INTRODUCTION

   All in one (AIO) liquid CPU cooling solutions have been around for quite a few years now (made primarily by Asetek and CoolIT) and as we all know are gaining ground against regular CPU air coolers since in most cases these are easier to install, offer zero clearance issues with memory modules and mainboard components and of course perform and look better. However although the high-end 240mm models made their appearance shortly after the mid-end 120/140mm models it wasn't until somewhat recently that we witnessed the release of the very first ultra-high-end 360mm models like the Water 3.0 Ultimate by Thermaltake and the H320 by Swiftech. DeepCool also launched their own 360mm AIO model as part of their brand new CAPTAIN series and it so happens that today we have it on our test bench.

   Deepcool was founded with the mission of providing the best performance & humanized thermal solutions for worldwide customers. Deepcool design and manufacture a comprehensive range of high quality products, covering desktop cooling solutions, laptop cooling solutions, server cooling solutions, embedded cooling solutions, and other thermal components. Our goal is to maintain customer satisfaction by serving our customer’s ever-changing thermal needs and providing the quickest and most comprehensive service available. As our slogan goes, we wish you all “Enjoy your cool life”!

   We've yet to see a significant leap in the design of AIO liquid CPU coolers (and we don't know if we ever will) so although a bit nicer in terms of appearance than what we're used to seeing still the CAPTAIN 360 consists by the same usual parts such as a 360mm radiator (395mm total to be exact), three 120mm high-RPM low-noise fans with removable impellers (for easier cleaning), two long fluorinated ethylene propylene tubes and a high-RPM pump placed on top of a all-copper base. Some of you may wonder as to which manufacturer is behind the CAPTAIN series especially since we've seen similar solutions launched in the EU recently by another branch. However although at first i thought AVC was behind the CAPTAIN series (just like i did in the past with their MAELSTROM line) DeepCool assures us that this line also gets manufactured by them so let’s see what they have brought forth.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the CAPTAIN 360 inside a long cardboard box with a product image at the front and of course the company logo.

Some of the units’ features are listed on the left side and on the base of the box we see the entire features list right next to the specifications table.

A wireframe of the product used to showcase its measurements is placed at the rear of the box along with the CPU compatibility list.

The entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of cardboard.

The bundle is quite rich so aside the main unit you will also get three 120mm fans, 12 fan radiator mounting screws, 4-way fan controller, case badge, single cable tie, installation instructions and all the required bits and pieces to mount the CAPTAIN 360 onto Intel LGA 1150/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-v3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE CAPTAIN 360

The CAPTAIN 360 features a rather large radiator measuring 395mm in length, 120mm in width and 32mm in height.

Although thicker compared to the ones used in most AIO models (32mm) the aluminum radiator of the CAPTAIN 360 is no match for the ones we find in custom water cooling solutions (56mm).

Fin quality is good but not excellent as you can see from the above picture.

I was surprised to see that you can easily gain access to the liquid used by DeepCool to fill the loop (whether or not that's a good thing i don't know).

Both tubes are 326mm in length but this type is not as flexible as the rubber ones we see with most AIO models.

The pump is what steals the show since the transparent section allows you to see the liquid circulating. Specs-wise the pump can reach speeds of up to 3500RPM (+_10%) and has a life expectancy of 120000 hours.

Both tubes can rotate up to 90 degrees although in reality that gets cut down to around 60 degrees.

The all-copper base has a thin layer of thermal conductive material on it right from the factory.

DeepCool bundles three tweaked GF120 120mm fans each of which can spin up to 2200RPM (+_10%) to produce airflow up to 91.12CFM with just 39.3dBA of noise.

If you don't have many 3pin connectors on your mainboard you can always use the provided adapter with both the fans and the pump.

The pump looks great when on right?

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Some of you will certainly remember our recent review of the Water 3.0 Ultimate AIO liquid CPU cooler by Thermaltake which performed extremely well for its price and left very little to be desired. Because of that when we received the CAPTAIN 360 by DeepCool we were all somewhat curious to see how it would perform and although not exactly on par with the Water 3.0 Ultimate still it's quite better compared to 240mm models including the MAELSTROM again by DeepCool. Unfortunately when we finished recording the temperatures in our charts i was hoping that the CAPTAIN 360 would at least be more silent compared to the Water 3.0 Ultimate but as you can clearly see it's slightly louder. However the Water 3.0 Ultimate by Thermaltake can't compete in the looks department since the red bladed fans and the transparent pump offer something more in that specific area. Also the ability to remove the impellers from the fans is something we don't see much in the market especially with AIO models so that too is a plus for the CAPTAIN 360.

   Price however is what will determine the result of this review and thus with a current price tag of USD129.99 inside the USA (Newegg.com) the CAPTAIN 360 is probably the cheapest 360mm AIO liquid CPU cooler as we speak (availability inside the EU is very small). That being said the Water 3.0 Ultimate currently retails for just USD10 more so if performance is all you care about then going for that would probably be the best solution. However if you prefer something that will give the interior of your case a special flair then the CAPTAIN 360 is obviously the right choice. Bottom line you can't really go wrong with either of the two 360mm models we've mentioned and since we really liked the CAPTAIN 360 it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Excellent Performance
- Up to Six 120mm Fans In Push & Pull
- Easy Installation
- Transparent Pump
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No Control Software
- Long Radiator
- Availability (EU)