[ad_1]
Deepcool Captain 360EX is the second iteration of an already quite ancient liquid cooling system by the standards of the IT industry, which appeared when the company tried to adapt the concept of “steampunk” into its design. For us, this device is remarkable mainly because it will be the first three-section CBO in our laboratory, because earlier only two-section models got to the tests. In addition, we will be able to compare how it differs from the recently tested CBO from the same series – Captain 240EX RGB, which has a smaller radiator, but exactly the same pump. So let’s get started.
Packing and scope of delivery
The product box comes in a combination of black, red and white and looks impressive in both design and size. There is very little marketing here, but there is enough useful information about the dimensions, compatibility and technical characteristics of the product.
Inside, everything, as usual, is packed in a pressed cardboard tray. The heatsink, water block, fans and other parts included in the package are wrapped in individual plastic bags, some of which are labeled by the name of the contents.
In addition to the radiator, water block and three fans, the package includes:
- installation instructions;
- Deepcool product catalog;
- adhesive metal Gamer Storm logo;
- 12 long screws for fans;
- 12 short mounting screws for attaching the heatsink to the case;
- four screw studs for Intel LGA 2011 sockets;
- two metal mounting feet for AMD sockets;
- plastic reinforcement plate;
- two metal mounting feet for Intel LGA 115x/1366/2011 sockets;
- four metal knurled nuts;
- braided four-pin fan power extension cord;
- four mounting screw studs for AMD and Intel LGA 115x/1366 sockets;
- splitter of the four-pin connector for connecting fans to four ports, double-sided adhesive tape and a tie to it;
- four metal racks.
Appearance
The Deepcool Captain 360EX radiator has an impressive length of 395 mm, which automatically raises the question for the future owner to select the right size case for its installation. At the same time, the thickness and width of the radiator is quite standard – 27×120 mm. The rubber hoses are covered with a dense and rigid nylon braid, their length is 480 mm including fittings. The hoses are very reluctant to bend, their outer diameter is approximately 12 mm.
The heatsink is made entirely of aluminum and has three sets of mounting holes for 120mm fans placed side by side. Radiator fins are band-type, stacked at 22 FPI (fins per inch). The size of the ribs is small, they are planted very close and dense. Between the fins, the manufacturer managed to place as many as 20 channels through which the refrigerant is pumped. The total heat dissipation area is about 11400 cm2. The weight of the equipped system without fans is 1003 grams.
The hoses are fixedly connected to the radiator fittings and pressed into metal hexagonal clips. The thickness of the radiator manifold here is 19 mm. There is a plug on the side of the tubes through which you can replace the refrigerant and remove excess air if it enters the system. A warning is pasted on it stating that self-opening of the circuit leads to the loss of the guarantee for the system.
The collector on the opposite side has a thickness of 14 mm.
The combined plastic water block in this system is made with some design excesses. Theoretically, the user can observe the flow of coolant through the built-in L-shaped glass tube. In practice, the movement of the liquid is not noticeable, because it can only be seen if air bubbles enter the circuit, which should not be. Because of this extension, the height of the pump is 85 mm.
The user will most of the time observe the water block from above, provided that there is a window in the case. The white area behind the radial grille is equipped with red backlight diodes. The pump and backlight are powered by a single three-pin nylon-braided cable, 265 mm long.
The hoses enter the water block from the side opposite the glass tube through L-shaped fittings. The angle of their rotation is extremely limited. If the upper hose can still be turned somewhere, then the lower one cannot be turned up more than 30 degrees. Turning them in the opposite direction will not work due to the rigid fixation on the radiator. This imposes serious restrictions on the possible options for placing the heatsink in the case and turning the water block on the processor.
The built-in pump has a ceramic bearing with a predicted MTBF of 120,000 hours and a three-phase electric motor. It operates at a constant speed of 2200 rpm, while the noise level, according to our measurements, does not exceed 36 dB (A), and there are no sharp parasitic overtones in the background, not counting the buzz, which will not be heard from the closed case all the time. The device as a whole works quite quietly, it does not require a decrease in speed. Two metal clamping mounts in the form of spring-loaded screws are built into the sides of the water block. A thin layer of thermal interface is applied to the base by default.
The base is copper, has the shape of a regular square with a side of 54 mm. The fixing screws here look like ordinary hexagons, there are eight of them, but if you look closely, you will see that there are cylindrical inserts inside in the center. And this means that without a special tool they cannot be unscrewed. The base is relatively even in the center, with traces of radial polishing. However, it is not scratch-resistant, and even wiping thermal paste completely off it can be problematic.
Three complete fans of 120x120x25 mm format have a standard frame with red rubber dampers glued on it at the corners. They belong to the Gamer Storm TF120 series and are built on a hydraulic bearing, modestly but objectively promising only 50,000 hours of MTBF. Of the interesting points, it is worth noting the design of the impeller, which has nine blades, on the trailing edge of which an additional wing is added to increase the level of static pressure. The range of available speeds is from 500 to 1800 rpm, regulated by PWM. From extraneous sounds, the shuffling of electronics in the engine area is heard, which increases in proportion to the increase in speed. The silent range is in the region of 500-700 rpm and 35-40 dB(A). Moderate but well-detectable noise levels from a closed enclosure occur at 1200-1300 rpm and 53-54 dB(A). Anything above and up to 1800 rpm and 64 dB (A) is already very strong aerodynamic noise. Power supply cord is four-pin, nylon braided, 265 mm long.
On the radiator, the fans look as follows.
The thickness of the heatsink and fans as an assembly, including the screw heads, is 55 mm.
A complete power splitter is a box triangular in profile that allows you to connect four fans at once to one four-pin port and control their speed using a PWM signal. The speed will only be read from the device included in the first port marked in white. If PWM control is not supported, the propeller will simply be supplied with constant 12V and run at maximum speed. The length of the cord in a rubber sheath is 415 mm, the device itself has a length of 75 mm and a width of one face of 20 mm. It is sold separately in stores and can be useful for those who do not have enough free connectors. Thus, all fans and the Deepcool Captain 360EX pump can be connected to a single CPU Fan connector through this adapter.
In case some fan connector does not reach the connection point, a four-pin nylon-braided extension cable, 395 mm long, is included.
Let’s move on to installing the CBO and testing its effectiveness.
[ad_2]