Cooling

Deepcool LE500 Review

vortez
July 18, 2022 8 Min Read
2 0

Deepcool hits the market with the LE500, a 240mm liquid CPU cooler which offers excellent value for money. Can it deliver on the performance though?


Product on Review: LE500 CPU cooler
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Deepcool
Street Price: $59.99 USD

Off the back of Deepcool’s most recent product announcement where they unveiled two new series of CPU coolers which focus primarily on being budget friendly, today we are planning to venture into the new LE series of liquid coolers.

The LE Series features a number of different sized models but today we will be focussing our attention on the LE500, which is the 240mm variant. This 240mm liquid cooler features two 120mm RGB LED cooling fans and comes in at a mere $59.99. Is it up to the job of keeping out Intel Core i9-12900K nice and cool? Let’s find out!


About Deepcool
We founded Deepcool with the mission of providing the best and personalized thermal solutions for customers around the world. Deepcool was first established 1996 with its headquarters in Beijing and factory facilities in Shen Zhen that produced coolers and cooling accessories for desktops and servers. In response to rapid advancements in the PC sector Deepcool further expanded into AIO liquid cooling products, chassis, and power supplies.

Technical Specifications


Below are the technical specifications surrounding the LE500:

Socket compatibility
Intel 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066
AMD AM5, AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4, sTR4
Net Weight 1238 g
Radiator Dimensions 282×120×27 mm
Radiator Material Aluminum
Tube length 415 mm
Pump Dimensions 91×80×52 mm
Pump Speed 2400 RPM±10%
Pump Noise 17.8 dB(A)
Pump Connector 3-pin
Pump Rated Voltage 12 VDC
Pump Rated Current 0.3 A
Pump Power Consumption 3.6 W
Fan Dimensions 120×120×25 mm
Fan Speed 500~2250RPM±10%
Fan Airflow 85.85 CFM
Fan Air Pressure 3.27 mmAq
Fan Noise ≤32.9 dB(A)
Fan Connector 4-pin PWM
Bearing Type Hydro Bearing
Fan Rated Voltage 12 VDC
Fan Rated Current 0.34 A
Fan Power Consumption 4.08 W
LED Type 6-Color LED
EAN 6933412727552
P/N R-LE500-BKLNMC-G-1

Packaging & Bundle



LE500 arrives in packaging we have seen before with Deepcool’s liquid coolers. The box has a clean design and can be recycled if no longer required. An image of the cooler along with tech spec is included.


Inside, all of the items are wrapped in plastic and well-protected in a large cardboard tray which is the standard packaging for products of this nature.

There are various parts for installing these coolers into a computer case since it is compatible with numerous socket types. The bundle consists of:

• Radiator/block
• 2x 120mm fans
• Mounting kit for Intel/AMD platforms
• Installation guides

Closer Look



Included with this cooler are 120mm fans. These fans are PWM and capable of 500-2250 RPM and airflow of up to 85.85 CFM.

Both fans are RGB LED ready and require no additional cable for this lighting, they both just connect to the motherboard via a 3-pin PWM connector.



The top cover on the pump is very simple in its design and the ring around the edge and Deepcool logo are the only elements that feature RGB lighting. The logo cannot be rotated. The tubes which fix to the pump are rubber and can be adjusted to a specific angle if required. Again, like the fans – the pump features a 3-pin PWM connector and will provide 220W.

On the bottom-side of the block, we can see the copper baseplate and pre-applied thermal paste. The circumference of this is unlikely to cater for larger CPUs which fall into the HEDT category, even though they are on the compatibility list.


LE500 is a 240mm variant within the LE Series and therefore has a 240mm radiator. As with other liquid cooling products from Deepcool, the company is very keen to mention that this LE500 has the anti-leak technology.

Installation Process



As part of the first step for installing LE500, we attached the two cooling fans to the radiator. A push configuration is the usual course of action for this type of cooler, so we install the fans in this orientation – with airflow directed at the radiator. As usual, long screws need to be tightened into all four corners of each fan.

The largest and most challenging aspect to installing a liquid cooler within a case comes when trying to fix the radiator and fan combo into the roof of the case, so this is the next phase of our installation. Most cases have allocation at the front or top for different sized radiators – 240/280 or even 360. Our case can accommodate 240 and 280, all we do is move the radiator/fan combo into the desired spot and attach the smaller screws provided to fix into place.



