Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Maximum noise levels
When it comes to noise levels, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite runs quieter than the competition, reaching only 42.9 dBA in its performance mode! Those who prefer silent environments can enable the low-noise mode, reducing volume to only 38.9 dBA.
Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results
Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited, and many users prefer a quieter system. Many users consider these tests to be the most important of all, so we’ll start today’s review looking at noise-normalized performance.
We’ll be looking at two distinct tests. We’ll first look at our traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU-only workload with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA.
The noise-normalized performance of DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite topped our air-cooling charts when paired with an Intel Core i7 CPU! The only other air cooler we’ve tested with similarly strong results was Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130!
Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our first test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 TI Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark.
The results in this even more difficult noise-normalized test are simply impressive – the best we have from any air cooler we’ve tested with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D thus far!
CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. This happens even with most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature.
However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare cooler performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.
We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, with the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to test coolers with this system.
The strongest 360mm AIOs on the market can handle this workload without reaching the CPU’s peak temperature but only two AIOs have passed this test thus far: Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro and NZXT’s Kraken Plus 360.
Performance here was reasonable, but not chart-topping as with our previous noise-normalized tests. The Assassin VC Elite cooled an average of 238W here, with results from both the quiet mode and performance mode being essentially the same.
CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K
Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. Looking at the results here, we can see that some coolers scale better with Intel Core CPUs than they do on AMD’s Ryzen lineup – including today’s subject, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite.
The results here were extremely strong! Cooling an average of 255W during testing puts DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite on par with Jiushark’s JF800, and a few watts behind Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130.
200W Power Limit – AMD Ryzen 9950X3D
My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings, which limits power consumption to 200W.
Starting with this benchmark, I opted to only test the DeepCool Assassin VC Elite in its low noise-mode, because our earlier tests didn’t show much of a difference in thermal results between the two modes.
The temperature of the CPU averaged 77.7 degrees C in this test, taking second place among our tested air coolers – outperformed only by Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130. Noise levels were also superb, reaching only 38.2 dBA.
150W CPU + 290W GPU results
Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your case.
The CPU power limit of 150W below was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming amongst various tech outlets covering AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience has shown most games to use much lower amounts of power, but this might be biased by the games I play.
The thermal results in this test are more or less in line with our previous one, with DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite delivering the second-best thermal results for an air cooler, with an average temperature of 69.4 degrees C.
Noise levels from the cooler were barely above our minimum measurement, reaching only 36.9 dBA. In short, this means if you’ve set the cooler to its low noise mode, it will run virtually silently in most situations.
140W CPU results
The last round of test results we’ll look at in today’s review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is dramatically easier to cool for most CPU coolers – and as a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews – but I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.
In this test, most of our coolers have similar performance. The more important factor in this test is the noise level of the cooler, which was lower than the lowest measurement our sound meter can measure!
Conclusion
DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite is simply one of the best air coolers currently being manufactured. The design is reminiscent of a Borg cube. It features strong performance, low noise levels, full RAM compatibility, and the ability to add a third fan for even more cooling performance, if you somehow find yourself in need of even more heat dissipation.
Again though, you can’t buy this cooler in the U.S., so if you’re in the states and searching for a similar level of cooling performance, Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 is the only air cooler we’ve tested that matches or bests the VC Elite. It’s not as quiet as DeepCool’s competitor, and its design feels less refined, but it is at least readily available, selling for around $50.
