Budget representative of air cooling systems for Intel and AMD processors Deepcool Gamma Archer is for many users another find in the market of computer components. Low cost (500-600 rubles), quiet operation and the ability to install on any motherboard are the main and only criteria for choosing a decent device. In this article, the reader will get to know the inexpensive processor cooler better, find out how to install it correctly, and the owner’s reviews will help you understand whether to purchase this device or whether you prefer an expensive option.
Cooler positioning in the market and its modifications
The air cooling system is designed to be installed on any AMD and Intel motherboard (not lower than the LGA775 modification) with heat dissipation up to 95 watts. The manufacturer claims that the noise level of Deepcool Gamma Archer does not exceed 30 decibels. This is ensured by a maximum speed of 120 mm fan at 1600 rpm. There is no ability to control rotation speed (3-pin connector). For better or worse, tests will show.
Two modifications of the cooling system are available on the market in the same price category: the regular version and the model marked “Pro”. They differ only in the core of the radiator - in an advanced cooler the base is made of copper. But, as tests show, this does not affect the heat dissipation from the processor.
First meeting
The Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro cooler, like its aluminum version, comes in a large cardboard box. On the edges of the white packaging, the manufacturer placed not only photographs of the device itself, but also provided a brief diagram for assembly and installation on the motherboard. On one of the faces, the owner will find a brief description of the technical characteristics of the cooling system and a list of accessories available inside the box. Such a solution is always welcomed by users, because the package does not have protective seals, respectively, when buying, you can verify the contents.
The package bundle is quite predictable: the Deepcool Gamma Archer itself (radiator with fan), mounting frame with latches to it and a bag of thermal grease. The plastic frame and latches confuse many professionals, judging by their reviews. After all, the weight of the complete cooling system is 300 grams, and there are prerequisites that a cheap mount that does not have a metal base can break due to frequent heating and cooling.
Decent cooler
The Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro fan is made of durable and high quality plastic. Nine cooler blades have a specific shape with a pen tilt at 45 degrees. This design is used by all manufacturers of video cards. It is her cooling system that owes its quiet operation. True, many owners are confused by the protective rim for the blades, it is made in the form of a cone and has a continuation of the edging just below the fan itself. Unambiguously in this design, a reverse air flow can occur, which will push the blades up.
With this design, the Deepcool Gamma Archer fan will have low durability. After all, the fan impeller will constantly jump up and down (albeit a micrometer, but for a thousand hours of operation, this distance can increase to a millimeter). On the other hand, the service life of a budget device is designed for 2-3 years, so this factor remains unnoticed by many IT experts.
Simple but reliable radiator
The aluminum radiator grill is very similar to the cooler included with Intel Pentium 4 processors. The same distance between the ribs and V-shaped branching at the ends of the plates. Apparently, the manufacturer did not invent a bicycle, but simply borrowed an effective cooler from a well-known brand. The cooler of the Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro has no complaints about the quality of manufacturing the grill. The user will not detect any burrs or cutting edges - the edges are treated with dignity.
The owner will not find in the cooling system and distortions that are often found in cheap devices. The contact area is perfectly flat and the stiffening ribs are the same size. It is this feature of the cooler that allows the device to perfectly cope with the heat transfer of the processor. The only thing that confuses is the fastening of the fan to the radiator - it is easy to remove the impeller, but putting it in its place will be problematic, you cannot do without a magnetized screwdriver.
Installation Features
Guaranteed installation on any platform of the Cooler Deepcool Gamma Archer cooling system is possible due to the taper of the radiator in contact with the processor. As many owners note in their reviews, it is the cut aluminum petals at the base of the contact area that allow the huge heatsink to not contact the capacitors near the processor and not to close the memory modules. True, the cooler may still not be installed on motherboards from the gaming segment. For example, on the ASUS Maximus V Formula motherboard, passive radiators on batteries near the processor will not allow placing such a dimensional device. But, on the other hand, for an expensive segment of motherboards, you need to choose the appropriate cooling system.
A strange approach to the consumer
Often, the seller, like the manufacturer, is silent about one strange feature of the Deepcool Gamma Archer. Reviews in the media have allowed many potential buyers to identify one defect in the cooling system. The contact area of the radiator is 15-30% less than the surface of the processor (the percentage fluctuates due to different areas of the crystal). Professionals are able to determine this fact by eye, but the owners find a problem when changing thermal paste - it has irregularities in the corners of the processor.
For fans of overclocking, such a flaw can cause the death of the processor, because the fan is limited to 1600 rpm and when overheated, the cooling system will not be able to help the user. On the other hand, in normal tests, the cooler shows decent heat dissipation. It turns out that the manufacturer intentionally made a reduced contact pad.
Returning to picking
Users have many questions about the plastic parts that provide the Deepcool Gamma Archer cooler. Owner reviews have many complaints about one-time latches. The fact is that the pins are made of a homogeneous material, and with strong pressure they are easily destroyed, but there is nothing to replace them with, because the set does not include spare elements. You can, of course, disassemble the clamping structure of a standard cooler, which comes complete with a processor, but then the meaning of acquiring a new device is lost.
There is a negative to thermal paste - it is from an unknown manufacturer, its composition is criticized by users for whom the installation of Deepcool Gamma Archer is a frequent action (PC maintenance 2 times a year). Outwardly, it resembles Russian-made KPT-8 thermal paste, but there is no silicon chips in the mixture, which is why the paste hardens strongly when heated. Again, the bag with the thermal composition is disposable, and the user needs to spend additional funds on the purchase of pasta. Competitors have a simpler situation with this issue - the same Zalman or Cooler Master complete their cooling systems with proprietary syringes with thermal grease, which lasts 5-8 times.
Little testing
It is quite difficult to call the Deepcool Gamma Archer cooling effective, because when testing processors with heat dissipation up to 95 watts, you can use not only low-cost copies of single-core and dual-core Intel and AMD processors. For example, the Core i7, which has a thermal package of 77 watts, can also get into the review. And the representative of the elite easily raises the crystal temperature to 80 degrees Celsius, and the Deepcool public employee will not be able to do anything with this (unless he reduces the heating by a couple of degrees).
Sound pressure is another matter. Here the cooling system has something to surprise the user. The noise parameters of 30 dB declared by the manufacturer are not a marketing ploy. The cooler from a distance of one meter does not exceed 28-29 decibels. This is an excellent indicator among other competitors. Many owners, judging by their reviews, at first had the impression that the fan did not rotate at all.
Finally
According to the cooling system Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro, the reviews in the media are quite different. On the one hand, an inexpensive device works silently, and on the other hand, when compared with regular coolers, it can’t cope with CPU cooling. It is not possible to draw a definite conclusion and recommend this cooler for purchase. After all, two main criteria (cooling and noiselessness) are not fulfilled. The review is made, and the choice is up to the buyer, because the cost of the processor is still incomparable with the price of the cooling system.