For our CPU cooler reviews, we’re using LGA 1700, which is Intel’s socket for 12th Gen. processors. This is a new socket for Intel and differs from 115x – therefore the installation is somewhat different but almost the same (its mostly the parts which are LGA 1700 specific, that you need to pay attention to). A backplate simply needs to be placed through the back of the motherboard as shown. And then on the front size, four plastic 1700 labelled mounts need to be placed over the screws from the backplate.


The last step is to place the block over the CPU/screws and attach the screws. This should be done in a diagonal sequence to apply even pressure.


The finished look is impressive and took very little time to complete.

Test Setup & Methodology


HARDWARE

Rather than analyse CPU coolers on a test bench, we prefer to simulate a real-world configuration where all of the components are housed within a computer case. By doing this, our readers are able to see the CPU cooler in a real-world scenario.

Special thanks go to Intel, MSI, Corsair, Noctua and AverMedia for providing the hardware configuration for our CPU cooler reviews:

CPU – Intel Core i9-12900K
Board – MSI MAG B660 Tomahawk WiFi DDR4
RAM – Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO SL (16GB)
Power Supply – Corsair RMx850
Hard Drive – Intel S3500 128GB
Case – MSI SEKIRA 500G


BENCHMARKS

In order to perform our thermal and acoustics tests we use AIDA64 Stability test. The 12900K CPU is left in its default stock state with EIST, Turbo enabled.

For the moment, the comparison results highlight only a small number of CPU coolers, this is because we’ve updated our hardware configuration. The number of tested coolers will increase.

To reflect the most accurate user experience we always test our coolers in their out-of-the-box state, with the cooling fans/components they are sold with. However, we do not use the supplied thermal paste as this would skew results – for our thermal paste we use Noctua NT-H2 which provides us with that level playing field and consistency.

To record the idle temperatures result, our system is booted into Windows and left to idle for 20 minutes. The average core temperatures are recorded (Using Core Temp), and then we following this we apply the AIDA64 Stability test to apply an intensive load on the CPU. After 20 minutes have elapsed, we then record the average core temperatures.

All temperature results are delta, this is calculated by subtracting the ambient from the average core temperature. Ambient temperature is recorded using a digital thermometer placed near the front intake of the case.

In regards to acoustics we use the exact methodology above except all case system fans are disabled. This isolates the CPU cooler fans and allows us to accurately report on the decibel readings. We record acoustics using the NDI KC-330D Sound Level Meter at a distance of approximately 30cm.

Thermal Results


Below are the results for our thermal test. We record both the idle and load temperatures – stress is applied to the CPU using AIDA64’s stability test.

Acoustic Results


In terms of the acoustics test, we disable all case fans and place our sound level meter approximately 30cm away from the cooling fans and the result is then obtained.

Conclusion


To say that LE500 is a budget oriented liquid CPU cooler is remarkable – even though this thermal solution has a lower price-tag, it still manages to deliver excellent performance as we’ve just witnessed in the results on the preceding pages.

Cooling performance is obviously a trait which is crucial for a CPU cooler and against the competition, LE500 manages to maintain a great spot in a cooling leaderboard. Even the acoustic performance is reasonable considering the dBA almost reached 1500 RPM.

For the installation process, we featured Intel’s newest LGA 1700 socket and we found the entire experience of getting the cooler inside our system an absolute breeze. Due to the process being simple and requiring only a few steps, even the most novice of system builders will be able to get up and running in next to no time.


LE500 comes with a price-tag of just $59.99 USD, is backed by a 5-year warranty and anti-leak tech – making it an excellent choice if value is what you are after.

If keeping costs down is the objective, then the LE500 is a great choice. Even though it this CPU cooler costs less than the competition it still delivers excellent performance and should not be overlooked.

Pros
+ Looks great
+ Multiple size options
+ Excellent performance
+ Low-noise operation
+ Affordable
+ Anti-leak tech
+ Impressive 5 years warranty

Cons
– Logo on pump cannot be rotated/quote]
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.

Stay connected with the Vortez Social Media pages:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Join in with the discussions on Discord

Tags:

Deepcool

Share Article

vortez