Deepcool Captain 120 EX AIO CPU Cooler Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. The Installation Process4. Testing Methodology5. Performance and Comparisons6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

The Deepcool Captain 120 EX is the smaller sibling of the Captain 240 EX which won our ‘Worth Buying‘ award back in July.

It certainly has the wow-factor thanks to its white radiator and pump, the latter also having a pulsing, white LED integrated into it. Installation is a straight-forward process, too, with clear instructions.

I must also add that the method of installation feels very secure – I had no worries about the waterblock going anywhere during testing.

Performance levels of the Captain 120 EX suffer, though, due to the cooler shipping with just a single fan. Ideally, I would like to see all 120mm units coming with two fans to give end-users extra options when installing the hardware.

Because of this, the overclocked temperatures are the least competitive out of the AIOs that we have recently tested – though they are still respectable. It just means I cannot recommend the Captain 120 EX on raw performance alone.

If you are looking for a smaller cooler, though, and like the funky visuals, the Deepcool Captain 120 EX is worth considering. Alternatively, the white 240 EX may also be worth a shot if you have the space for the extra cooling performance.

It does not look like the white models have hit the UK yet, but you can view the current range on Amazon HERE. The black version of Deepcool's Captain 120 EX sells for £51.99 at Ebuyer.

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Pros

• Comparatively small.
• Very attractive.
• Easy and secure installation.

Cons

• Performance could be better.
• Only ships with one fan.
• Single fan gets loud under load.

KitGuru says: Based on appearance alone, the Captain 120 EX is a winner. However, its performance is lacking compared to other 120mm AIOs we have seen previously, which holds it back from a higher award.

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