DeepCool Assassin-IV Now Released and Reviewed!!!

[WallacEngineering]

8 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

I honestly didn't care about 4-5c in either direction, it simply looks cool and 4-5c isn't going to make a lick of difference in the real world. 

 

I plan to run the fans into the motherboard and not the built in fan controller to avoid the DC logo from lighting up. Its a shame about the low/high switch right on the front, that really could have been elsewhere. 

 

Damn, the Newegg listing is down to $99 but $50 minimum shipping. I'll wait till its available shipped from the US. 

 

I just ordered it from Amazon. $99.99 with free shipping - grand total was $107.24 - Sold by DeepCool themselves:

 

https://a.co/d/81ELLoO

 

Since I have a free Prime Trial, I will be getting the cooler by Thursday.

[GuiltySpark_]

3 minutes ago, WallacEngineering said:

 

I just ordered it from Amazon. $99.99 with free shipping - grand total was $107.24 - Sold by DeepCool themselves:

 

https://a.co/d/81ELLoO

 

Since I have a free Prime Trial, I will be getting the cooler by Thursday.

Ha, I did a quick search and didn't see it. Thanks. 

 

[WallacEngineering]

I have just updated the OP so anyone interested can look into the cooler.

[GuiltySpark_]

Hm, now the question is, do I swap in some RGB RAM now that i'll be visible.  

 

Current situation: 

 

[WallacEngineering]

7 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

Hm, now the question is, do I swap in some RGB RAM now that i'll be visible.  

 

Current situation: 

 

 

Im guessing that is the AsRock Taichi board judging by those steampunk looks.

 

I would be 50-50 on RGB. That setup looks killer as it is. If anything just get a simple RGB strip to light up the case and show off the build - if there is a case lol

[GuiltySpark_]

1 minute ago, WallacEngineering said:

 

Im guessing that is the AsRock Taichi board judging by those steampunk looks.

 

I would be 50-50 on RGB. That setup looks killer as it is. If anything just get a simple RGB strip to light up the case and show off the build - if there is a case lol

The system has been built since October, I'm mainly just musing at this point. Realistically not going to bother. Only other thing to do is replace that stupid GPU adapter. 

 

[WallacEngineering]

4 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

The system has been built since October, I'm mainly just musing at this point. Realistically not going to bother. Only other thing to do is replace that stupid GPU adapter. 

 

 

That actually looks sick with just the fans having all the RGB. But it would also help with the lighting in the center to have RGB RAM... Tough call on if it would look better but I would say its not worth the cash.

[Fluph]

If my old D14 (cooling my systems since my Core 2 Quad!) couldn't still get the job done I would definitely consider this one.
Saying that its performance is a good example of why Noctua has been focussing so much on fans and not necessarily the Cooler itself.
Seems we are hitting a wall for what these coolers can achieve.

[GuiltySpark_]

 

 

[WallacEngineering]

1 hour ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

 

 

Hmmm, his results were a fair bit different than TechPowerUp but he was running it on the hottest CPU on the market - the i9-13900K.

 

But ya its pretty much what I expected - better than D-15, not quite as good as Assassin-III, but offers way better looks and full RAM clearance.

 

What I didn't see coming is the huge difference in how the Assassin-IV places at low RPM versus high RPM - but I guess we all should have seen that coming...

 

Its simply because of the Pull-Pull configuration. Having to fight the resistance of the front fin stack before getting to the first fan means that higher fan speeds are necessary to overcome that resistance.

 

Either way, between this review and TechPowerUp - Im sure we will be more than satisfied with the cooler at the retail price simply for its unique looks and features even if it isn't the most powerful air cooler out there. Besides, it easily gets into the top 10 overall in terms of performance and beats the Noctua D-15. Given its design, thats pretty impressive.

 

I personally wouldn't have been happy with the performance at $149.99 but at the actual retail price of $99.99 I think its more than fair for what this cooler gives you.

 

On a side note - I am super glad I am running the Lian Li LanCool 216 case as these custom 1700-RPM 160mm Intake fans will easily pump more than enough air to supply the front of the Assassin-IV and I shouldn't have much of a problem at lower fan speeds.

[GuiltySpark_]

Yeah the reality is you can get the same experience with a $40 PA120, but that's not why you spend more on this. 

[WallacEngineering]

UFD Tech has found that the Assassin-IV's performance gets very close to DeepCool's own 360mm AIO when cooling a Ryzen 7950X.

 

So maybe he has a case with much more intake air-flow than Hardware Canucks had.

 

With the restriction of the front fan being behind the first fin stack, it is more important with this cooler than any other on the market that you have an air-flow focused case that can provide large amounts of fresh, cool air to the immediate vicinity surrounding the front of the cooler. And it has to do this consistently.

 

 

[Tan3l6]

It sucks that it sucks, if it would blow it would not really blow

IMO AK620 looks better performance wise.

