Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB: Ultimate Cooling Review

by Jhon Lennon 50 views

Hey everyone! Today, let's dive deep into the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB, a CPU cooler that's been making waves in the PC building community. We're going to explore its features, performance, and overall value to help you decide if it's the right cooler for your precious CPU. So, buckle up and let's get started!

What is Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB?

The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB is essentially an upgraded version of the popular AG400 CPU cooler, enhanced with addressable RGB lighting. This cooler is designed to strike a balance between efficient cooling performance and aesthetic appeal, making it a solid choice for both gamers and PC enthusiasts. The ARGB part means that you can customize the cooler's lighting to match your system's color scheme and create some really cool visual effects. It’s all about adding that personalized touch to your build, guys.

Key features of the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB

  • High Cooling Capacity: The AG400 Plus ARGB is designed to handle CPUs with moderate to high thermal design power (TDP). Its dense heatsink and efficient heat pipe design ensure effective heat dissipation.
  • ARGB Lighting: The cooler features addressable RGB lighting on the fan, which can be synchronized with other ARGB components in your system using motherboard software like ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync, and GIGABYTE RGB Fusion.
  • Universal Socket Compatibility: The AG400 Plus ARGB supports a wide range of CPU sockets, including the latest Intel and AMD platforms. This makes it a versatile choice for different PC builds. Specifically, it supports Intel LGA1700/1200/1151/1150/1155 and AMD AM5/AM4.
  • Low Noise Operation: The included fan is designed for low noise operation, ensuring that your system remains quiet even under heavy load. Deepcool has optimized the fan blades to minimize turbulence and noise without sacrificing airflow.
  • Easy Installation: The cooler comes with a user-friendly mounting system, making it easy to install even for beginners. The installation process is straightforward, with clear instructions and all the necessary hardware included.

Design and Build Quality

When it comes to the design and build quality of the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB, Deepcool has definitely put in the effort to create a product that not only looks good but also performs well. The cooler features a dense aluminum fin stack, which is crucial for dissipating heat effectively. The fins are arranged in a way that maximizes surface area, allowing for better heat transfer from the heat pipes to the surrounding air. This design ensures that the cooler can handle CPUs with a TDP of up to 220W, making it suitable for a wide range of processors. The four copper heat pipes make direct contact with the CPU surface, ensuring efficient heat transfer. Copper is an excellent conductor of heat, and this direct contact design helps to quickly draw heat away from the CPU, preventing overheating and maintaining stable performance. The heat pipes are strategically positioned to distribute heat evenly across the fin stack, further enhancing the cooler's efficiency. The build quality feels solid and robust, assuring users of its durability. The materials used are of good quality, and the overall construction is sturdy, ensuring that the cooler can withstand the rigors of daily use. The cooler's dimensions are also well-thought-out, making it compatible with most PC cases. It's not too tall, so it shouldn't interfere with other components like RAM modules. The ARGB lighting is tastefully implemented, adding a touch of flair without being overly flashy. The LEDs are bright and vibrant, and the lighting effects are smooth and customizable. The fan is also of good quality, with a long lifespan and quiet operation. Deepcool has paid attention to detail in the design of the fan blades, optimizing them for both airflow and noise reduction. This ensures that the cooler can keep your CPU cool without creating excessive noise. The mounting mechanism is easy to use and provides a secure fit, ensuring that the cooler stays in place even during transportation. Overall, the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB boasts a design and build quality that inspires confidence. It's a well-engineered product that's built to last and perform.

Cooling Performance

Now, let's talk about the main reason you're probably here: the cooling performance of the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB. This cooler is designed to keep your CPU running at optimal temperatures, even under heavy loads, and it does a pretty good job at it. To give you a clearer picture, let's break down the performance under different conditions. Under normal usage scenarios, such as web browsing, document editing, and light gaming, the AG400 Plus ARGB keeps the CPU temperatures impressively low. In these situations, you can expect temperatures to hover around 30-40°C, which is more than adequate for maintaining system stability and preventing thermal throttling. When you start pushing your CPU with more demanding tasks like video editing, content creation, or running CPU-intensive games, the temperatures will naturally rise. However, the AG400 Plus ARGB still manages to keep things under control. In these scenarios, you can expect temperatures to range from 50-70°C, depending on the intensity of the workload and the ambient temperature. This is still well within the safe operating range for most CPUs. For those who enjoy overclocking their CPUs to squeeze out extra performance, the AG400 Plus ARGB can handle moderate overclocking without any issues. With a mild overclock, you can expect temperatures to stay below 80°C under heavy load, which is acceptable. However, if you're planning on doing some serious overclocking, you might want to consider a higher-end cooler. Deepcool has implemented several features to optimize the cooling performance of the AG400 Plus ARGB. The dense aluminum fin stack provides a large surface area for heat dissipation, while the four copper heat pipes ensure efficient heat transfer from the CPU to the fins. The fan is also designed to deliver a good balance of airflow and static pressure, ensuring that heat is effectively removed from the heatsink. The cooler also supports PWM fan control, which allows the fan speed to be automatically adjusted based on the CPU temperature. This helps to keep the noise levels down when the CPU is not under heavy load, while ensuring that the cooler can ramp up the cooling performance when needed. The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB offers a solid cooling performance that's suitable for most users. It's capable of keeping your CPU running at optimal temperatures under a variety of conditions, from light usage to heavy gaming and content creation. While it may not be the best choice for extreme overclocking, it's more than adequate for moderate overclocking and general use.

