After our huge Best 360mm AIO CPU Cooler shoot-out last week, we return again with another closed loop water cooler, but this time of the 240mm variety. Today Deepcool have sent us their Gammax L240 model in for review, so it’s time to fire up the 6700k test bench and see how it compares to all the other CPU coolers on our league tables.
Deepcool Gammax L240 Specifications & Features
| Net Weight | 1204 g |
| Radiator Dimensions | 274×120×27 mm |
| Radiator Material | Aluminium |
| Tube Length | 310 mm |
| Pump Dimensions | 91×79×47 mm |
| Pump Speed | 2550 RPM±10% |
| Pump Noise | 18.9 dB(A) |
| Pump Connector | 3-pin |
| Pump Rated Voltage | 12 VDC |
| Pump Rated Current | 0.21 A |
| Pump Power Consumption | 2.52 W |
| Fan Dimension | 120×120×25 mm |
| Fan Speed | 500-1800 RPM±10% |
| Fan Airflow | 69.34 CFM |
| Fan Air Pressure | 2.42 mmAq |
| Fan Noise | ≤30 dB(A) |
| Fan Connector | 4-pin |
| Bearing Type | Hydro Bearing |
| Fan Rated Voltage | 12 VDC |
| Fan Rated Current | 0.17 A |
| Fan Power Consumption | 2.04 W |
| LED Type | RGB LED |
| LED Connector | 4-pin(+12V-G-R-B) |
| LED Rated Voltage | 12 VDC |
| LED Power Consumption | 3.72 W |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel LGA20XX/LGA1366/LGA115X ; AMD AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 /FM2+/FM2/FM1. |
| EAN | 6933412726531 |
| P/N | DP-H24RF-GL240RGB |
Deepcool Gammax L240 Closer Look
The Deepcool Gammax L240 is of a fairly standard aesthetic; a round CPU block houses the pump, topped off with an RGB illuminated logo. The aluminium radiator connects to the pump via tubing that is clad in nice thick woven sleeving. Everything feels very solid and is of a nice quality overall.
From a fan perspective, you get two 120mm with PWM control, along with 6 ultra-bright RGB LEDs embedded around the out edge of the core. With translucent fan blades, the light should fill the entirety of the fan when in operation.
A nice added little bonus is the fan controller which also allows the RGB lighting to be controlled by the motherboard software, with all the major motherboard companies supported.
The cold plate covers a nice big area, and is made of pure copper for effective heat dissipation. From a socket support perspective, all main stream variants from Intel and AMD are catered for, with the exception of TR4.
Deepcool Gammax L240: Thermal Performance
Since our previous cooling reviews prior to November 2016, we have decided to update the method accordingly for better and consistent results. It isn’t ideal running Prime95 for a prolonged period of time and if you get called away to do something, it could be left running for much longer than needed. Our new methodology involves running a very stressful multi-threaded performance benchmark called ROG RealBench.
It should also be noted that the reason we omit acoustic/noise testing is due to an inaccuracy within the readings and method. To provide truly accurate readings, you need a lab setting with the same ambient noise on an hour by hour, day by day and week by week basis. As ambient noise can increase at different times of the day, we believe that it’s pointless providing noise testing if we can’t measure consistent and accurate data due to our office being a busy setting.
Test Setup
- CPU – Intel Core i7 6700k – (4.2GHz at 1.25v & 4.5GHz at 1.38v)
- Motherboard – Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha
- GPU – MSI GTX 1080 Armor 8G OC
- RAM – Crucial Ballistix Elite 16GB DDR4 3000MHz
- PSU – BeQuiet Dark Power Pro 11 1000w
- SSD – Crucial MX300 525GB SSD
- Monitor – MSI Optix MPG27CQ
In addition to keeping our test setup consistent for all CPU cooling tests, we also always use the same thermal paste rather than any that comes supplied or pre-applied. Our thermal paste of choice is NT-H1 from Noctua.
Idle Testing Methodology
To test each cooler at idle, the minimum temperature is taken after leaving the PC with only start-up programs on Windows 10 being allowed to run for 5 minutes. After this, the minimum temperature with the core temperature being offset against the room temperature; thus achieving delta.
Load Testing Methodology
To load test, we run RealBench while selecting the heavy multitasking benchmark only. We run this a maximum of 3 times concurrently and the maximum temperature recorded is taken. This temperature is deducted from the current room temperature and our final delta temperature is provided.
Results
The Deepcool Gammax L240 Review: The Verdict
The Gammax L240 is a very likeable product indeed. Its very easy to mount, which isn’t the case with all AIO’s for sure. The RGB lighting emitted by the fans is extremely vivid, and would look great in a finished build. The CPU block design is simple, but very effective, and I like the look of the logo which reminds me of an LCD number design.
From a performance perspective, it performed well…in fact it performed REALLY well. With our i7 6700k overclocked to 4.5GHz and running at full load, the Gammax was the second best performing 240mm AIO we’ve ever seen, beaten only by the excellent Cooler Master ML240. What’s even more impressive, is that it beats a 280mm cooler, and even a 360mm variant also. Very impressive indeed!
What’s hot:
- Excellent performer beating many more expensive rivals
- Bright RGB LEDs on the fans look really good
- Fantastic value for money thanks to an amazingly low price
What’s not:
- There is literally nothing to dislike about the Gammax L240
The crowning glory for the Deepcool Gammax L240 is that at the time of writing, it can be bought in the UK for just £69.99 at Amazon. If you don’t mind pre-ordering, the price drops even further to just £59.99 at scan.co.uk. If you have read my previous article on the best 360mm AIO coolers 2019 you will see that some of those prices were eye watering, so to find something that looks this good, performs this well, and costs this little is frankly hard to beat. Therefore the Gammax L240 rightly deserves our Play3r Gold Award. Good job Deepcool.
Thanks to Deepcool for sending a sample of the Gammax L240 in for review.