[GuiltySpark_]

Certainly some mixed results so far as reviews slowly come out. My case has.. all of the airflow anyone could want. 

 

We'll see if I get around to throwing it on tonight, might have to wait till the weekend. I can't imagine I'll hate it, seeing as it'll live its life at a static low RPM but if it does, it'll go back to Amazon. 

[RevGAM]

Probably the same situation as why the PA120 beats the D15... until you put it on a very hot CPU.

[WallacEngineering]

7 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

It sucks that it sucks, if it would blow it would not really blow

IMO AK620 looks better performance wise.

 

It about ties the AK620 so its basically an AK620 you pay a lot more for to get clean aesthetics and 100% RAM compatibility.

 

Its all about that pull-pull design. If you throw an intake fan on the front of the cooler as Hardware Canucks did, it blows just about everything out of the water.

 

It really is all about getting as much air flow as humanly possible to the front of the cooler. Im going to create a custom fan-curve when the cooler arrives that has more agressive case intake than usual.

[WallacEngineering]

Tom's Hardware has probably done the most in-depth testing using modern, current-gen, upper-mid tier CPUs you are actually very likely to see the Assassin-IV being used to cool - the Intel Core i7-13700K and the Ryzen 7 7700X.

 

As expected, Toms Hardware found that getting fresh air towards the front of the cooler is extremely important if you want it to perform, and that it struggles in "silent" mode. But if you let the fans run at maximum with lots of intake air-flow, it is one of the best-performing coolers on the market.

 

I think at this point after so many reviews showing wildly different results - it is safe to say that you actually have to think about what case you are using and if you have enough intake air-flow before you buy an Assassin-IV. You actually have to plan your build around a unique cooler like this one.

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-assassin-iv/2

[GuiltySpark_]

Got it in hand here and its certainly built well. The middle fan is definitely fiber reinforced plastic and quite stiff and very high quality feeling. 

 

I'll probably get around to throwing it on this weekend. 

[WallacEngineering]

3 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

Got it in hand here and its certainly built well. The middle can is definitely fiber reinforced plastic and quite stiff and very high quality feeling. 

 

I'll probably get around to throwing it on this weekend. 

Nice, should be getting mine tomorrow, I should be able to install it tomorrow night after work.

[freeagent]

9 hours ago, RevGAM said:

Probably the same situation as why the PA120 beats the D15... until you put it on a very hot CPU.

To be fair, PA120 is a budget CPU that is much smaller, and lighter. I would say it would be meant for the smaller CPUs.. 6 and 8 cores.

 

9 hours ago, WallacEngineering said:

As expected, Toms Hardware found that getting fresh air towards the front of the cooler is extremely important if you want it to perform, and that it struggles in "silent" mode. But if you let the fans run at maximum with lots of intake air-flow, it is one of the best-performing coolers on the market.

It is the same reason why people who went from some air cooler in a case with crap airflow then moving to an AIO that is getting all of the fresh air, and then saying that air cooling sucks lol.

 

Airflow is everything when hunting c's.

[GuiltySpark_]

11 minutes ago, freeagent said:

Airflow is everything when hunting c's.

 

[DubbySmurf]

Thoughts about the Assassin IV in a Fractal North mesh? I love its blockiness and want to avoid AIO. 
 

2 140mm top intake, 3 120mm front intake, 120 rear exhaust. Might do the top as exhaust too and if I can fit it all, two side intake as well. 
 

cooling a 7950x

[freeagent]

41 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

 

Ever see that move called Cube?

 

That looks pretty sick man!

 

Heres a shot of my lil guy

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by freeagent

[RevGAM]

8 hours ago, freeagent said:

To be fair, PA120 is a budget CPU that is much smaller, and lighter. I would say it would be meant for the smaller CPUs.. 6 and 8 cores.

Exactly. So the reviewers that have claimed that it's the champ are being disingenuous, unless they clarify.

8 hours ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

 

I'm blinded!!! Where's the airflow?

7 hours ago, freeagent said:

Ever see that move called Cube?

 

That looks pretty sick man!

 

Heres a shot of my lil guy

 

You know, when I first started seeing PCs that looked like car engines, I laughed at how silly I thought they were. 

 

Now looking at 'Borg' coolers,  I want a cooler that looks different while still being a top performer. Oh well...;) 

[filpo]

8 hours ago, DubbySmurf said:

Thoughts about the Assassin IV in a Fractal North mesh? I love its blockiness and want to avoid AIO. 
 

2 140mm top intake, 3 120mm front intake, 120 rear exhaust. Might do the top as exhaust too and if I can fit it all, two side intake as well. 
 

cooling a 7950x

Is this for productivity or gaming? The Assassin IV should do pretty well and look good in a Fractal North Blackout build. Btw I'd keep the top two as intake