ARGB Lighting and Aesthetics

Let's be real, guys, in today's PC building world, aesthetics matter! The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB doesn't disappoint in this department. The addressable RGB lighting on the fan is vibrant and customizable, allowing you to create some really cool visual effects. The ARGB lighting on the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB is a standout feature that adds a touch of personality to your PC build. The fan is equipped with multiple addressable RGB LEDs, which can be individually controlled to create a wide range of colors and lighting effects. Whether you want a static color, a dynamic color cycle, or a custom lighting pattern, the AG400 Plus ARGB has you covered. The lighting effects are smooth and fluid, adding a touch of elegance to your system. You can also synchronize the lighting with other ARGB components in your system, such as your motherboard, graphics card, and RAM, to create a cohesive and visually stunning look. This allows you to create a unified color scheme and lighting pattern throughout your entire system. The cooler is compatible with most major motherboard ARGB control software, including ASUS Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync, and GIGABYTE RGB Fusion. This makes it easy to customize the lighting using your motherboard's software. The lighting is bright enough to be visible even in a well-lit room, but it's not so overwhelming that it becomes distracting. The colors are accurate and vibrant, and the lighting effects are smooth and fluid. Deepcool has also paid attention to the design of the fan blades, ensuring that the lighting is evenly distributed across the fan surface. This creates a uniform and aesthetically pleasing look. The cooler itself has a sleek and modern design that complements the ARGB lighting. The black heatsink provides a nice contrast to the colorful lighting, creating a visually appealing look. The cooler is also relatively compact, so it shouldn't interfere with other components in your system. The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB strikes a great balance between performance and aesthetics. It's a high-performance cooler that also looks great, making it a solid choice for anyone who wants to add a touch of personality to their PC build. The customizable ARGB lighting allows you to create a unique look that reflects your personal style.

Installation Process

One of the most important aspects of any CPU cooler is how easy it is to install. Nobody wants to spend hours wrestling with complicated mounting mechanisms. Thankfully, the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB excels in this area. The installation process is straightforward and user-friendly, even for those who are new to PC building. The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB comes with a comprehensive set of mounting hardware that supports a wide range of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA1700/1200/1151/1150/1155 and AMD AM5/AM4. This makes it a versatile choice for different PC builds. The installation process is well-documented in the included user manual, which provides clear and concise instructions on how to install the cooler on different CPU sockets. The manual also includes helpful diagrams that illustrate each step of the process. The mounting hardware is designed to be easy to use, with simple clips and screws that can be easily tightened by hand. The backplate is also well-designed, with a secure and stable fit that ensures that the cooler is properly mounted. The installation process typically involves the following steps:

  1. Preparing the Motherboard: The first step is to prepare the motherboard by attaching the appropriate mounting brackets for your CPU socket. The cooler comes with separate brackets for Intel and AMD CPUs.
  2. Applying Thermal Paste: Next, you need to apply thermal paste to the top of your CPU. This helps to ensure good contact between the CPU and the cooler.
  3. Mounting the Cooler: After applying thermal paste, you can mount the cooler onto the CPU. The cooler is secured to the mounting brackets using screws or clips.
  4. Connecting the Fan: Finally, you need to connect the fan to the motherboard's CPU fan header. This allows the motherboard to control the fan speed.

The entire installation process can usually be completed in less than 15 minutes, even for beginners. The cooler also comes with a PWM fan cable, which allows the fan speed to be automatically adjusted based on the CPU temperature. This helps to keep the noise levels down when the CPU is not under heavy load. The Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB is a breeze to install, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced PC builders. The user-friendly mounting system and comprehensive instructions make the installation process quick and easy.

Pros and Cons

To give you a balanced view, let's break down the pros and cons of the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB:

Pros:

  • Excellent Cooling Performance: Keeps CPU temperatures low under various workloads.
  • Stunning ARGB Lighting: Adds a touch of personalization to your build.
  • Universal Socket Compatibility: Supports a wide range of Intel and AMD CPUs.
  • Low Noise Operation: Keeps your system quiet even under heavy load.
  • Easy Installation: User-friendly mounting system for hassle-free installation.

Cons:

  • Not Ideal for Extreme Overclocking: May not be sufficient for high-end overclocking.
  • Fan Speed is High: When the CPU is performing difficult processes, the fan runs at high speeds, resulting in a loud fan.

Final Verdict

So, what's the final verdict on the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB? Overall, it's a fantastic CPU cooler that offers a great balance of performance, aesthetics, and value. It's perfect for gamers, content creators, and PC enthusiasts who want to keep their CPUs cool without breaking the bank. The ARGB lighting adds a touch of personality to your build, while the easy installation process makes it a breeze to set up. While it may not be the best choice for extreme overclocking, it's more than adequate for most users. If you're looking for a reliable and stylish CPU cooler, the Deepcool AG400 Plus ARGB is definitely worth considering. It's a solid investment that will keep your CPU running cool and looking great for years to come.