DeepCool LT520 240mm AIO Review: Worth It?

DeepCool has released a new Mirror Infinity series AIOs named LT. They have released 240mm and 360mm versions. This series is also using DeepCool's 4th generation pump featuring a powerful 3-phase motor driving up to 3100 RPM±10% which is further enhanced by using an improved micro-channel design and thick copper base.

Summary

The LT520, with its superb cooling performance albeit at higher noise output, is a fantastic cooler offering a good blend of stunning visuals on the block cover and the thermal performance. Coming in at only USD 109, this is easily among the few units that offer a true value for your bucks.

Pros

Cons

Earlier, we tested the LS720 coolers from the DeepCool. This time, we are testing the LT520 cooler. DeepCool has launched a new series of AIO named LT and so far has released a 240mm and a 360mm version in this series. The 520 in the naming convention is for the 240mm size and 720 is for the 360mm in size. The LS ad LT series coolers are based on DeepCool's fourth-generation pump and FC/FK series fans.

The block's cover is removable from the pump and there is a three-dimensional infinity mirror surface underneath the top cover that offers a new visual experience through a multi-faceted geometric reflection.

Somehow, this seems to be the only difference between the LT and LS series and to make this multi-faceted geometric design happen, we are seeing a rather large size block cover. The cooler is compatible with the Intel LGA1700/1200/115x/20xx and AMD AM4/AM5/sTR4/sTRX4 sockets.

Dimension

The cooler is shipped inside a cardboard box.

DeepCool has changed the packing theme a while ago and this cooler follows that scheme. There is a flyer cover over the cardboard box. The cooler features Anti-Leak technology which was introduced with the Castle and Captain V2 series earlier.

Here, you will find the specifications of the cooler. DeepCool has been highlighting Anti-Leak technology for some time and this cooler is no exception. They have shed some light on this technology over here.

The cooler and mounting hardware is tucked inside an egged carton for maximum safety during traveling. The accessories are placed inside the box whereas the fans are inside the transparent covers.

DeepCool has provided a comprehensive user guide for ease of installation.

There is an Intel backplate that is not metallic. It has standoffs pre-installed which reduces the installation steps.

We have:

We have

The Deepcool LT520 is a 240mm CLC cooling solution with a 240mm radiator with two FK120s.

Focusing on the dimension of the radiator, which is 282 x 120 x 27mm, its thickness comes to be 27mm. With 25mm fans, the overall thickness would be 53mm by incorporating the heads of the screws. The radiator has a 20 FPI count. There is a gap of 105mm between any two fan mounting holes on the radiator.

Since the radiator is made up of aluminum, it is lightweight. This is Deepcool's own design. The blocks on both ends of the radiator are rectangular. The fin stack is dense and taking into account the left and right side channels, it has a total of 12 channels for water flow. There is a DeepCool logo on the tube side.

There are no protective sheets over the fins under the fan mounts. So, take care while mounting the fans as longer screws could damage the fins which would hamper the performance of the cooler. It is recommended to use the supplied long screws to mount the fans onto the radiators.

The right side of the radiator has a pressure release valve at the bulkhead side. Deepcool has installed an elastic-based pressure-released bag on the outlet side of the radiator. One side of this bag is dipped in the coolant whereas the other side is exposed to the air. When the internal pressure reached the atmospheric pressure or exceeds it the bag will be squeezed. This would increase the internal volume of the loop and would cause the increased pressure to be released in the air through the valve. This would reduce the risk of leakage in the AIO owing to the increased internal pressure.

The far head of the radiator has a sticker pasted on it as can be seen in the above picture. This is not an Asetek design.

The above picture shows a close view of the fins. DeepCool has done a good job in the overall finishing with the E shape fins.

This cooler is using two barbed fittings with metallic covers for reinforcement and better aesthetics. Also, take note of the plastic-made black color tube holder. DeepCool has provided 2x such holders which are easy to remove and their position can be adjusted as well.

