DeepCool AK620 Digital Review

Introduction

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DeepCool AK620 Design & Aesthetic

Looking at the DeepCool AK620 in detail, this is one of the larger air CPU coolers on the market, which bodes well for the performance, as the greater surface area will provide greater airflow. For anyone that has seen or used the original AK620, there won’t be many surprises with the design, as the AK620 Digital is almost identical. More specifically, the AK620 Digital takes inspiration from the Zero Dark variant, resulting in a stealthy look.

The AK620 Digital maintains the stacked dual-tower design and subtle aesthetic found on the other AK620 variants. However, the only significant change to this design is the inclusion of a digital display, which adds a sense of luxury to the AK620 collection. With this integrated display, users can monitor the usage and temperature of their processor in real-time, which helps to prevent instances of overheating.

As for the rest of the design, the larger form factor of a dual-tower cooler like this one tends to obstruct access to the motherboard and memory. This is worth considering if you plan on upgrading your RAM, as it will be much harder to reach the DIMM slots with this cooler installed. Additionally, anyone that has picked up a fashionable RAM kit or board will be left disappointed, as the cooler will block these components from your line of sight.

DeepCool AK620 Digital Specifications

Moving onto the specs, where the AK620 Digital looks rather impressive on paper. Lots of air coolers lack the firepower needed to remain quiet under stressful loads. However, the two 1850RPM fans allow this cooler to stay at 28dB or less, putting the noise levels close to what we’d expect from some liquid coolers. Plus, doubling up of fans and radiators leads to more heat being pushed away from the CPU at one time, which increases airflow and efficiency compared to most air coolers.

The only major concern for this CPU cooler comes when looking at the dimensions. Depending on the PC case you plan on using for your build, the 162mm height of the AK620 Digital can cause some clearance issues, meaning you won’t be able to lock in the side panel.

DeepCool AK620 Digital Installation

When it comes to installing the DeepCool AK620 Digital into a gaming PC, the process is similar to other air coolers on the market, but with a few additional steps to support the LCD display. Most of the process will be familiar to anyone that has installed an air CPU cooler before, as the AK620 simply uses a bracket and screws to remain in position.

But what makes installing the AK620 Digital slightly more fiddly is the integrated display, as the screen can interfere with proceedings. Luckily, the screen can be popped off without damaging it, allowing for greater leverage when securing the AK620 Digital into place. Also, the DeepCool AK620 Digital does require some software to get the screen up and running.

For a full demonstration of how to install this CPU cooler, check out this PC build, where James uses the AK620 Digital in a $1500 system targeting smooth 1440p gaming with AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames technology.

DeepCool AK620 Digital Performance

Time to put the AK620 Digital through its paces in a number of various benchmarks, all of which will test the thermal regulation of a PC equipped with this CPU cooler under various workloads. The system used in the testing included a Ryzen 7 7700X processor, along with additional fans to maximise airflow. We ran each test with 1, 2, 4,6,8, and 16 threads enabled, but we will be focussing on the 4 threads results, as this will be the amount of threads utilised when gaming.

Cinebench R23

In Cinebench R23, we ran a multi-core benchmark. In our test with 4 threads enabled, the AK620 Digital maintained an average temperature of 76° Celsius. Whilst the ideal temperature for this scenario would be around 65°, there isn’t much to be concerned about with these results. Typically, temperatures between 65° and 80° are expected when gaming. However, it is worth noting that temperatures began to rise when the number of threads were increased, which means this cooler will be less than ideal for those looking to run AAA titles at max settings, or demanding workstation applications.

CPU-Z

The results from our CPU-Z benchmarks were rather impressive. With an average temperature of 70° in our 4 thread test, the AK620 DeepCool has no issues stopping this system from running too hot. Even when all the CPU threads were enabled, this cooler managed to keep the temperature from straying too far from the 80° threshold.

FurMark

In the FurMark stress test, things started to heat up for the AK620 Digital, but the powerful air cooler managed to prevent temperatures from getting too out of hand. After being put through the wringer, the 4 thread test averaged out at 78°. This is still enough to keep the PC running adequately whilst gaming. But again, the temperatures did rise up to 85° and above as more threads were enabled, suggesting that the AK620 Digital would struggle in a high-end gaming PC or workstation.

Features We Like

Integrated Display

As mentioned earlier, the main selling point of this cooler is undoubtedly the digital display that shows real-time information. With the integrated display located on the cooler, users can track their CPU temperature and usage without having to open up software. On top of this, the screen is surrounded with RGB lighting, which provides a splash of colour to the design. My only gripe with the display is how small the information appears, as the decreased visibility causes the screen upgrade to feel less beneficial.

Dual-Tower Design

Air coolers with a dual-tower design are normally a lot better at competing with liquid coolers, thanks to the increased firepower that comes with the additional fan and radiator. Compared to a single-tower air cooler, the dual layout on the AK620 Digital boasts a powerful and menacing appearance that will provide peace of mind to gamers worried about using an air-based cooling solution for their build. Our testing also proved this cooler can work effectively alongside a Ryzen 7 processor in a mid-range gaming PC.

Features We Don’t Like

Bulky Form Factor

The major downside of this CPU cooler is the bulky form factor, which tends to create clearance issues and obstruct other components. Whilst the compactness of air coolers does clear up space typically occupied by radiators and fans of liquid coolers. However, the dual-fan design increases the height and width of the AK620 Digital, leading to this cooler taking up a lot of space around the CPU itself. As a result, builders are likely to stumble across PC case and RAM clearance issues.

Installation Process

One of the biggest advantages of picking up an air CPU cooler is the simple installation process compared to a liquid cooler. That being said, the AK620 Digital’s dual-tower design and LCD display does complicate this process, making it less appropriate for novice builders. Whilst this is arguably still easier to install than liquid CPU coolers, a more simplistic single-tower cooler is a better choice for those with limited PC building experience.

Supporting Software

For a product that puts such an emphasis on customisation, you’d expect the accompanying software to be detailed and simple to navigate. However, the AK620 Digital’s software lacks the glitz and glamour we’d expect from any modern platforms. In fact, it’s hard to think of the primary support for this product as a fully functioning software, because it simply sits within the system tray and allows for a few simple tweaks to the readings that appear on the AK620 Digital’s display.

This feels like a missed opportunity, as plenty of gamers would jump at the chance to add custom images and animations to this display. Luckily, the AK620 Digital is compatible with a variety of other software, which will provide a more satisfying user experience.

Conclusion