Cooler Deepcool Gamma Archer: installation, reviews

The budget representative of air cooling systems for Intel and AMD Deepcool Gamma Archer processors is for many users the latest discovery 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 acquainted with an inexpensive CPU cooler, learn how to install correctly, and the owners' feedback will help to understand whether it is worth buying this device or whether you should give priority to an expensive option.

Positioning of the cooler in the market and its modifications

The air cooling system is designed for installation on any AMD and Intel system board (at least LGA775 version) with a heat dissipation of up to 95 watts. The manufacturer states that the noise level of Deepcool Gamma Archer does not exceed 30 decibels. This is ensured by a maximum speed of 120-millimeter fan at 1600 rpm. The ability to control the rotation speed is missing (3-pin connector). Good or bad, the tests will show.

In the market in one price category, two modifications of the cooling system are available: the conventional version and the model with the "Pro" marking. They differ only in the core of the radiator - the advanced cooler has a base made of copper. But, as the tests show, it does not affect the heat transfer from the processor.

First meeting

The Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro cooler, like its aluminum modification, comes in a large cardboard box. On the edges of the packaging of white color, the manufacturer has placed not only the photos of the device itself, but also provided a short circuit 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 the accessories that are available inside the box. This solution is always welcomed by users, because the packaging does not have security seals, so when you buy, you can check the contents.

The package is quite predictable: Deepcool Gamma Archer itself (radiator with fan), mounting frame with latches to it and a bag of thermal paste. A plastic frame and latches confuse many professionals, judging by their feedback. After all, the weight of the cooling system in the assembly is 300 grams, and there are prerequisites that a cheap fastening without a metal base can break from frequent heating and cooling.

Decent chiller

The Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro fan is made of durable and high-quality plastic. Nine blades of the cooler have a specific shape with a feather pitch of 45 degrees. This design is used by all video card manufacturers. It is her cooling system due to its noiselessness in the work. 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 fringe just below the fan itself. Unequivocally, in such a design, a reverse air flow can occur, which will push the blades upward.

With this design, the Deepcool Gamma Archer fan will have a low durability. After all, the fan impeller will constantly jump up and down (even on a micrometer, but for a thousand hours of operation this distance can increase to a millimeter). On the other hand, the service life of the budget device is calculated for 2-3 years, so this factor remains unnoticed by many IT specialists.

Simple but reliable radiator

Aluminum grille is very similar to the cooler that is included with the Intel Pentium 4 processors. The same distance between the ribs and the V-shaped branching at the ends of the plates. Apparently, the manufacturer did not reinvent the wheel, but simply borrowed an efficient cooler from a well-known brand. Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro does not have any complaints about the quality of the grill. The user will not find any burrs or cutting edges - the faces are treated with dignity.

Do not find the owner in the cooling system and distortions, which are often found in cheap devices. The contact area is perfectly flat, and the ribs of the stiffness have the same dimensions. It is this feature of the cooler that allows the device to cope with the heat transfer of the processor. Confuses only the mounting of the fan to the radiator - remove the impeller easily, but put it in place will be problematic, without a magnetized screwdriver can not do.

Features of the installation

Guaranteed installation on any platform cooling system Cooler Deepcool Gamma Archer is possible due to the conicity of the radiator in the place of contact with the processor. As many owners note in their reviews, it is the cut aluminum tabs at the base of the contact pad that allow the huge radiator to not contact the capacitors near the processor and not to close the memory modules. True, on motherboards from the game segment the cooler still can not be installed. For example, on the ASUS Maximus V Formula board passive radiators on the batteries near the processor will not allow to place such a dimensional device. But, on the other hand, for an expensive segment of motherboards, you need to choose the appropriate cooling system.

Strange approach to the consumer

Often the seller, like the manufacturer, is silent about one strange feature of Deepcool Gamma Archer. Reviews in the media have allowed many potential buyers to detect one defect in the cooling system. The contact area of the radiator is 15-30% smaller 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 discover a problem when changing the thermal paste - at the corners of the processor it has irregularities.

For fans of overclocking, such a flaw can lead to the death of the processor, because the fan is limited to 1600 rpm and if overheated, the cooling system will not be able to help the user. On the other hand, in normal tests, the cooler demonstrates decent heat dissipation. It turns out that the manufacturer intentionally made a reduced contact area.

Returning to the complete set

Users have a lot of questions about the plastic parts that the Deepcool Gamma Archer cooler provides. Reviews of owners have many claims to disposable latches. The fact that the pins are made of a homogeneous material, and with a strong pressure easily destroyed, and replace them with nothing, because the kit does not provide spare parts. You can, of course, disassemble the clamping structure of the standard cooler that comes with the processor, but then the sense of acquiring a new device is lost.

There is also a negative for thermal paste - it comes from an unknown manufacturer, its composition causes censures of users for whom the Deepcool Gamma Archer installation is a frequent action (PC maintenance 2 times a year). Outwardly, it resembles KPT-8 thermopaste of Russian origin, but there is no silicon powder in the mixture, which causes the paste to harden strongly on heating. Again, a packet with thermal composition is disposable, and the user needs to spend additional funds to buy the paste. For competitors with this issue, things are simpler - the same Zalman or Cooler Master complete their cooling systems with branded syringes with thermal paste, which is enough for 5-8 times.

Small testing

Cooling Deepcool Gamma Archer is difficult to call effective, because when testing processors with a heat release of up to 95 watts, you can use not only budget copies of single-core and dual-core processors from Intel and AMD. For example, the Core i7, which has a 77 Watt thermal package, can also get into the review. A representative of the elite easily raises the temperature of the crystal to 80 degrees Celsius, and the budgetary Deepcool can not do anything with this (except that it will reduce the heating by a couple of degrees).

Another thing - the sound pressure. Here the cooling system has something to surprise the user. The manufacturer's declared noise parameters of 30 dB are not a marketing move. The cooler from a distance of one meter does not exceed the figure of 28-29 decibels. This is an excellent indicator among the other competitors. Many owners, judging by their feedback, initially created the impression that the fan does not rotate at all.

Finally

On the cooling system Deepcool Gamma Archer Pro reviews in the media are quite different. On the one hand, the inexpensive device works noiselessly, and on the other hand, when compared with the standard coolers it does not cope with cooling the processor. Make an unambiguous conclusion and recommend to buy this cooler is not possible. After all, the two main criteria (cooling and noiselessness) are not met. The review is made, but the choice is left to the buyer, because the cost of the processor is still incommensurable with the price of the cooling system.