The soft tubing is made from an upgraded anti-explosion rubber tube manufactured using an anti-corrosion, crush resistant and thermostable material. The soft material tubing is flexible and doesn't produce kinking which is always a plus. Deepcool is using mesh sleeves on the hoses to give them clean look. The length of the tube is approximately 410mm.

Let's take a look at the main element of this cooler. It is the water block with the pump housing. We have a different outlook on the LT series compared to the LS and Castle series AIOs.

The block has a size of 94×60/88mm. On the LS series, it has a dimension of 85x74x57mm. Comparing both, we can see the block on LT has a relatively large size. The top cover is completely removable. There is a DeepCool logo on the top. Though it seems like the cover is made of aluminum, it is not. There is a light gray color housing of the cover with geometrical cutouts exposing the infinity mirror design. This design has a multi-faceted geometric reflection creating a 3D effect.

Looking at the block from the side, we can see the harmony in the flow of the design as these cutouts and the exposed mirror infinity design look quite good in person.

The tubes are installed in a 90° mount on the base of the block so that they can be rotated as per the requirement to the left or right side position. There is one cable coming out of the pump housing while the second is coming out of the removable top.

To power the pump, the pump housing has a 3-pin power cable.

There are standard 3-pin 5V, A-RGB connectors to power the LEDs and daisy chain the A-RGB elements.

The above picture shows the cover removed from the pump housing.

Take a peek inside the cover. The frosted diffuser is covering the three sides. The geometric shapes are placed under the diffuser. The 6x A-RGB LEDs are installed vertically to the top diffuser. To be honest, there is nothing futuristic about it as it is a simple design.

The pump has a rated speed of 3100±RPM which is higher than 2550±10% RPM on Castle V2 series coolers, at 12VDC rated voltage. Power consumption is 4.56 Watts using 0.38A current. The noise level is rated at 19 dB(A). The pump's LED power consumption is 3.15W using 5VDC voltage.

Let's take a look at the base of the block. The base has a size of 53x53mm approximately which is quite large given the size of the CPU IHS that we will be using for the testing. The unit comes with the pre-applied thermal paste. Notice the 4x mounting holes on the base surrounding the housing. This is where the mounting brackets are installed.

The cooler has a three-phase drive motor up to 3100 RPM.

DeepCool is using a thick copper base plate with a seamless match.

Optimized microchannels are used in the design.

The LT520 comes with 2x FK120 fans. These are not A-RGB fans. These fans feature a square frame which certainly adds more to the bold yet stylish look of the cooler. Each fan has 9 black color blades. There is a black color sticker on the center with DeepCool branding. Each mounting corner has a cut-to-size anti-vibration rubber pad. Looking at the back of the fan, we can see a 4-arms assembly holding the blades and the center. The fans are made in China. One of the arms has widened body as it carries the power cable.

There is a black color flat cable with a 4-pin PWM header coming out of the hub. This cable powers the fan. This is another difference between the LT and LS series. The LS series fans even if not A-RGB are still using the 6-pin proprietary connectors. I think DeepCool has made a wise decision of using a standard connector on these fans.

The salient specifications of the fans are:

There is no dedicated A-RGB controller provided with the cooler. There is no hub provided with the cooler either. The terminal connectors are 4-pin PWM and 3-pin, 5V, and A-RGB ones. The A-RGB lighting is compatible with:

Here are some pictures of the test build for your eye pleasure.

We have tested the cooler on the AM5 platform using the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU. The installation is simple and convenient. We need 14 components to set up the mounting hardware for the block. Please refer to the user manual for detailed installation instructions.

The cooler is an AIO and has no clearance issue for the RAM and PCIe slot. However, make sure that your case supports 240mm AIO. The dimension of the radiator without fans is 282x120x27mm (LxWxH). With fans, the dimension is 282x120x53mm (height is increased).

The following test bench is used: –

Here is the settings table for testing:

Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application and varying ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics.

