DeepCool AK400 review

The AK400 is a single-tower air cooler with four 6 mm copper heat pipes and one 120 mm fan. It was released in January 2022 and DeepCool rates it for CPUs up to 220 W. That makes it a cooler for mainstream desktop chips rather than the hottest-running parts.

Socket support is broad. It covers Intel LGA1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150 and 1155, plus AMD AM5 and AM4. A buyer on a current platform and a buyer reusing an older board are both covered.

Reviewers rate the cooling well for its class. KitGuru says the AK400 manages 220 W of CPU package power well, which matches DeepCool's rating. GamersNexus says it runs 2 °C cooler than the same-priced Vetroo V5 and calls its performance competitive in the current CPU air cooler market.

APH Networks reports a peak of 63 °C, which is 5 °C above the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux.

There is a limit. Funky Kit reports 56 °C in its CPU test and 96 °C in its FPU test, with 8% thermal throttling on an 11900K. With a single tower and one fan, a hot chip under a heavy all-core load can still hit its thermal ceiling. Pairing it with a power-hungry CPU running sustained heavy loads is the weak spot.

Noise figures vary between sources. DeepCool rates the fan at 29 dB(A) or below. TweakTown reports 25 dB at stock. KitGuru's figures conflict with that, probably because of different test methods. KitGuru measured 42 dBA at 1850 RPM and needed 90% duty to reach 40 dBA.

The fan is a 120×120×25 mm fluid dynamic bearing unit running from 500 to 1850 RPM on a 4-pin PWM header. That range gives a motherboard fan curve room to keep it slow under light loads. Running it flat out is loud in KitGuru's measurements, so a fan curve is worth setting.

GamersNexus says the AK400 is 4 dBA quieter than the Vetroo V5 at the same price. Against its direct rival, it does better on both temperature and noise.

The overall height is 155 mm, and the heatsink alone is 152 mm. Owners of compact cases should check that figure against their case's stated CPU cooler limit before buying.

Owners repeatedly describe installation as easy. The mounting kit is a solid all-metal bracket. GamersNexus calls it functional but an area for improvement, so it works without being the best part of the package.

Tech-legend, a single source, says the pre-applied thermal compound is not ideal and can be damaged during shipping or installation. Buyers who care about paste quality may want to clean it off and apply their own.

Owner feedback keeps coming back to cooling for the money. The measured results back that up. It beats a same-priced competitor on both temperature and noise, and APH Networks' peak reading of 63 °C was only 5 °C above the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux. For a budget build, that weakens the case for spending more on a larger cooler unless the CPU is a high-power part.

It suits a mid-range Intel or AMD build where the CPU stays inside the 220 W rating and the case clears 155 mm. It is a poor fit for anyone running a chip that throttles under sustained heavy loads, as the 11900K FPU result shows. Anyone sensitive to noise at full load should set a fan curve, since the top speed is loud in KitGuru's figures.