Deepcool Gamer Storm Captain 240 Liquid CPU Cooler Review

Deepcool’s Gamer Storm brings us a dual-120mm liquid cooler with enhanced style and reduced price, but can it still deliver the performance?

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Early Verdict

Powerful enough to cool our Core i7-5930K at 4.20 GHz, the Captain 240 moves Deepcool squarely into the mid-budget performance-enthusiast market, where cost-conscious modders and overclockers play.

Pros

  • +

    The Captain 240 closed-loop CPU cooler provides good looks and good cooling at a moderate price.

Cons

  • -

    Good cooling comes at the expense of high noise levels, reducing the Captain 240’s overall value standing.

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Introduction

Gamer Storm should be synonymous with Deep Cool by now, as the company lists products from both its enthusiast and commercial builder business on the same web page. Growing out from oversized air to “AIO Cooling” where “all in one” refers to closed loops, Gamer Storm represents its latest generation in liquid cooling. The best news for enthusiasts might be that Deepcool is bucking the trend of $140 coolers, with its Captain 240 now selling for $110.

The big question is whether that 20 percent lower price will cost Captain 240 buyers anything in performance. It may simply be true that some of Deepcool’s competitors are over-charging. Or, Deepcool might have a more-efficient supply stream. Or, its competitors might be spending all that extra money on marketing. We’d certainly like to know, so we’re putting the Gamer Storm on an overclocked Haswell-E system to find out.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mrmike_49
    Looks like they spread on the thermal paste with a trowel!!!!
    Reply
  • PDO
    Isn't that the way you are supposed to, or are you telling me that I've been doing wrong all this time.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    16036480 said:
    Looks like they spread on the thermal paste with a trowel!!!!
    The factory thermal paste? We didn't use it. We took a photo of it and scraped it off so that wouldn't be a factor in thermal measurement. All coolers are tested with Arctic MX-4 as an equalizer (it performs well and is re-useable when fresh).

    Reply
  • Blueberries
    I wish companies would stop branding radiators, memory, etc with "gamer" names. How stupid is that? It's not a keyboard, or a headset, or a video card, or a monitor, or... you get my point; the design of these items doesn't change, you always want the best thermal dissipation from a radiator. Calling it "sniper," "headshot," "nightvision," "dragons," is so tacky and unattractive, especially if it comes with an equally as tacky design or heatsink. If anything it turns me away from their product because I assume "Oh, this is in no way marketed towards professionals. We can get away with a shoddier product and nobody will notice!"
    Reply
  • SuperVeloce
    I think that those deepcool fans are the weak point here. Sure fans from DC looks and feels like a quality product to the touch (for the most part), performance and noise is subpar for a price I usually bought them for.
    Reply
  • ppalm
    Normally, I'm not one to care about looks, but that thing looks freakin' sweet when lit up sitting there on top of the CPU. I'm a low-profile black-case no-window kind of guy, so pragmatics win for me (Noctua) but this cooler makes the CPU look like a little reactor. Pretty snazzy.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    I really like the looks of the cooler itself. The clear pipe, on the block is a nice touch. Paired with some better fans, and this would be a great cooler, imo.
    Reply
  • BuffaloChuck
    I wish the author would tell us what the SOURCE of the noise is. Is it the fan blades (therefore anyone interested in swapping out fans can experiment) or is it the OKLAHOMA effect (wind comes sweeping the radiator blades - I think that's how the song goes).

    As for looks, I'd never give a hoot. Who spends time oohing and ahhing, getting physically 'excited' by computer parts?!! Sheesh..."Do something WITH the computer, don't just stare at it's purty lights."
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    16059116 said:
    I wish the author would tell us what the SOURCE of the noise is. Is it the fan blades (therefore anyone interested in swapping out fans can experiment) or is it the OKLAHOMA effect (wind comes sweeping the radiator blades - I think that's how the song goes).

    As for looks, I'd never give a hoot. Who spends time oohing and ahhing, getting physically 'excited' by computer parts?!! Sheesh..."Do something WITH the computer, don't just stare at it's purty lights."

    Umm many people care about looks. If they didn't we wouldn't have cases with side windows. It is no different than a person getting physically excited by the looks of a car.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    16059116 said:
    I wish the author would tell us what the SOURCE of the noise is. Is it the fan blades (therefore anyone interested in swapping out fans can experiment) or is it the OKLAHOMA effect (wind comes sweeping the radiator blades - I think that's how the song goes).

    As for looks, I'd never give a hoot. Who spends time oohing and ahhing, getting physically 'excited' by computer parts?!! Sheesh..."Do something WITH the computer, don't just stare at it's purty lights."
    It's a whizzing, not a whooshing, so the fans are definitely making a whiz. Better than taking one I suppose, given that it's hanging over a motherboard and graphics card.

    Reply