This is our first regular cooler being tested on this platform hence there is no other cooler in the graph at present. We have been testing this platform for some time and based on our testing we can confirm that the DeepCool LT520 has a fantastic performance. Previously, the Alphacool 360mm AIO which I tested for other media site was doing 85°C at an ambient of 24°C. This is almost a similar performance from both coolers which makes LT520 a better one given its size of 240mm.

We recorded 50 dB(A) noise output from these fans at an ambient of 32 dB(A). The fans are loud at full speed and I would suggest PWM Auto control or custom fan curve.

Though we did not test this cooler on the Intel platform, LS series coolers are mentioned specifically by DeepCool to be installed in a 6’0 clock orientation.

Since the slot position of the split plate is parallel to the CPU die, the 6’0 clock orientation enhances the maximum heat transfer as compared to installing the cooler in any other orientation. I would expect the same from the LT series as LS and LT both use the same design and the same pump.

There is still no white version offered from DeepCool, and both the 240mm (LT520) and the 360mm (LT720) are in black theme. The dimension of the aluminum-made radiator is 282x127x27mm. The thickness of the radiator is 27mm, which would be approximately 53 mm with the fans. Also, the FPI count is 20.

DeepCool is using Anti-Leak technology on this cooler as well. We saw that with their V2 of the Castle coolers. The soft tubing is made from an upgraded anti-explosion rubber tube manufactured using an anti-corrosion, crush resistant and thermostable material.

Additionally, the soft material tubing is a bit flexible and doesn't produce kinking, which is always a plus. DeepCool uses mesh sleeves on the hoses to give them a clean look.

When compared with the previous generations, the block of the LT series is different as DeepCool has come up with a new outlook on the pump block. The dimension of the pump block is 94x80x68mm. This size is bigger than the LS series blocks but with one catch. The block cover on the LT series is removable. Simply lift it up, and the cover will pop out. Push it back in for the installation. This is a convenient implementation.

The block cover features a mirror infinity design which is further enhanced by using the multi-faceted geometric reflection creating a 3D effect overall. While this seems pretty futuristic, the design is basic on the cover's inner side.

There is a geometric design placed under the diffuser. The diffuser runs on three sides, and the A-RGB strip comprises 6x A-RGB LEDs installed vertically on one side. With a measurement of approximately 53×53 mm, the base comes with pre-applied thermal paste.

The pump's power consumption is 4.56 Watts using 0.38A current, and the noise level is rated at 19 dB(A). Deepcool has provided two FK120 non-A-RGB fans with this cooler. These fans are rated for 0.22A at 12VDC, drawing a power of 2.64W.

Going over the fan speed, it is 500 ~ 2250±10% RPM, and the maximum airflow on 12VDC is 85.85CFM. Similarly, the noise level is rated at <32.9 dB(A), and the maximum static pressure is 3.27mmAq. Even though the fans are using the Fluid Dynamic Bearings, they were making a strange humming noise at full speed, which we did not observe in the LS720.

With only 14 components to deal with when installing the pump block on the AMD CPU (AM5 Platform), the installation was quite simple. Another difference between the LS and LT series is that the LT series fans use the standard 4-pin PWM connectors.

To power the A-RGB element on the top cover, the standard 3-pin, 5V connector is used. The LS series has a 6-pin proprietary connector with integrated cable management. I like how DeepCool has implemented the LT series, keeping it to the basics.

Going over the prices, the LT520 has an MSRP of USD 109. It should be kept in mind that the regional prices would vary. DeepCool is offering 5 years limited warranty on these coolers. All in all, the DeepCool LT520 has performed very well on AMD Ryzen 7 7700X.

The overall noise output is high, and we suggest using auto PWM or a custom fan curve. GIGABYTE RGB FUSION 2 was used to test the A-RGB lighting, and it worked flawlessly with brilliant lighting on the pump block.

We are thankful to DeepCool for the provision of the testing unit.

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