four for Intel systems. As we are installing the Captain 120 on an Intel i5-4960K system, the outer posts are used. The screws are put through the appropriate hole, and secured in place with the slide-on locks. Once the support bracket is in place, the four rubber washers will be used on the CPU side to keep it in place. No adhesive is used to attach the bracket to the motherboard.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

Two brackets are used to secure the pump to the support bracket, screw the necessary bracket to the pump. Now all that needs to be done is to secure to the CPU and the support bracket. This is the step that makes installation a little easier than a few others, just slightly easier, not a game changer though.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

Before doing the final attaching of the pump housing, the CPU is cleaned off of all residue from previous coolers. Placing the pump housing into position the thumbscrew bolts are installed in a criss-cross pattern to secure the pump to the support bracket. Once all four of them are in place, they are tightened down.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

The Captain 120 uses two fan headers on the motherboard, the fan uses a 4-pin connector which will be connected to the CPU fan header, and the pump uses a 3-pin connector going to the CPU_OPT header.

The DeepCool Captain 120 is installed pretty easily, no hidden surprises. The install guide is mostly picture based, which would help those that are new to installing AIO Liquid Coolers.

Now that the Captain 120 is installed, the system will be put under a load for 24-hours as a burn-in period and then we will finally get to doing some benchmarks.

DeepCool was founded in 1996 producing cooling accessories for desktops and servers. With personal computers becoming one of the most important tools of our time, they expanded into AIO liquid cooling, cases and power supplies. In September2014, they introduced the Captain AIO liquid cooler series that features a Patented SS design (Separated Section) that divides the pump and cold plate into two blocks, connected by a unique transparent connection tube makes the water flow visible. The cooler is topped off with an LED light on the top to give it the nuclear-reactor like appearance that the designers were going after.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

The Captain series of AIO liquid coolers, is available in three sizes, 120mm, 240mm and 360mm. DeepCool sent over the Captain 120, which features a 120mm radiator that is 27mm thick with a single 120mm fan. The Captain 120 can be found online starting around $79.99 plus shipping and increasing from there depending on the retailer. If you wanted to go something larger you can step up to the 240mm ($119.99) or 360mm ($139.99) models if your budget and case will allow it. Today, we’ll be looking at the entry-level DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 120 CPU Liquid Cooler AIO Water Cooling solution.

Liquid cooler deepcool captain 120 review

Following similar principles of other AIO Liquid Coolers, the Captain 120 uses a pre-filled and sealed pump and reservoir that is connected to the radiator with rubber tubes that are 326mm (12.83in) in length, allowing for a wide variety of install locations. The pump uses a durable zirconia ceramic bearing that has a 120,000 hour life expectancy, which is about 13.7 years of use. DeepCool placed a 3-year warranty on all of the CAPTAIN CPU Coolers, so if something should fail during that time period it will be highly unlikely to be the pump bearing.

DeepCool Captain CPU Cooler Features and Specifications

  • AIO liquid radiator with original Separated Section design, self-governed circulation channel to offer more efficient heat dissipation
  • Amazing transparent connection system, visual liquid flow design
  • Crazy steam punk appearance & the unique reactor-style pump housing
  • Three-phase induction motor built-in the powerful closed impeller, the stronger liquid flow & bigger delivery head
  • Long lifetime ceramic bearing with MTBF 120,000 hours
  • 0.2mm high-density water microchannel (Skiving Fin technics), 100% pure copper base
  • 120mm rubber-covered PWM fan with de-vibration design, unique FDB bearing owned a lower noise &longer lifetime
  • Patented detachable fan impeller easy to clear dust& lubricating oil recruited, DIY top-priority mounting
  • Bionic red LED breathing light lightening up while operating DeepCool Captain 120 Specifications Water Block Copper Pump Motor Speed: 2800 +- 150RPM Rated Voltage: 12V Power Consumption: 3.0W Fan Dimension: 120 x 120 x 25mm Speed: 600 – 2200RPM Noise Level: 17.6 – 39.3dBA Rated Voltage: 12V Max Air Flow: 91.12CFM Connector: 4 Pin Radiator Dimension: 154 x 120 x 27mm Material: Aluminum Tube Length: 326mm Material: Rubber Compatibility Intel: LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 AMD: FM2+ / FM2 / FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 Warranty 3 Years

Now that we are familiar with the DeepCool Captain 120, let’s get to unboxing it and prepare for installation.

What is a Deepcool captain 240 ex?

Back in July, the Deepcool Captain 240 EX featured in a 6 way round-up of mainstream AIO coolers. Today we are looking at its smaller counterpart, the Captain 120 EX. The model we were sent for review is white, though there are black and red alternatives available.

What is the difference between Deepcool captain 120 x & Arctic liquid freezer 120?

A fairly small AIO unit, even for a 120mm-sized cooler, the Deepcool Captain 120 EX ships with a single fan, plus a radiator which is only 27mm thick. For comparison, the Arctic Liquid Freezer 120 ships with two fans and a 49mm thick radiator. As such, it will be interesting to see how the Captain 120 EX compares to other 120mm and 240mm AIOs.

What is Deepcool lt520?

The LT520 represents DeepCool’s latest AIO liquid cooler product release series with both a 240mm and 360mm variant (LT720) now available to purchase. – For this review, however, we will specifically be taking a closer look at the 240mm LT520 variant.

What's new in Deepcool's captain cooler?

Externally, the latest version of Deepcool’s Captain Cooler remains largely the same as its predecessor, with the only outwardly noticeable changes being the cooler’s radiator fan and new mounting design on the pump.

Is DeepCool a good cooler?

DeepCool has, in recent years, delivered some of the best CPU coolers on the market, with options like the Assassin III and AK620. DeepCool's current lineup includes both air and AIO coolers, as well as computer cases, keyboards, power supplies, and other accessories.

Is 120mm cooler good?

120mm AIO's aren't bad, it's just an air cooler can match or exceed them for a lot less money. They do have a place though such as small form factor PC's. I used a Cooler Master 120mm AIO for 6 years, I upgraded it to a 240mm 1.5 years ago when I upgraded my CPU.